If proper modeling is needed then we must get the verbiage correct.
The presence of the AUTHORITY of the police on the street acts as a SUPPRESSIVE EFFECT upon those who are inclined to EXPLOIT the opportunity of executing an offense and believing that they can get away with it. They are not bound to any particular notion of the "shared trust" of the society to guide them when no one is looking. NO ONE with the AUTHORITY to do anything to stop them. Certainly their victims are looking as them as they receive the assault.
This should be labeled as "The Economics Of Safe Streets". A veritable "SIMs" computer game is at work here.
Ultimately Dekalb County - a free standing entity as franchised by the State of Georgia, has some tough decisions to make. With tight money times - they need to decide how much of a priority the public money being spent on the services that the police force that patrol the streets are worth as compared to the other needs that are resident. The basic "Standard of Living" inside of this domain is in the key reference.
Let's be honest here for a second. Lets focus upon the key elements that trigger an increase in spending on law enforcement by first removing the non-violent/non-larceny related items such as:
- Auto Accidents
- Traffic Control
- Medical Emergencies
- Residential Code Enforcement
The desire to MANAGE crime is the key drive to expand the police force and the equipment that they have access to. Kasim Reed, mayor of neighboring Atlanta is not seeking to add 750 new police officers in order to have quicker responses to traffic accidents. It was the "Bloody Summer of 2009" and the associated "Smash And Grab - Street Piracy" that triggered this drive for more resources.
Normally we'd hear the argument that the "Government should take the money the police receive and shift it over to community and social services in order to preempt a young man from becoming a criminal". Indeed there is some merit to this argument.
I choose to go even deeper. That money that the government now has came out of the pockets of the citizens that will ultimately benefit from the expenditures upon the priorities that they choose. The fact that money is a scarce resource will always mean that the burden to maintain a certain standard of living will always fall upon those who desire to live up to this standard. If monetary resources are scarce, if others are resistant to "share" with you - the only option is "We All We Got" - the same message that appeared on the t-shirts after "Katrina".
The missing link is "Cultural Capital". This is the cold cash that the "Community Cultural Consciousness and Competence Domain" operates upon.
Some times CULTURE MUST BE RESTRICTIVE!!! If the alternative is to retain the "moral high ground" as a "libertine" who believes that no force should be set upon an individual - except a force that is going to LIFT A PERSON UP - then sometimes a CONSTRAINING FORCE that establishes the LATERAL WALLS are necessary for a viscus fluid to have no place to go BUT UP!!!
How many of us have cursed our parents under our breath for not allowing us to do what we wanted to? Suffering the threat of "Boy I'm going to pull you down the stairs by your shirt if you don't come now". With a Black mother - you know she'd likely try it.
If the conservative is averse to having a "Constitutional GOVERNMENT" as the "Big Brother" and the Progressive not wanting a CORPORATION in such a role - WHO ELSE is going to perform this role? Why not an "Democratic Community Overlay" who's goal is to fill the gap that the scarce resources of money can't provide? (small "d" democrat that is)
Furloughs caused crime to spike and response times to drop in Atlanta. So why would DeKalb County want to do the same thing, officers want to know.
The latest proposal to address DeKalb County’s $84 million deficit calls for a two-hour a week furlough for all employees – including those in public safety. The proposal also calls for seven unpaid holidays.
That means 19 unpaid days a year. For a starting police officer making $36,850, that’s a pay cut of about $2,680 – or 7 percent – for the year.
“It’s a reduction in pay and a statement by (the) administration saying they place a low priority on the officers and public safety,” said Joe Stiles, executive director of the Police Benevolent Association of Georgia. “The potential problem with furlough days is it’s kind of like playing with matches. It might not start a fire, but it could.”
DeKalb officers told the AJC they are willing to help with the countywide belt-tightening, but the proposed furloughs will hurt public safety.
“We’re something that has to be manned 24-7,” said Master Police Officer Jeff Wiggs, president of the DeKalb County Fraternal Order of Police. “When word gets out to the criminal element that the police department is short-manned today, that’s when they’ll decide to break in your house..”
Set against property raising taxes, the county commission has drafted a list of cuts that include the furloughs, an early retirement program and other reductions. The furloughs will save the county about $11.18 million and the unpaid holidays will save another $7.8 million, commissioners said.
“Furloughs and rescinding paid holidays are not our choice as a means to balance the budget,” Commissioner Jeff Rader told the AJC on Wednesday. “It’s currently a necessity to deal with our declining revenue.”
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