PelhamToday received the following letter in reaction to James Culic's latest Hot Take column:
Hooray for James Culic’s politically incorrect, but spot-on observations regarding the never ending police budget increases! We need to have senior management leadership for the force. Non-cop leadership. Okay, I’d just settle for leadership that can think outside the box.
Here’s a couple of off the cuff examples:
1. Why do we need two-to-four police officers and vehicles at many road construction sites to direct traffic? I’m not the brightest star in the galaxy but I’m reasonably confident that I can safely direct drivers through a construction intersection and I don’t need a six-igit annual salary, an overpriced vehicle, expensive technology, a weapon (or two or three), nor a gold-plated cradle-to-grave pension and benefits! Why not train some unemployed and willing individuals to do this for $25 an hour instead of the $175 an hour it currently costs for one cop and equipment— to do traffic duty!
2. Newspapers and other media constantly report on situations where an NRP employee is alleged to have gone awry. Hey, it happens…everywhere. Here’s the difference within police forces. The alleged offender is sent home—with pay!—while there is a months-long (sometimes years-long) “investigation”. This could be viewed as a vacation with pay. Where the decision-makers want to really be hard-nosed, the alleged offender is put on “desk duty”. Is his/her earnings package proportionally reduced? Hell no. That would be unacceptable...except darned near anywhere else except in a police force.
I could go on and on but you get the point. We need cops to be cops and leaders to be leaders. Cops should spend the overwhelming majority of their time preventing or solving crimes, not sitting in parking lots, directing traffic, or on administrative paid leave. And leaders should concentrate on leading rather than just following the same old trodden path.
None of this will change until people (taxpayers) get off their couch and make their thoughts known to political leaders. Apathy will simply replicate the same old results.
Vern Furtney
Ridgeville
