Police chief: Ann Arbor has inadequate police staffing to do proactive enforcement
Police Chief John Seto will openly say Ann Arbor has inadequate police staffing resources to do proactive and consistent enforcement and community outreach.
"We are a reactive police department," he said. "I think we're very effective, as some of the statistics show with recent arrests, but there's not much flexibility in some of the proactive engagement."
The good news, Seto told members of the Ann Arbor City Council during a special budget work session Monday night, is the city still is meeting its goal of being among the safest 20 percent of communities in the country, based on major crimes reported to the FBI.
Police Chief John Seto appears before the Ann Arbor City Council during a recent budget work session.
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
Seto considers that a success, and he said it's the police department's job to maintain that with the financial resources provided by the City Council.
The police budget assumes $24.2 million in baseline expenses to start next fiscal year on July 1, and Seto is requesting an additional $263,312 for extra overtime and other items.
So far there are no proposals to increase the department's authorized staffing level of 119 sworn officers (it's at 117 right now with two vacancies), but Seto spoke at length about how the department could do a better job with some more personnel.
As possible strategies for ensuring community perception of safety is high, Seto suggested increasing visible foot patrols in the downtown and off-campus student areas, increasing police attendance at neighborhood meetings and special events, better informing the public about successful conclusions to criminal cases and maintaining up-to-date crime data online.
"I think that's all about visibility and allowing people to see the police, and also having accurate information out there," he said.
But without an increase of sworn police personnel, Seto cautioned, response times and effectiveness in reacting to crimes and investigations could be impacted as resources are redeployed to downtown foot patrols and other community engagement activities.
Additionally, Seto suggested increasing efficiencies in communicating with the public through neighborhood watch programs and social media, and seeking opportunities for collaboration with other law enforcement agencies to reduce crime.
He briefly mentioned creating a Crime Strategy Unit to reduce crime and inviting other law enforcement agencies to contribute personnel to the unit.
An Ann Arbor police officer pulls over a driver on Main Street on a recent afternoon. Proactive policing reduces available time for enforcement in other areas such as traffic or ordinance violations, Seto said, noting that could reduce revenues.
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
Seto said reductions in the AAPD's ranks over the years have affected not only sworn police officers, but also the civilian support staff in the department.
Council Member Stephen Kunselman, D-3rd Ward, cited a staff report showing the number of full-time employees in the police department — including sworn officers and civilian employees — dropped from 244 to 209 from 2001 to 2009, and now it's down to 146 this year.
"It seems like the last five years there was a precipitous drop in FTEs," he said, adding he doesn't have much faith the department can get back up to those previous levels anytime soon.
"We have a long ways to go to even just take us back to a proactive department," he said. "What I'm hearing is council has to find revenue."
The police department's FTE count dropped by 18 positions this past year only because the city outsourced police dispatch services to Washtenaw County.
The city is projecting $82.3 million in recurring revenues and $80.8 million in recurring expenditures in the general fund next year, leaving a nearly $1.48 million surplus to work with.
But that's before factoring in $698,000 in recurring funding requests from departments that would drop the general fund surplus down to $779,000.
Additionally, there are another $431,000 in one-time expenditures and nearly $1.3 million in capital improvement requests in the general fund that council will have to consider. If everything was funded, the city would operate at a $950,000 deficit in the coming year.
That leaves the council with some tough choices to make, and whether increasing public safety staffing is a high enough priority for council to set aside other wants remains to be seen.
To maintain the same level of services in the current reactive policing model, while also increasing proactive policing through community outreach activities, Seto said more staff is needed.
He said the number of additional hires would depend on the desired level of community engagement, but each additional officer would cost the city $78,619 in the next fiscal year starting July 1, and $86,412 in the year after that, plus a one-time cost of about $4,200.
Factoring in built-in pay increases, he said, the annual cost of each additional officer after five years would be $110,021, plus a one-time cost of $5,800.
If the city wants to make it a goal that officers spend 25 to 30 percent of their time doing proactive policing, Seto said, an electronic report of each officer's daily activities must be implemented, and guidelines for what officers will do with their proactive policing time must be established.
He said proactive policing must be balanced with the core functions of the police department, responding to calls for service and follow-up investigations of crime reports.
Council Member Sumi Kailasapathy, D-1st Ward, said there must be a "sweet point" where the city could hire a certain number of new officers and see overtime costs drop as a result. Tom Crawford, the city's chief financial officer, said he looked at the police department's roughly $1.2 million overtime budget and only about $250,000 was attributable to scheduling issues. The rest of the overtime, he suggested, is just a fact of operating a police department. "We don't see that hiring FTEs is going to reduce overtime necessarily," he said. "You're at a low level of overtime already for scheduling items."
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
Council Member Sally Hart Petersen, D-2nd Ward, asked if council can expect to see numbers in the city administrator's recommended budget next month that align with the ideas Seto talked about Monday night. City Administrator Steve Powers' response: "Potentially."
The city's practice in the past has been to add recurring expenses, such as new full-time employees, only when there are recurring revenues to offset the costs.
Powers said it would be helpful if council could provide feedback particularly where the city's goal of fiscal discipline collides with the need for additional public safety resources.
