Ann Arbor politicians need to focus on safety services, not green space
Ann Arbor will be a lovely green hamlet, perhaps linked by rail to Detroit. All will be able to enjoy the splendor and natural beauty of the Huron Valley’s centerpiece city.
Parks abound, green space is plentiful and this modern utopia still boasts two golf courses. It is a lovely vision. Perhaps the mayor and council feel it will be their lasting legacy on Ann Arbor. I feel my lower lip quivering with emotion at the impending beauty and ultimate wonderfulness of it all.
But it's time to get real and lose the dreamy looks of that proposed utopia. How can you reduce the staff of the police department by 20 more employees after 24 left last year? The city is also going to cut the fire department by another 20 employees?
I am not a fear monger, and I will guarantee all of the safety services employees will do their absolute best to keep Ann Arbor safe. But when is enough enough? All these big ideas for Ann Arbor to make it look wonderful, but what will they really cost?
Ann Arbor police officers work at the scene of a domestic call in this file photo.
Police and fire departments are usually out of sight and out of mind. They exist and they are expensive, and hopefully a citizen will never directly need them. However, the city’s “finest” and “bravest” are pretty handy and welcome in an emergency.
Safety services are like insurance. I hate paying my insurance premiums. It seems like such a waste - until something happens and I need the insurance. When your house burns down, your car is wrecked or you are getting sued, the insurance you have is pretty handy and a welcome relief at a tough time.
City councils and mayors have a perspective of the city, and I’m sure they want to leave their “stamp” or “legacy” that in their eyes will make the city a better place. Wake up politicians.
Police officers, firefighters, street cleaners, foresters, planners, engineers, and all other public service employees also have a vision of the city. They do their jobs day in and day out and try to make the city a better place by working in their specific areas of expertise.
I can only speak from a police perspective, but police officers dedicate their professional lives to keeping citizens safe. Sometimes, it puts them at odds with citizens. Traffic cops believe issuing tickets will slow people down and make the streets safer for everyone. Patrol officers and detectives like to arrest criminals because they feel locking up criminals will prevent future crimes and make a safer community.Â
From a citizen’s perspective, you may not agree, but I can tell you from my experience that cops really do want to keep the community safe. They want to do a good job, but they need the tools.
In the case of a police department, the greatest tools are associated with the greatest costs of the organization. People make a police department, but they are expensive. Personnel costs are somewhere near 90 percent of police operating budgets. Less money in the budget translates to fewer people, and unfortunately less service. Â
Emergency calls will still be handled. Cops will still come with everything they have to help when you call 911. The question will become: Is an “emergency” today something that may be downgraded tomorrow due to lack of personnel? Will it become a report that can be called in to the front desk after the crime or “emergency” is over?Â
An old sergeant buddy of mine used to say, “If nobody is bleedin’ or dyin’ (and not in danger of becoming that way) it ain't an emergency.” Perhaps those were prophetic words.
The lack of personnel in the police department has already eliminated some specialized units that were very effective at preventing future crimes. So far it appears crime rates haven't risen dramatically, but what will be the tipping point? Once the scales have tipped, how far will they tumble?Â
It took a lot of hard work by an entire department to keep the crime numbers descending. In retrospect, it appears we may have helped put our younger officers out of work.
So Mr. Mayor and City Council members, please reconsider and pay for your necessities first before emptying the city treasury for your dreams and visions of the perfect Ann Arbor.
Lock it up, don't leave it unattended, be aware and watch out for your neighbors.
Rich Kinsey is a retired Ann Arbor police detective sergeant who now blogs about crime and safety for AnnArbor.com.
Comments
Tarc
Sat, May 1, 2010 : 7:16 a.m.
On the griping about the train, just a point of logic: the train will cost more than the bus, and the bus already comes here. Since it's more expensive, it won't be a real choice for criminals or the homeless, but it will provide a serious boon for Ann Arbor residents and students.
Tarc
Sat, May 1, 2010 : 6:59 a.m.
I've worked in Ann Arbor for 12 years, but lived here just five. When I commuted, I saw the Ann Arbor police daily - as the pulled commuter after commuter over for bizarre speed violations. Now that I live here (and ride the bus to work) I rarely ever see a police officer. I guess a smaller force might foster a focus on crime rather than illegal tax gathering from non-locals.
bunnyabbot
Fri, Apr 30, 2010 : 1:07 p.m.
