Tag Cloud
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Sacramento Police Prepare for Extreme Budget Cuts
by Andrew Pettit, published on June 8, 2011 at 11:17 AM
Storyline: Police
Community Tags
Crime
With the City Council decision to cut $12.2 million dollars from the Police Department’s budget we now prepare to transform the way we police in Sacramento.
The impact of four years of police budget reductions has resulted in $35 million dollars in cuts and a lost 372 positions which includes over 180 sworn. This year alone, we will lose 164 positions (82 sworn, 68 civilians, and 14 vacant sworn). The dollars cut to the police budget translate into service reductions to include the following:
Elimination- Narcotics Unit
Elimination- Gang Unit
Elimination- Traffic Teams
Elimination- Problem Oriented Policing Teams
Elimination- Magnet School Program
Elimination- Community Service Officers
Elimination- Bike Unit
Elimination- Mounted Unit
Elimination- Marine Unit
Elimination- Foot Beat Officers
Elimination- High-Tech Crimes Unit
Elimination- Auto Theft Investigations Unit
Elimination- Parolee Intervention Team
Transformation- SWAT to part time teams
Transformation- Crime Scene Investigators to sworn officers
In the next three weeks, the Department will be shifting the way we police to primarily handle emergency calls and investigate major crimes. More details on what the service impacts means for the community will be forthcoming in the next few weeks. “Although we will no longer be able to provide the level of service, we are committed to continuing to provide quality service when we do respond” said Chief Rick Braziel.
Flag Article As:
Conversation Express your views,
debate, and be heard with those in your area closest
to the issue.
Leave a Comment
The Sac PD treats the chopper as a cruiser. Does every police call need chopper support? Or is it simply that the police department has an expensive toy and wants to use it as frequently as possible?
Davis has car robberies, burglaries, assaults…and no helicopter. Folsom has car robberies, burglaries, assaults…and no helicopter. Yet most people would think either is safer that Sac.
For five nights in a row, and frequently over the past few weeks, there is a police helicopter hovering over my neighborhood. We live on the third floor, it is loud and disruptive. It also makes us feel as if we're living in a war zone or a crime-plagued area. This can't have a positive impact on property values or neighborhood appeal.
Frankly, the greatest safety threat in my neighborhood (Fremont Park) is traffic: red light runners, failure to yield to a pedestrian (with a dog!), speeding, reckless driving, distracted driving, DUI, etc. Drivers in Sac are a real menace.
WHY? Does _EVERY_ police call require helicopter support? Are there really that many bad people lurking about in the neighborhood? Is this the best use of city resources? We check the police website ( http://www.sacpd.org/helicopter/ ) and nothing seems so serious as to require air support.
Cut the stupid chopper.
It's horrible how extensive the cuts are going to be.
The Police have been cut too far as it is. All other City Services should go away first. I would rather live in a Safe city with messed up infrastructure, than a dangerous city with pretty roads.
A safe city is a city that business wants to operate in, that people want to live in. Cutting the police will simply make the budget problem worse. As the crime mounts, those who can leave will, the business will follow.