"I guess my feedback on that point would be, if we don't have recurring revenues for it, we shouldn't be making recurring expenditures," said Council Member Christopher Taylor, D-3rd Ward.
Council Member Jane Lumm, an Independent who represents the 2nd Ward, encouraged her colleagues to remain open to reallocating existing resources to priority areas like public safety.
She said it's her expectation that the council's identified priorities, particularly public safety, will be reflected in the city administrator's budget recommendations next month.
Seto talked about the possibility of conducting a survey to determine the community perception of safety and using the survey results as a guide for future actions.
He said a so-called National Citizen Survey would cost about $15,000 to $20,000. The department last completed such a survey in 2008.
Council Member Chuck Warpehoski, D-5th Ward, noted the city's goal is not to hire more officers to get up to a defined number, but to have a safe community.
Mayor John Hieftje and Warpehoski both said the city should be careful about using community perceptions as a trigger for any policy decisions regarding public safety.
Seto told council members that Ann Arbor police officers, while mostly in a reactive mode, are fitting some proactive policing into their daily routines right now as time permits — for example, if they can find time to visit a city park, walk around Briarwood Mall, or walk around downtown.
But he said that's different from how the department operated in the past, when it had dedicated officers who could spend their entire shifts doing proactive patrols.
Council Member Margie Teall, D-4th Ward, said it's still her experience that when she contacts the police department about an issue in a neighborhood, it's addressed reactively, and then more intense proactive policing is done where it's really needed to resolve the issue.
Council Member Stephen Kunselman, D-3rd Ward, said he considered the loss of more than 60 full-time employees in the police department over the last five years to be pretty significant.
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
Kunselman said he considered the loss of more than 60 full-time employees in the police department over the last five years to be pretty significant.
"If we really want to do our core responsibilities very well, we need some more FTEs," he said, suggesting the police department has had to shift its limited resources from one issue to another, whether it's selective enforcement of the city's pedestrian safety ordinance or the taxicab code.
"What's going to be next?" he said. "I think we need to do these things consistently from Day 1, as opposed to picking out hot spots. Because we're going to see it's going to be like 'whack a mole,' and things are going to pop up one place and we're not going to be able to respond."
Kunselman added, "We still have a lot of things that are not getting done and somehow we've got to get there."
The City Council is expected to vote on a final budget at its May 20 meeting. Between now and then, the schedule includes another work session March 25 if needed, release of the city administrator's recommended budget April 15, and public hearings May 6.
Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529. You also can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's email newsletters.
Comments
aataxpayer
Thu, Mar 14, 2013 : 3:15 a.m.
Community policing would really help on Main Street. The aggressive panhandling is getting to the point where people will starting avoiding downtown and when that starts happening we are in big trouble.
talker
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 10:36 p.m.
Police and fire protection is more important than (whatever that thing is) art! Does City Council have the authority to confiscate the remaining art fund and reallocate it to protective services?
Unknown
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 10:27 p.m.
I agree! It's only going to get worse if immediate action isn't taken! You would think keeping the citizens safe would be top priority. Fire and police shouldn't be a luxury, it should be a given.
katmando
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 10:01 p.m.
Just what the teapublicans want so they can it claim it as a reason to buy more guns.
JRW
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 7:53 p.m.
"So far there are no proposals to increase the department's authorized staffing level of 119 sworn officers.." Here's a thought: stop the public art fund, use the remaining resources to HIRE MORE POLICE. Public safety should be the first responsibility of a local government. Fund the public art projects with private money or not at all. End of story.
Basic Bob
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 7:59 p.m.
Figure out how many police you could hire with the art money. It's a few. Now figure out how many you could hire without the bloated central administration.
HONDO
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 7:45 p.m.
Train me, supply me, keep the gun and Id do the job for free after my day job. I like my A2 and would be willing to keep it clean and safe at the expense of my time.
LXIX
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 7:05 p.m.
To be like Boulder CO, AAPD would have to hire 76 more officers. Ann Arbor including UM has a population of 114,000. 119 officer staffing equates to 1.03 per 1,000 residents. Excluding the UM student population of 46,000 then the A2 population would be 68,000 and there would be about 1.72 officers per 1,000 residents. A2 has 1.03 officers per 1,000 with UM A2 has 1.72 officers per 1,000 without UM Flint has 1.2 officers per 1,000 Grand Rapids 1.6 officers per 1,000 Lansing 1.9 officers per 1,000 Detroit 4.0 per 1,000 [Mlive numbers] Boulder CO. has 1.71 officers per 1,000 Because everyone knows UM students are a crime-free population (lol rolling on floor), Mayor Hieftje has effectively matched AAPD force numbers to our sacred model city - Boulder CO. Oops, Not quite ! To match Boulder, when the UM students are counted as population like the U.S. census, the AAPD would have to have 195 officers total (minus the UMPD),
you can't handle the truth
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 6:51 p.m.
Ann Arbor is a crime destination. A visible and proactive police presence would go a long way to help that.
An Arborigine
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 11:01 p.m.
Proactivity belongs downtown and near campus, speed traps and minor rolling stop citations are harassment
Basic Bob
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 7:57 p.m.
That flies in the face of the reality that most criminals in Ann Arbor live here.
An Arborigine
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 6:34 p.m.