@ed, I guess the shelter has their side, but Detective Sgt. Jim Stephenson comment also comes from a cop who's been here for years, he probably knows lots of cops from other departments, I am assuming, because all the cops I know seem to all know eachother thru the grapevine and it's gotten back to him that he can say "They know we have a facility here..."
bunnyabbot
Fri, Apr 30, 2010 : 12:45 p.m.
thats also the shelters statement, I imagine the numbers may be rounded off in their favor. Homeless people arn't stupid, they know how to fill out a form the way they "should" perhaps another interesting story might be about the jail. how many of the people that commit crimes here are from this county and how many come from other counties to commit crimes? another quote from the story worth repeating is: City police said it's not an uncommon practice for other jurisdictions to drop off homeless people in Ann Arbor. "They know we have a facility here that will offer three meals a day for the homeless," said Detective Sgt. Jim Stephenson. "We provide excellent services for the homeless and indigent, and that gets around."
bunnyabbot
Fri, Apr 30, 2010 : 12:35 p.m.
@ED I just posted a link to the story that is awaiting approval from the blog owner. all you need to do is google: Wayne County police drop off wanted felon at Ann Arbor homeless shelter, it was an Mlive page dated Nov 19, 2008. I remember reading the same story when it came out, not only did the man create a distrubance but he also assaulted a police officer. you want a story, why don't you walk down to the shelter and interview people staying there over a course of a few weeks and ask them "off the record" where they are from and how they ended up in A2, etc etc.
bunnyabbot
Fri, Apr 30, 2010 : 12:30 p.m.
@ED... http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2008/11/wayne_county_police_drop_off_w.html
Mick52
Fri, Apr 30, 2010 : 12:29 p.m.
It was Ann Arbor News Here's the story from MLive http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2008/11/wayne_county_police_drop_off_w.html
Mick52
Fri, Apr 30, 2010 : 12:26 p.m.
Ed, there was an article a few months back that reported a Plymouth Township police car dropped someone off at the homeless shelter. I think it was on AA.com, but maybe it was AA News before they folded. When I worked at a metro dept., officer took two homeless in the car in the opposite direction, dropping them off north on Telegraph Rd. Many homeless people investigated told us they received a one way ticket too, or were dropped off. Many were verbally advised to come to A2 also. It was quite common, especially early on, but the PTPD incident was not long ago. In case if I recall properly, it came to light because the person dropped off created a disturbance, thus it was news worthy.
Mick52
Fri, Apr 30, 2010 : 12:23 p.m.
Ed, there was an article a few months back that reported a Plymouth Township police car dropped someone off at the homeless shelter. I think it was on AA.com, but maybe it was AA News before they folded. When I worked at a metro dept., officer took two homeless in the car in the opposite direction, dropping them off north on Telegraph Rd. Many homeless people investigated told us they received a one way ticket too, or were dropped off. Many were verbally advised to come to A2 also. It was quite common, especially early on, but the PTPD incident was not long ago. In case if I recall properly, it came to light because the person dropped off created a disturbance, thus it was news worthy.
Mick52
Fri, Apr 30, 2010 : 11:57 a.m.
I agree police and fire departments should not be cut drastically, but costs are out of control. I know the job is dangerous, that does not justify "they earn" their total compensation packages. I would caution anyone in saying that to POs/FFs who work in many other MI cities. Lots of jobs are dangerous. Ann Arbors benefits/compensation package is far better than the majority of Michigan depts. I thought the greenbelt proposal was nuts when it started. But it passed by a wide margin. The bottom line is, A2 has a social agenda city council. They get re-elected over and over (generally) so the public must like their definition of what are "essential services." If they want to put up a million dollar fountain designed by a famous European artist, well that's what the voters voted for. Interesting comment about the train delivering homeless to A2. It has already been documented that cities urge their homeless to come here, some buying bus tickets, or just patrol car rides. I think the train will increase the number of homeless. But the voters voted for that to.
bunnyabbot
Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 10:34 p.m.
@CountyKate mugged? try raped. How about dumped, as in so much greenspace that isn't patrolled and is such a tempting place to dump a body. another thing, calling something a green intiative that 30-40 years ago would have been called conservation or waste not want not (or any other old timey thing) but effectivly packaging it and SELLING it as "socially responsible" (for the people) backs people into a corner where if you aren't doing it you are labeled "socially irresponsible" (AGAINST the people) and is like slapping an A on Hester (as in labeling or branding someone for the purpose of condemation) They would say: it is a moral, socially responsible thing for A2 to have and add to a greenbelt. It is a socially responsible thing for the local government to protect people from plastic bags, it is a socially responsible thing for the local government to have public art. It is a socially responsible thing to replace (perfectly working meters,which were PAID FOR) with meters that have a solar panel (that had to go out and be purchased). But if you want emergency services at the EXPENSE of these things (gasp!) you are socially irresponsible.
Andrew
Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 8:50 p.m.
That is about as self gratuitous is it gets, preventing mostly able body men to be sitting on their stools until age of 47 to retire on full pension funded by us of Ann Arbor. Able minded men of that age face with trepidation what else are they to be challenged with in order to live life worth living.
Andrew
Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 7:06 p.m.
