It’s been a busy month for the police department. We just finished our budget process and I am happy to report that the police department’s budget proposal was supported by the city manager, city council, and the budget committee.
As was pointed out by one of the budget committee members, it always seems like government agencies are asking for more money and never come into new budget cycles with cuts.
He pointed out that as a private business owner he always has to “sharpen his pencil” and make necessary cuts to keep his business viable.
I understand his frustration. I too am a taxpayer and often ask myself where my taxes go when it comes to public services. As a new agency head working for the city, I had to look at where the agency was regarding equipment, training, and infrastructure.
The police department ran a very tight ship. Chief Waterbury was known to be a very fiscally responsible agency leader.
He had every line item dialed in to the dollar. I believe the City of The Dalles has been provided very good law enforcement services with a modest increase of the budget over the years.
Without rolling myself under a bus, I believe we now need to invest in some identified areas to meet the new and ever evolving law enforcement industry standards. With that came the need to increase our budget this year.
I’ve always said you have to tell a story when you are talking about your budget. You can’t just ask for things you need, without telling a story of why you need them.
You also need to provide evidence that supports your requests. I have had numerous conversations with the city manager, finance director, city councilors, and citizens regarding the police department’s increased budget.
I was asked tough questions and it was necessary for me to justify my requests. There was a lot of work put into our budget and no, I did not get everything I asked for this budget cycle. Tough decisions were made, but I believe the right decisions were made and we prioritized our needs.
Modern day law enforcement is expensive, and with the additional liability law enforcement faces these days, we must ensure our officers have what they need to protect the general public efficiently, professionally, and most importantly, safely.
I would be more than happy to explain to anyone who is interested why there is an increase in the public safety budget and where your tax dollars are being spent for your law enforcement.
The new police radio system is working extremely well. I have not heard of one “dead spot,” meaning there are no areas the portable radios don’t have coverage. I want to thank everyone for their support regarding the police department using the city SAIF funds to purchase this much needed update. Our officers are much safer now that they can use the portable radios and be guaranteed they are being heard by the other officers who are their back up if things go bad.
I also want to thank the Chenoweth Water PUD for its support by allowing the police department to use some of its infrastructure to mount some of our radio equipment. Another great example of how this community supports its law enforcement.
A couple quick police department notes:
Unfortunately our more serious crimes have been on a slight increase these past several months.
Our officers and detectives have been busy investigating child abuse, sex abuse, domestic abuse, drug offenses, assaults, DUIIs, and even child porn and prostitution.
Property crimes such as thefts, burglaries, and car prowls remain steady. I was certainly surprised to come here and see the criminal caseload our officers and detectives carry, separate from the call load.
MINT, as always, has been busy. One humorous case involved a (not so smart) drug dealer in Dallesport who had been suspected of dealing drugs in The Dalles for many months. MINT, along with the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office, set up a deal with the Dallesport connection.
The drug dealer was told that someone would come to his house to pick up the drugs. The drug team showed up with an undercover vehicle and the drug dealer came out of his house and got into the police unmarked vehicle with heroin to sell. Needless to say, the suspect was arrested and is currently in the Klickitat County Jail for possessing and delivering heroin.
Earlier this month police officers responded to a stolen bike call. Upon arriving they realized the bicycle was stolen from a 5-year-old boy. The officers spent a considerable amount of time trying to locate the bicycle in the immediate area. Unfortunately, they were unable to find it.
When the officers went back to the station and told other officers what happened, several of them pooled their money and purchased a new bike. They were able to deliver that new bike to that 5-year-old boy, who I’m pretty certain was happily surprised.
We have received a majority of positive comments from the public regarding the crosswalk enforcement operations. I also realize that not everyone is going to be happy with these kind of proactive law enforcement activities.
I personally have seen a vast improvement in the behavior of drivers in the downtown core area concerning pedestrian awareness.
I would rather get a few angry callers or unfavorable letters from those opposed to the operations, versus having to go to a family member to tell them their loved one was just struck and killed in a crosswalk accident in our downtown. I’m fairly certain the odds of someone being struck in a crosswalk have decreased. There is never a guarantee, but we will continue to do what we can to improve the public safety for our community.
I hope we will see safer driver behaviors, and our pedestrians are more educated about their responsibilities to cross the street safely.
Until next month, be safe.
Commented