"Proactive policing reduces available time for enforcement in other areas such as traffic or ordinance violations, Seto said, noting that could reduce revenues." Sounds more like proactive harassment of citizens to put their money in municipal coffers. We can live without "proactive"
you can't handle the truth
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 6:49 p.m.
I would much rather have the AAPD spend that time creating a visible presence in the places where the home invasion specialists enter. Those people would relocate their business ventures pretty quickly then.
you can't handle the truth
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 6:25 p.m.
It can be in the top 20% for safest cities, but I would like to see where it ranks among property crimes- especially home invasions.
LXIX
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 7:24 p.m.
Citydata has some composite info http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-Ann-Arbor-Michigan.html The FBI has a neat tool to grab and group crime stats from any U.S. jurisdiction http://www.ucrdatatool.gov/index.cfm
a2xarob
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 5:47 p.m.
I agree with setting priorities for the police dept. and allocating resources to the top priorities, but those priorities should not be set by public perception of what's needed. Beside the fact that public perception is often wildly removed from reality, there is clearly some confusion, at least on the part of some of this board's commenters, on what public safety actually is. Preventing grafitti? Nice to keep the town tidier, but is it public safety? Not a priority for me. Are police officers more effective in maintaining public safety when patrolling downtown on foot or in cars in areas where speeding and other traffic violations are common? I don't know. But everyone wants more foot patrols downtown. We hire professionals to head our public safety organizations, and then we start questioning their professionalism. Neither the mayor, the city council, nor most of the commenters on this board are trained professionals in law enforcement or public safety, and yet many wish their perceptions to be taken as professional assessments. I'd like to see the pros be given the resources they say they need to do the job and see how that turns out.
MRunner73
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 5:40 p.m.
Hard to begin; at least Chief Seto is bringing the isssue out in the open. The police (and Fire dept) on staff are working harder and giving it their best. Stop with the art funding, extra roundabouts, pedestrian crosswalks and make police and fire a top priority. Many of the post above are spot on.
shadow wilson
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 5:10 p.m.
Like many things only when one is directly affected is there any advocacy for change. An example is Nancy Reagan had nothing to do with alzheimers disease until her husband was tragically stricken by it. If the mayor and council people are ever victimized by vandals or burglary they will sing a different tune when the police dont arrive for over twenty minutes or so......
rutrow
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 5:09 p.m.
Nobody is getting that laws and ordinances must exist for a reason, and that reason is to maintain safety for the public. Artificially low speed limits (Main and Madison for example), 24/7 No Turn On Red signs and signals that turn red on approach at all hours have zero to do with safety; only with Control Issues. If revenue is gleaned this way, a possible label we could assign would be "extortion". This also goes for this horrible taxi code that mandates that hired vehicles must leave potential customers to walk or drive home inebriated so as to preserve the model of "what is a cab and what is a limo".
Westfringe
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 5:06 p.m.
CUT THE FLUFF, STOP THE WASTE! No more million dollar studies to pie-in-the-sky projects that will never happen. No more hand-outs for those who leech off society. No more public art at the expense of core services. We need police, firefighters, road repairs, and basic services. We pay taxes through the nose in this town and getting an abysmal return in the form of services.
Holanta
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 4:32 p.m.
Speed, traffic lights etc. can be enforced using camera's, no need for police. That would free up some time.
Ryan J. Stanton
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 3:30 p.m.
Following up on the stated goal of having police officers in Ann Arbor spend 25 to 30 percent of their time doing proactive policing, I asked Chief Seto what's the percentage they're spending doing this right now. He said they do not have an accurate way of determining that right now because they have not yet defined what activities will be considered 'proactive policing.' He's working with his command staff to define that. He said the electronic time sheets also would assist in compiling that information once the parameters have been established.
a2xarob
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 6:34 p.m.
But proactive policing with what goals and priorities? Fewer serious traffic accidents? Increased satisfaction of downtown business owners because of more police visibility on the sidewalk in front of their stores? Fewer home break-ins? Fewer cases of sexual crime perpetrated by strangers on the street, or limo drivers, or spouses and domestic partners? This is all very nebulous until we know what specifically the goals of the proactive policing will be. Then we will be able to measure the effectiveness of it.
martini man
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 2:59 p.m.
To most regular, normal folks, police protection would always take priority over questionable art exhibits, or "green" boondoggles. But it seems when it comes to the Ann Arbor ruling liberal elite,these "normal" attitudes do not apply. I assume if the residents can be intimidated with reductions in police, fire, and other emergency services, they will allow themselves to be burdened with even higher taxes.Higher taxes and increased wasteful spending IS normal for the enlightened, progressive people calling the shots in Ann Arbor .
Ken
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 2:47 p.m.
Stop funding the amenities for bikers. What a waste of money with bike lanes - barely used.
John of Saline
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 5:45 p.m.
They could be easily funded by ticketing bikers who violate traffic laws, which is most of them.
Alan Goldsmith
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 2:35 p.m.