Utopia of Ann Arbor. April 29 2010
pseudo
Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 2:16 p.m.
I never get good answers to my questions but lets see if its different this time. There are lots of assumptions and assertions made directly or implied that I would like to like to get some historical data on: 1) police department staffing per capita -v- crime rate over, say 50 years. 2) fires to be fought -v- fire fighting staff size for the last 50 years. I have the impression that fires are much fewer but we use our fire department for medical runs. If that is yes, how many, and how is the service rated? I would like to get a more historical perspective of what the per captia situation has been like before I say that I agree with Mr. Kinsey. I too see a whole bunch of sitting around, strict job duty definitions based on union negotiation and maybe if we break some of those boundaries down, we could do better based on the services needed. I don't know that for sure, I'm just looking for some historical data that I have not been able to find.
Drew Montag
Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 1:18 p.m.
While I agree with Mr. Kinsey that the city should take care of the necessities before the luxuries, I also think the city should snap up any green space they can while it's still available. The price is only going to go up, and the availability is only going to go down. Once a farmer sells his land to a builder for a subdivision, it's never going to be available as green space again. However, not all green space is equally valuable. Snap up the valuable properties while you can.
Lokalisierung
Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 11:59 a.m.
"Traffic cops believe issuing tickets will slow people down and make the streets safer for everyone"= idiotic statement" Can I just ask Ming what makes it so idiotic? Do you think having police that give out tickets has no impact on the rate of speed people drive at? becasue it does for me anyway.
Ming Bucibei
Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 11:48 a.m.
delete road patrol it is just revenue generation "Traffic cops believe issuing tickets will slow people down and make the streets safer for everyone"= idiotic statement delete the green space stupidity ming bucibei
CountyKate
Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 11:31 a.m.
These comments are vastly entertaining. Yeah, go ahead and cut cops and firefighters, then see just how attractive all those greenspaces are when your insurance rates go up and people don't want to come to A2 because of the crime rate. Like in most things, there needs to be balance. But, honestly, Ann Arbor's current leadership is not at all balanced in their vision of what A2 should be. We who no longer live here just laugh when your leadership buys up another parcel of property for "greenspace." Good luck with that, because you'll need it. When you get mugged in one of those greenspaces, maybe you'll want to talk with one of those cops who no longer are around.
Lokalisierung
Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 11:28 a.m.
"yet the cop was looking for a roll through to ticket." So the police officer was looking for someone to break a law and then ticket them. My word...what an outrage!
bunnyabbot
Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 11:19 a.m.
you know I feel my lower lip quivering too, only I am pissed. I have lived in A2 my entire life. I have a business here (and speaking of insurance I just calculated this morning that over the last 13 years I have paid out over $38,000 in insurance premiums, not fun, but yes, a necessity for business coverage, and I am ok with that). I don't own the building where my business is, my landlord has a pass thru on property tax which I only pay a fraction of, YET I get a bill from the city for property tax twice a year for my property IN the business, stuff I went out and bought (and paid sales tax on) that depriciates in value, a desk, a cabinet, etc, yet I have to pay $100 a year on it in property tax and that doesn't make sense. meanwhile my friendly beat cops have disappeared, I haven't had a cop stop by in 4 years to introduce themself, check in, get the pulse on the neighborhood. A neighboring business called 911 about a situation (where they were in FEAR) and waited 15 mins with no response, only when they called back and said a gun was involved did 4 cops come rushing in within two mins (bless them) and arrested two people (yes a gun was involved) I feel like I NEVER see a cop. I feel like I NEVER see a cop car. So where does that leave me in my hometown? Totally annoyed with the studpid A "leadership", the money spent (and I REALLY DON'T CARE ABOUT "BUCKETS" of money) on water sculptures and foofoo bike racks that say "art" or the wayfinder signs (people got around FINE before them). Buying up the land for green spaces. The talk about a city income tax and "green" building and maybe someday turning Main Street into a car free place and oh won't it be so great when everyone is riding a bicycle and using the bus and there are no plastic bags and everyone will hold hands and sing Kumbaya and life will be like a fairytale. We won't need cops, people will be so high on the wonderful world A2 is that we won't need them. (no longer the Republic of Ann Arbor but the Utopia of Ann Arbor!) I realize that people keep VOTING this way here, they vote for parks and greenbelts and buckets of money and I think that is INSANE when in turn that means we have less emergency services. I have traveled all over the world but I can tell you this, as someone who has lived in A2 my entire life I have been planning my exit strategy for the last two years. I am getting out of this freaking place within the next five years. THAT makes my lip stop quiverring, to know that I am done with this place.
kkichikawa
Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 10:17 a.m.
