Shouldn't the City Commissioners hire 14 new police officers if they get a chance? It takes 6.2 cops to provide just one more man on the streets 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And this is not a typical 30,000-resident town in the sleepy South. Tourists swarm the place at festival time. And every month is festival time here.
Still, two members of the public urged caution at the Commission meeting Wednesday evening.
Gregory Impeciati, a Fast Buck Freddies' employee who has brought a lawsuit against the City alleging police brutality, claims that cops hang out together while crime runs rampant, and abuses of power are the norm.
"Corruption exists," he told the Commission. "We need to clean up the police force before we hire more." He called for a citizen review board to oversee the police.
Former mayoral candidate George Maurer brought to the podium another perspective. He said the police-to-people ratio was already on the high side in this town and he urged more "community policing"— foot patrols— be used. This matching grant from the US Dept. of Justice, he said, was likely to be used "not for more foot patrols but for more people in cars."
An aspect of the grant which gave pause to some Commissioners was the way the grant is structured to pay for up to 75 percent of the new officers' salary the first year, with "the federal share decreasing and the local share increasing from year to year" over the three-year period until the City pays all.
When the government supplies these grants, salaried positions cannot be eliminated after the grant money dries up. this can add up to big bucks, what with benefits and pensions and such.
Mayor Pro-Tem Harry Bethel voiced his concern. "If we approve 14, we don't have to hire 14?" Police Chief Buz Dillon said the money is "reimbursable."
Commissioner Carmen Turner said she hopes they do hire all 14. "I have never met with a constituent where there were not law enforcement issues," she said. "I am comfortable making the financial commitment. I think it is what the citizens are asking for."
Commissioner Tom Oosterhoudt concurred. "I hope we ask for all 14 new officers."
Authorizing the Police Dept. to go after the grant was approved unanimously.
More officers of the law? Why not, indeed? The time is coming when I begin to feel the need for a personal 24-hour overseer. I am tempted at all hours to put up an illegal sign of one sort or another. I cannot be trusted not to pee in the water at Smathers Beach. More marine officers are a must— with snorkels and pee-o-meters!
I am still biking without a proper registration, even though the City Commission long ago passed a law requiring that all bicycles be registered. Nobody else I know has a registered bicycle, either.
How many decibels of noise do my roosters put out? My air conditioner could be over the setback line. And I might do more than the allowed-by-law homeowner repairs without a permit.
For all these reasons and more, the City should probably hire the 6.2 officers it would take for an extra officer on the streets to keep an eye on me. Ditto for all the other 30,000 inhabitants here. There are grants for this! We could hire more personnel from upstate, from Georgia, from Arkansas.
But there is just one problem; just one little fly in this ointment.
Who will watch the police officers?