Worth cutting and pasting this passage again. What is grasping this concept so difficult for The Mayor: "It is time the city government started using "Management by Objective" as our City Councils practiced during my four terms as mayor. Priorities, set by importance, is the only way to operate anything...whether it is a government, a business, a family. For any city, the government's first priority MUST be the health and safety of it's citizens...just ask them. For example, we set the following top objectives: a police car in front of any address in two minutes...a fire truck in four minutes, waste pick up every week with a sanitary disposal methodology, clean water.....etc. We built the sixth and last fire station to meet the four minute response goal and it is, in my opinion, very bad policy to dismantle the very infrastructure, that supports, what should be a number one priority. When the money runs out you stop on the last priority and, if you have money left...give it back to those who gave it to you. Look, you can help lead the effort for the arts without spending priority tax dollars...we helped create the Summer festival, the Michigan Theater, and the Hands on Museum with very little public money and the citizen volunteers took them over and saw to their funding...(doing a heck of a lot better job than the city council could) and we asked the business community to help fund public art (which many did). Let's get back to the important things that government was formed to do.....those things that individuals can not do alone..."
michael Limmer
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 10:27 p.m.
It would be interesting to compare how much money was coming from Lansing and Washington to the city at that time to help fund those sorts of projects or to fund other projects to free up dollars for these goals.
Joslyn at the U
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 2:05 p.m.
Some of the best officers in AAPD off the top of my head Bill Clock Tank Seto Curtis Atkins Shelley Mattes Stoner Shaun Lee So many great officers doing they're absolute best to protect the community at large but when they're hands are tied by city council through de funding they can only do so much..Ann arbor is lucky to have so many dedicated community oriented people and these officers as well as the rest of them who work side by side everyday for you're and my benifit need our support. Thumbs up to the AAPD
brimble
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 1:56 p.m.
"Proactive" policing isn't about response times or speed traps. It is the evolution of what was called "community-oriented" policing in the 1980's, and is about the police department dedicating resources to pursue causes of or conditions conducive to specific incidents of crime. Proactive policing could (in theory, at least) impact the feel and attractiveness of certain blocks downtown, which would make businesses in those locations more viable. Proactive policing works in concert with other agencies to address problems such as panhandling as connected to issues around homelessness, etc. It puts officers on foot and in contact with citizens, rather than just responding to incident reports in cruisers. Ryan - you might look more at this in a subsequent article -- what other Michigan communities do use proactive policing, and with what results? What specific model is Chief Seto interested in implementing? What challenges does he hope to meet with proactive policing? And what resources does he envision requiring?
Ricebrnr
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 1:53 p.m.
All due respect to Chief Seto who I admire greatly, but one major problem I have with Law Enforcement in America is: "Proactive policing reduces available time for enforcement in other areas such as traffic or ordinance violations, Seto said, noting that could reduce revenues." Sure we all can agree on the don't do the crime if you don't want to pay the fine ethos, but relating "revenue" generation to law enforcement has a history of turning ugly... I trust that Chief Seto wont allow it here but sentiments like that mean it bears watching.
Tyrone Shoelaces
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 1:53 p.m.
You can always tell who the law-breakers are and what laws they love to break: they're the ones saying, "Don't the police have anything better to do than _____________?"
Tyrone Shoelaces
Thu, Mar 14, 2013 : 1:07 p.m.
If people want to ensure the police have more time to spend on those other things, they should simply stop breaking traffic laws. Be an adult and stop speeding, tailgating, changing lanes excessively, running red lights, turning right on a red light when it says "No turn on red," and turning left out of a parking lot when it says, "No left turn."
M-Wolverine
Thu, Mar 14, 2013 : 3:30 a.m.
I think what they're saying is they'd rather be protected from someone who wants to rob or rape them than from someone passing them on the road going ten miles per hour faster.
a2tom
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 1:44 p.m.
One thing I've noticed over the past 5 years or so....no one seems to take red lights that seriously anymore, especially at busy interesctions like Jackson Stadium a light can have been full red for 3 seconds are there are still cars barreling through the light because chances are there isn't a cop within 2 miles.
rutrow
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 5:02 p.m.
Part of the problem there is that so many lights are red when they shouldn't be. I mean really----do we wish to have an officer planted at Maple Village to give out tickets to those who don't wait patiently for all zero cars to exit from the athletic field at 12:30 am, when the light is invariably red for Maple Road, as it usually is?
Phew!
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 3:19 p.m.
Every day. All over the city. A newly turned red light is last decade's yellow light - a signal to race through.
Arborcomment
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 1:33 p.m.
Frankly, not sure if we could afford, want, or tolerate a totally "pro-active" police force. That's one of the nice things about the second amendment...
Arborcomment
Thu, Mar 14, 2013 : 12:38 p.m.
@ak an attentive reader would have seen the word "totally" in my post. Certainly a "pro-active" presence in the situation you described would be desirable. On the other hand, I can provide numerous situations in which 2nd amendment rights would come in very handy - unless of course you prefer police-state style "protection".
rutrow
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 4:59 p.m.
Sure there are cops in sight. And they're all issuing violations to cab and limo drivers.
ak3647
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 2:11 p.m.
Who's "we?" Speak for yourself. I would LOVE to see some officers walking a beat downtown on Friday and Saturday nights. Do you carry your gun with you when you go out to a bar on a Friday or Saturday night? Even for those with CCWs, it's not legal or practical to carry at all times (like when you plan on drinking alcohol). At 2am, the streets are full of drunk a-holes and there are no cops in sight. Just this past weekend, I witnessed drunk undergrads throwing beer bottles at cars, and a group of drunk guys knocking over trash cans and screaming at people. And they can do this with impunity because there are no cops around to deter this behavior.
golfer
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 1:19 p.m.
take some money from the art commission fund. last i heard they had a mil left. since they have a change in org. use the money.