There will always be a police officer to take your report, you will just have to wait a little longer for them to get to you. BUT, there will NOT be a police officer, or several police officers, to search the area for the suspect you saw running away. I wonder if the apprehension rate has been affected by the reduction of officers over the years? The crimes will keep happening, and the reports will be taken, there just won't be enough officers to look for the suspects, and make arrests for reported "crime in progress."
John Q
Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 9:02 a.m.
I see the usual trumpeting of the false choice that one has to sacrifice "quality of life" features of the city to maintain "the basics". The reality is that police and fire services are the biggest part of any city budget. When budgets need to be cut, police and fire are going to have to take a hit. That's especially true in a city like Ann Arbor where police and fire get generous pay and benefits. I don't begrudge them that but it adds to the bottom line and when the amount of revenue is falling, something has to give. As for those who say that the city should slash everything else to shift its resources to police and fire - you're just wrong. No city can be successful in the long-term when it sacrifices what some call "touchy feely" services. Those are the services that get people to move to a city. Can those be economized during hard times? Sure they can. But that also applies to the police and fire too. Everyone has to do more with less. But the downsizing in police and fire was going to come even if the city spent nothing on parks and green space.
ronaldduck
Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 9:01 a.m.
I am so sick of hearing about the Cadillac benefits. Public service workers do have very good benefits. But I would hardly call them Cadillac, which implies top of the line available. Believe me there are other benefit packages that make ours look basic in comparison. While other workers were taking huge bonuses in the good years all we asked for typically was 3 percent raises and maybe slight enhancements in benefits. We never asked for anything extravagant. We built our benefits slowly over the years into what they are today. Now people want to accuse us of acting like robber barrons because they made poor career choices or had poor planning for their future. I understand that money is tight and somethings got to give, but please stop the accusations against the people who make this city run. They don't deserve it.
Cash
Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 8:45 a.m.
No more golden parachutes allowing higher ranking city employees large payoffs and early retirement. No business person would do that when their company is in trouble! To argue we need police, fire, street workers etc is ridiculous...of course we do! But how much money has been spent to pay off higher ranking desk officers to retire early? And how much money was spent searching for and hiring a new fire chief when we are talking layoffs of firefighters? Create an Emergency Management department head and you don't need two high level administrators running the two departments. It's tough to go to the unions looking for cuts when money is wasted at the top. Take steps to seriously cut administrative spending and then go to the unions for cuts. The necessity of fire and police is obvious. The way the pot of money has been handled is where it all gets murky.
seldon
Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 8:23 a.m.
I don't agree with the traffic cops comment either. Most of the time, it looks very revenue-driven to me. But I do agree with the main point of this article. Ann Arbor shouldn't be wasting money on green space and other enhancements if it can't even pay for basic services. Prioritize. Do the green space stuff later when you have more money.
amazonwarrior
Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 7:41 a.m.
Excellent article Mr. Kinsey. Logo, as for your comment regarding the "Cadillac benefits", you need to see if you can hitch a ride with an officer for an 8 hour shift, then you might have a better sense of what they go through, that they have EARNED those benefits. I have several family members and friends who are/have been police and firemen and after hearing some of their horror stories, they earn every penny of their pay and benefits. They always told me, "a cop isn't a cop only 8 hours a day, it's 24/7,". And if they found themselves in a "situation" that required police intervention and they were not carrying their weapon to deal with said "situation", they had better have a damn good excuse for their boss the next day. To "protect and serve" isn't just a motto, it's a way of life, a commitment to their community. We don't need the money sucking wonder-train for criminals to move into the area, they started doing that some time ago. And I have several neighbors who have purchased guns, something they never thought they would do. I just hope they never have to use them. Enough with the "touchy-feely" green space already, the city can't take care of what they have and thy name is "blight", which puts them in violation of their own ordinances.
Greg Koepp
Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 6:45 a.m.
I completely agree with the article. To take it a step further, I wish we could get a movement afoot to get our Mayor and City Council to turn their attention towards taking care of what we have, more than what we want to have. I was always taught to take care of what you have first. I wish the roads were better, I wish the bridges were better, I wish the city new how to mow the grass, or that the guy mowing was allowed to actually get off of his mower and pick up the trash or the dead tree branch, rather than mow around it. I wish the school grounds were better cared for, and rusty chain link fences were replaced or removed. I've lived here for 42 years and when I travel to just about ALL of the surrounding communities, I am ashamed at the horrible condition we keep this city. ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE COST OF LIVING HERE!
Wolverine3660
Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 6:43 a.m.
Wont the new train from Detroit to Ann Arbor encourage criminals to commute to Ann Arbor? Or bring in a population of additional street people?
logo
Thu, Apr 29, 2010 : 6:32 a.m.
Good column. From the articles on this site it looks like the mayor and city council knows this and now that they have the extra $2 million they will pull it off. But it would be good to see the PD & FD give up a little bit to pay for those Cadillac (Bentley) benefits. They far exceed what anyone gets anywhere now days.