Linda Peck
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 1:08 p.m.
I appreciate this article. I have been one of the many in Ann Arbor who constantly ask for more police and fire personnel. With regard to having a peaceful town, it is my belief that police presence is a very crucial factor. I do not believe people who state that their presence is not a deterrent. When there are no patrol cars on the roads, there are people running amok. When there is a threat of a ticket and points, they slow down. How do I know? I used to be one of the people who would slow down when I saw a patrol car.
GoNavy
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 1:06 p.m.
I disagree here: In a free society such as the one we (supposedly) live in, police visibility should be *low*, not high. As "safe" as we all might feel with a heavily armed officer sporting an M4 assault rifle at every corner, it is just not compatible with our culture. This is not a Soviet-style police state; this is the United States.
Reverend Bubba X
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 3:05 p.m.
"Foot patrols" with 2 rifles mounted between the seats? Have another cup of coffee.
Reverend Bubba X
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 3:04 p.m.
AAPD won't even respond to traffic accidents in public parking lots due to low staffing and you fear rifle-sporting officers on every street corner? False dichotomies equal poor reasoning.
GoNavy
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 3 p.m.
@AK47: As per the article: "As possible strategies for ensuring community perception of safety is high, Seto suggested increasing visible foot patrols in the downtown and off-campus student areas, increasing police attendance at neighborhood meetings and special events, better informing the public about successful conclusions to criminal cases and maintaining up-to-date crime data online." Will these officers not be armed? In addition, nearly every patrol car in this city has installed between its two front seats M4 assault rifles. Simply look into a patrol car to verify. It is not unreasonable to assume that armed officers, patrolling every street corner downtown on foot, will have access to military-grade equipment. Far from a straw man: A reasonable conclusion based on presented evidence.
ak3647
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 2:13 p.m.
Who is suggesting putting cops "on every street corner" with an assault rifle? Straw man argument much?
annarboral
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 1:03 p.m.
Great! Being proactive seems to mean having more time to issue traffic violations to fulfill higher quotas and generate more revenue. I'm sure all the citizens will be happy toi hear that. Being proactive to me means preventing crimes like home invasions and gang activities like spray painting buildings. I guess we'll just have to be happy with a police department that is very efficient in reporting abouit crimes that have happened. If we're lucky and other communities are unlucky we'll look good in comparision.
Go Blue
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 12:56 p.m.
"Mayor John Hieftje and Warpehoski both said the city should be careful about using community perceptions as a trigger for any policy decisions regarding public safety." I guess that says it all. Ignore the taxpaying, voting public. Apparently the mayor knows better than everyone what is best for the community, whether or not there is information to the contrary.
a2xarob
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 5:21 p.m.
I do agree with the mayor on this one. Public perception can be skewed by headlines and gossip; public perception does not necessarily reflect reality at all. (Take, for example, the public perception of the percent of our GNP which goes to foreign aid.) I am much more willing to take the police chief's assessment of what is needed to keep a safe community than public perception. Fewer speeding traps and more foot patrols downtown would make me FEEL safer than I do now when confronted with some of the aggressive panhandlers, but I am not at all sure that I actually would BE safer with this allocation of officers. If we are indeed in the top 20% of safe communities in our size range, I'm pretty happy with that.
Joslyn at the U
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 1:51 p.m.
So funny but so on point
pbehjatnia
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 12:38 p.m.
once again king john is wearing his crown askew. maybe he'd like to have more cash for some new arty clothes?
zip the cat
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 12:27 p.m.
I see all the whiners and complainers are back at it again,whining and complaining. Hey" You chose to sit at home and do nothing last election time so the next time you look in the mirrior thats the one you whine and complain to. As long as the current people are running the show its art and urinals before any thing important. And the circus keeps on rolling
oyxclean
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 6:23 p.m.
So tell me Zip...what choice was there for mayor? It was either our current mayor or some guy that said angels came and told him to run. Oh, and I voted kthxbai
Craig Lounsbury
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 1:22 p.m.
are you by chance whining and complaining about the whiners and complainers? I'm just asking a question mind you. I'm not whining and complaining about you whining and complaining about the whiners and complainers. Somebody has to break the cycle.
Ryan J. Stanton
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 12:27 p.m.
FYI - I added a sentence to the story to note the police department's FTE count dropped by 18 positions this past year only because the city outsourced police dispatch services to Washtenaw County.
Ryan J. Stanton
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 12:25 p.m.
I'm curious where those of you around different parts of town see AAPD police officers most present in the community? Where do you see police doing foot patrols and other proactive policing? Where do you see patrol cars waiting to catch speeders? I've noticed a regular spot is along East Stadium Boulevard just west of the new Stadium bridges. I've seen a patrol car parked there almost every time I've passed in the last week or two.
Mike
Thu, Mar 14, 2013 : 12:02 p.m.
Most active is writing tickets..............
M-Wolverine
Thu, Mar 14, 2013 : 4:12 a.m.
To prove my point driving through town 11:45 pm - midnight saw 3 police cars: two pulling over a car in front of Pioneer; one on Main hiding in the dark by the train tracks waiting to pull someone else over. How many cars are running at night? Who wouldn't rather have them patrolling neighborhoods, or in high foot traffic areas? But hey, those speed traps without another soul on the road are being protected....while thieves and other criminals have free reign around town.
Belisa
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 7:08 p.m.
I live in the Georgetown area. I walk my dog for around an hour throughout the neighborhood ... almost every night since last summer. In those hundreds of hours walking in my neighborhood ... I have seen a patrol car once - I feel so protected. At the same time I ride up Packard to go to work and will see a patrol car with its lights on giving out tickets 1-2 times/week ... Packard is a speed trap where 35mph turns to 30. Many cars are going south at 40mph and get caught right around the Ferdon light or in the opposite direction as the speed increases and Packard goes from 1->2lanes. I don't mind that the cops are giving tickets to speeders and whatnot ... but we've had or share of home invasions lately and it would be more comforting if I saw a cop car more than once in 6mths.
kuriooo
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 5:55 p.m.
I saw a new speed trap yesterday, on the "top" of Pontiac Trail just before you come to Dhu Varren, right on the border between AA proper and AA Township.
Phew!
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 3:17 p.m.
Yes! To the patrol car on Stadium just west of Main - that's a great spot to get people headed west coming up over the new bridge, and young inexperienced drivers from Pioneer. And Yes! To the patrol car at the golf course on Main south of Stadium - that's a great spot to get drivers headed north on Main coming up over the hill, and young inexperienced drivers from Pioneer. BTW isn't it natural to go a little faster going over that hill headed north on Main? Watch out!!
Machine
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 3:10 p.m.
There is frequently a speed trap along Plymouth Road, usually between the upper and lower intersections with Broadway. Usually the car is either parked by Arbor Springs Water Co. or hiding behind a billboard next to the railroad tracks. On rare occasions, I will see a squad car along Green Road somewhere near the post office.
Amy Biolchini
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 1:43 p.m.
There's typically an AAPD car somewhere along South Main Street south of the Stadium Boulevard intersection that sits near the University of Michigan Golf Course.
Irwin Daniels
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 1:27 p.m.
Mr. Stanton Live on Geddes near the Arb - had someone trying to kick in the door (early AM). The kicker of the door set off the home alarm and we also called the police. It took the police about one hour to get a car to our house - please note this was a Monday morning about 5:30 AM. A lot of crime happens and other than football Saturdays and the Art Fair, I never see foot patrols anymore. It would be a welcome change back for the better in my opinion.
M-Wolverine
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 1:25 p.m.
I never see "patrolling" around town. Speed traps are everywhere though. Most popular is across from Pioneer by the golf course. And around the corner in the Crisler lot. Also on Main in the lot by the train tracks where the speed drops to a laughable 25 mph speed trap. (Heck, try going 30 northbound on main without pumping the brake...it's all downhill, you coast faster than that). I'm sure there are similar spots on State west of Eisenhower. Then occassionally the cars pass by you speeding only to pull into a store lot and get out casually. (7/11...and I kid you not, Tim Hortons...seem to be favorites). Two times I had to invoke the police I had to drive to the speed trap on Main to get an officer to report a theft (who took the report then did nothing) and called in a possible break in while my wife was home, and I got from the north side of town to the south side of town faster than the patrol car did. But then that call didn't generate any revenue for the city.
Chris Blackstone
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 12:43 p.m.
I see a patrol car going through my neighborhood maybe once a month.
pbehjatnia
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 12:40 p.m.
recently there are patrols at pioneer, amtrak, south main near madison. i've noticed a few more officers on foot in the main street area also. i live on west summit. most drivers think this is an indy 500 track. i would love to see patrols around here esp at rush hours.
Mike
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 12:24 p.m.
Let me get this straight.....we need more money for schools, roads, police, and fire protection. So we need more "revenue" AKA taxes, right? Any of you think that with a police department amongst the top 20% in the nation that we should hire more police? The only reason I could see is to increase the "revenue" by hiring traffic cops to write more tickets..................
Craig Lounsbury
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 12:19 p.m.
Stephen Kunselman says.... "We have a long ways to go to even just take us back to a proactive department," he said. "What I'm hearing is council has to find revenue." Focusing in on the last two words "find revenue" I might suggest changing "find" to "reassign" . Then we can properly fund the core services with current revenue while council goes and looks for more revenue to fund less important things than police and fire.
Goober
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 12:15 p.m.
Complain, whine and keep asking for more money and personnel, seems to be all we hear from this police chief. Go figure!
Phew!
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 3:11 p.m.
Right, he's not quite the smooth talking politician chief that left us to get paid elsewhere for two full time jobs.
kuriooo
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 11:53 a.m.
Wow, I'm surprised at this article, given the number of police cars I've seen around town in the last 3 weeks waiting to catch speeders...
motorcycleminer
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 11:52 a.m.
Sadly ..this is Oz , which has become Chicago east ...common sense and reality do not enter in to the business of running a city... it's all about $$$ and cronyism and petty projects...you got what you voted for...
Kai Petainen
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 11:49 a.m.
priority must be placed on public safety... fix it.
johnkip
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 11:45 a.m.
Not enough funding so they will break the law to work traffic enforcement........ I have a picture of an officer parked across the sidewalk completely blocking it so pedestrians have to walk around and have emailed to the mayor. He responded when I asked why they above the law and why I would get a ticket for with just part of my vehicle across the sidewalk. His response was I will pass along to our police chief and have not heard hide nor hair of a response of why is it OK for law enforcement to break laws to catch law breakers? and as far as funding maybe the chief needs to get off his rear and work enforcement himself!
nowayjose
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 6:21 p.m.
Like I said its part of the motor vehicle code that allows police to do that. And traffic enforcement is part of a police officers duties. You might not like it but that's part of what they have to do. I doubt the officers care about revenue. Money from traffic tickets go to the general fund not the police budget so where would their motivation be to make the city money?
johnkip
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 6:14 p.m.
That was not my point at all! He was working radar trying to catch speeders, I guess i left that part out. I am not opposed to them parking any where when there is an emergency, but when the are doing it for the the revenue there are much better places for them to do that rather then completely blocking a sidewalk!
nowayjose
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 3:37 p.m.
So when it's you that calls 911 and need police immediately, are you going to want the officer to drive around the block several times to find a metered spot or one that doesn't block the sidewalk? Or will you just want that officer to get to your call. And don't forget the motor vehicle code allows a police officer in the Commision of his duties to drive or park against posted laws. So I'm guessing you haven't heard anything from the mayor or chief because they dont care.
Machine
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 11:39 a.m.
There are enough officers to make sure there is always a speed trap set up somewhere on Plymouth Road but for some reason speed limit and red light enforcement downtown is nearly non-existent.
a2xarob
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 6:17 p.m.
You do know that people have been killed on Plymouth Rd trying to cross the street without the benefit of a crosswalk? I hope police who patrol there are looking for infractions of pedestrian and motor vehicle law. Their presence there seems to be warranted, in any case.
UpperDecker
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 3:19 p.m.
shhh I like being able to race downtown without any worries! Police have recently started pulling people over on Jackson road coming into ann arbor from the freeway.
StraightTalk
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 11:30 a.m.
Doesn't seem like any of the councilmembers actually pointed to any problems with policing. Why focus simply on numbers? Kunselman and Kaliasapathy are obsessed with them.
Martha Cojelona Gratis
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 11:20 a.m.
Does this mean there should be less police officers sitting around "waiting" for someone to make a traffic violation?
a2xarob
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 6:06 p.m.
Fewer police officers on patrol for traffic violations could mean more deaths and serious injuries of pedestrians, drivers, and passengers. We don't seem to have the data needed to decide what allocation of law enforcement officers yields the highest return on public safety. If this is your field of expertise, could you give us some data on how this works?
tdw
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 12:26 p.m.
Here's a REAL novel idea...don't violate the law and you won't get a ticket
EDM450
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 11:14 a.m.
Id give my right arm to be recalled by AAPD and work for Chief Seto!!!
jmcmurray
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 5:25 p.m.
Don't you need both arms to be a cop?
a2grateful
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 11:13 a.m.
We have plenty of IT folks. We have plenty of art funding. Maybe we could cross-train IT and art staff for law enforcement. Allow them to use multi-color pens to craft colorful and artsy looking tickets, thus tapping use of ill-gotten art slush cash. Catch some crooks with use of crooked cash. We have plenty of unenforced ordinances, especially ones that mayor and council recently passed. These laws are ignored by citizens and law enforcement. One clever (yet likely unintended) solution for a certain ordinance is that "temporary/non durable" paint was used on new crosswalks. Now, much of it has worn away. No crosswalk = no crime! We don't need to enforce the crosswalk law as the crosswalks are disappearing. By decreasing enforcement, it appears that crime is down. This is good news: fewer tickets must be due to less crime. I feel safer now. The most likely city hall solution to our problem is to hire a plethora of consultants to a) help identify and solve our problem; b) Suggest that there really is no problem. c) Ensure that by paying consultants, there is no budget for service providers. Next steps: announce utility increases, decrease service levels like trash pickup, expand mass transit, and cry that UM has stolen all of the potential money from city coffers. Isn't budget time grand?
LXIX
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 10:58 a.m.
Thanks for the added-depth article! As mentioned before -- Police Chief Seto said that to establish department effectiveness he must use FBI crime statistic measurement and reporting for cities with 100,000 to 250,000 residents. And that under those numbers we have a comparatively low crime rate here with only 114,000 people. While the AAPD does excellent work - with what its got - a more accurate picture of area crime and the need for funding should be presented by budgeteers. A. Ann Arbor police are often blocked out of UM criminal response (until too late). Even if it is in Ann Arbor territory (ie. date rape at Zaragon Place). Per the Clery Handbook, there is supposed to be a UM Memorandum of Understanding with AAPD to cover such cases - is there an MoU? Would that increase the need for even more "pro-active" UM-AAPD cross-over coverage? B. The UM campus consists of about 46,000 students and tens of thousands of employees. That effectively puts the non-University part of Ann Arbor city population into the smaller than 100,000 size grouping (50,000-100,000). Clearly, there should be less crime to report in "smaller" cities. Rather than being a 20th percentile low crime statistic among larger cities, Ann Arbor would have to be advertised as a much higher percentile crime city in this smaller population bracket. Would that new "high crime" label then encourage more concerned Council funding to reduce the true crime rate per person now existing in Ann Arbor using the FBI reporting standards? The FBI has a neat tool to grab and group crime stats from any U.S. jurisdiction http://www.ucrdatatool.gov/index.cfm
LXIX
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 1:17 p.m.
Precisely. The UM may or may not be a part of Ann Arbor depending upon the question asked. The true census count for all Ann Arbor population (those withing AAPD jurisdiction) is said to be about 114,000. Does that number include the over 10,000 students living on campus - not AAPD jurisdiction? Probably. Census is structured by geographical area. Are the census resident addresses used by students correct when only the minority that did bother to respond could be used to interpolate for everyone else (large town bias)? The 2010 census was started in May. Commencement was May 1st in 2010. Unlikely that many students were counted after that date. Most did not bother responding or were long gone. Those that did respond would be living in town. So how were all 46,000 kids counted? Did the city subtract the few resident student respondents and then just add 46,000 total to their roles? The City's share of federal/state funding depends upon each and every body present in town for the majority of a year. If there is any way to boost the count by the City then it would be higher - and likely include those students not true Ann Arbor residents. So what is the true population of Ann Arbor - not including UM jurisdiction?
Ryan J. Stanton
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 12:21 p.m.
Are you suggesting U of M students shouldn't be included in our population count and we should be compared to smaller cities? The students are real people who live here most of the year, and I think most would agree the fact that we're a college town full of a bunch of college students actually is linked to increased reports of crime, so it would be perhaps unfair to compare us to a small town without a college.
Stephen Lange Ranzini
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 10:56 a.m.
Former Mayor Lou Belcher made a comment on yesterday's article that discussed how the fire department is understaffed and cannot meet national standards for response times, and his comment was so excellent and relevant to this discussion that I thought I'd reprint it here: "It is time the city government started using "Management by Objective" as our City Councils practiced during my four terms as mayor. Priorities, set by importance, is the only way to operate anything...whether it is a government, a business, a family. For any city, the government's first priority MUST be the health and safety of it's citizens...just ask them. For example, we set the following top objectives: a police car in front of any address in two minutes...a fire truck in four minutes, waste pick up every week with a sanitary disposal methodology, clean water.....etc. We built the sixth and last fire station to meet the four minute response goal and it is, in my opinion, very bad policy to dismantle the very infrastructure, that supports, what should be a number one priority. When the money runs out you stop on the last priority and, if you have money left...give it back to those who gave it to you. Look, you can help lead the effort for the arts without spending priority tax dollars...we helped create the Summer festival, the Michigan Theater, and the Hands on Museum with very little public money and the citizen volunteers took them over and saw to their funding...(doing a heck of a lot better job than the city council could) and we asked the business community to help fund public art (which many did). Let's get back to the important things that government was formed to do.....those things that individuals can not do alone..." Absolutely, that is what is needed. Do we get a police car to your door within two minutes of calling? I highly doubt it! Our current Mayor has lost sight of the basics and is not providing the leadership required.
javajolt1
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 10:53 a.m.
Inadequate police stuffing and absolutely abysmal road conditions. So exactly what do our tax dollars go to fund? Cushy administrative management positions with benefits and pensions?
mike gatti
Thu, Mar 14, 2013 : 12:04 a.m.
Yeah, cushy jobs with benefits and pensions. Who do these people think they are with their jobs with benefits and pensions? Who in their right mind would want a job with benefits and pensions? Certainly not javajolt1, Benefits and pensions, he don't need no stinking benefits and pensions.
UpperDecker
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 3:17 p.m.
Don't forget all of the expensive studies that despite population growth still show that one lane roads are effective.
pbehjatnia
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 12:43 p.m.
no. art. bad.expensive. tasteless. ugly. foreign. art.
Stephen Lange Ranzini
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 10:47 a.m.
In last year's budget the police department was to be evaluated monthly on several key metrics such as the number of crimes solved versus comparable rates of crimes being solved in similar sized college town cities. The fiscal year started July 1st. Why nine months into the fiscal year is this data dashboard not created and being shared with the public? If you don't have the data to understand whether or not you are meeting national standards for community policing and crime control, how can you possibly know whether or not you have enough personnel or how much additional personnel you really need? Without data you are guessing and cannot effectively evaluate where you are at. If you you cannot measure it, you cannot manage it! Our priorities should be fire safety and emergency rescue, police safety and road repair, but we need to have the data to know whether we are operating at national standards or not to know if we need additional resources moved into these areas or not.
kuriooo
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 5:47 p.m.
This is a good point - where are the metrics? No money on a 'perception survey' uness we first have hard data to point to potential concerns.
meddler76
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 5:32 p.m.
Data? The data probably doesn't support the agenda, Stephen.
Greg
Wed, Mar 13, 2013 : 10:45 a.m.
Sadly our Mayor and his buddies on the city council consider funding art and other "green" projects much more important that such basics as the police being at proper strength. We don't even have enough police who aren't busy with other requirements anymore to do a decent job of enforcing speed limits and stops at stop signs and lights. Things that contribute to public safety. Nothing important apparently. Priorities are pretty messed up Mr Mayor.