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young demm
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Williamson pledges to add 50 more cops
By Bryn Mickle
bmickle@flintjournal.com • 810.766.6383
FLINT — Fifty new police officers will be on the street if Mayor Don Williamson has his way.
Williamson said Monday that he wants the City Council to approve the addition of 50 officers to the depleted ranks of Flint police.
But don’t start polishing new badges yet.
Mayoral aide Joe Conroy said the city won’t hire all 50 officers at once and has no exact date when the first cop will be added.
The addition of 50 officers would cost an estimated $4.25 million, but Conroy believes the city will eventually be able to foot the bill.
Sales of impounded cars and other towing-related activities have brought in $600,000 in a little more than four months, Conroy said.
Once the city reaches $1 million from those efforts, Conroy said the mayor plans to reopen the Flint City Jail.
The city currently has more than $100 million in cash flow but the mayor wants to make sure the long-term budget can sustain new officers, Conroy said.
If the City Council goes along with the plan, Conroy said the city could start adding officers “by the time the snow falls.”
“We will need more officers to help stifle this crime wave,” he said.
“There are people we need to get off the street.”
Flint police currently has about 240 officers in the ranks, but the addition of 50 more would return the department to a staffing level it had before a financial emergency, said Flint Police Officers Association President Keith Speer.
“I’m all for it and I’m sure the citizens would be too,” said Speer, who said more cops would mean shorter response times for calls.
Flint City Councilman Ehren Gonzales said he believes it is realistic for the city to add officers but doesn’t know how many.
“I’ve got to see (the mayor’s) numbers,” Gonzales said. |
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Mon Aug 07, 2006 11:06 pm |
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ellwoodflint
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I'd like to see this happen. As we are building this city back up, it needs to show that we are safe and will respond quickly in any issue.
I do not completely understand what he means when he says they only get paid when they work. I would not want that job. Who will he put out there? 18 yr old gun slingers? What benifits etc to pull good honest officers? |
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Tue Aug 08, 2006 6:54 pm |
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Ted Jankowski
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HUH? Sorry Ellwood, I don't don't understand where your coming from. "...building the city back up"? WHen did that start? or are you talking about the streets beign repaved? Big deal. I'm sorry, but a Mayor engineered 30 percent increase in Crime with a solution of hiring 50 more officers so that we have 50 more officers to hold down the ashpalt at 7-11 isn't my idea of a solution.
Flint already has more than enough officer to fight the crime we have. Problem is how they are being used since the Mayor took over. It's so obvious it strains my mind that more people are not outradged!
12 officers at a housing commission meeting and not one arrest made! Currently, under the Mayors system. Many times officers closest to a crime or call that are available are not allowed to take the crime call. Becuase they are doing the Mayor's bidding. Out protecting a campaign contributor or attempting to intimidate citizens that don't agree with him. how come, there are over 2000 complaints that haven't been touched. That identify suspects, with evidence and witnesses so that the case can be brought to trial. And the Mayor has the Police department investigating Eric Mayes for a Political Threat made against a council person??
Instead of wasting officers time on the Mayors poltical foes. They could be out catching, investigating and arresting the criminals committing the majority of the crime in FLINT.
Yep the Mayor is attempting to make Flint Number one at something. After a ten year trend of crime going down! In the last two years the Mayor has susccessfully done something No other Mayor in flint has ever accomplished. A 30 percent rise in Crime! And in only two years in office! |
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Tue Aug 08, 2006 9:26 pm |
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ellwoodflint
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i can't agree or disagree with what you have said. I do know that our mayor has nothing to do with crime in saginaw, or detroit.
All is up. We can speculate and blame everyone in every administrative position for allowing things to happen.
I am not a fan of our police chief, i think he's a henchman of city hall but i do not blame him for the rise in crime.
Everything moves in cycles. One place cracks down and they move to another. Back and forth.
Until we have consistent walls against crime it will continue to rotate back to us.
Why do you think we don't hear about Grand Blanc shooting crimes? I think its because they have a reputation of force. We get what we pay for, and if we cannot show and enforce law, we cannot expect anyone will fear or respect it.
I agree with more officers, but I also believe we need to push for the support they need to enforce the laws.
I do not agree with alot of things I hear going on downtown, but when push comes to shove lets shove for whats needed instead of trying to take what we think we don't,,,,lets go with a plan not a fight, we might get somewhere.
naieve....probobly, but not completely untrue. |
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Wed Aug 09, 2006 3:20 pm |
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Ted Jankowski
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Ellwood, you bring up what I believe is a good point!
quote:
One place cracks down and they move to another. Back and forth.
Until we have consistent walls against crime it will continue to rotate back to us.
Very True. I believe and this is only opinion as I have no real facts to base this speculation on. That, Flint draws in more crime and criminals because criminals believe we are already overwhelmed so it will be easier to get away with crime.
Notice I didn't say that we are overwhelmed, only that criminals believe we are overwhelmed. We have such lackluster leadership that when 12 officers are pulled to do the Mayors bidding and crimes are not being responded to because of it. This justifies being overwhelmed! This Doesn't! With all things being equal, Manpower, unemployment, poverty etc (WHICH IT WAS!) there was no reason for the dramatic increase in Crime in Flint except that they are not being used in a efficient manner. I was just reading a report from inside the Department today. Let me paraphrase it. When discussing Manpower issues "..staffing levels are not determined by expected work load demands... adequate management information system at it's disposal... (which it does have but doesn't use).. should be scheduling personnel in accordance with expected work load based on a mode of recent past experience."
The Mayor, the Current Chief, I believe even the City council knows this! Thus the reason there seem to be three to seven officers on duty to respond to a fender bender (non critical bump and scrap) when only one is required. But, none available in the evenings. Or why when Crime is at its "peak from 3:00PM to 3:00AM" that there are not enough officers.
Or even that COPS officers are being used in their proper capacity or out doing the job the millage has funded them to do.
Taking that into consideration and knowing that the average felon in Prison committed 187 crimes the year prior to his sentence. Tells us that a majority of the crime is being committed by a small number. The same people keep getting picked up for smaller incidents and let go. But not getting caught for the larger ones. Thus we have extended probation and double/triple dare probation sentences from the courthouse! The jails are full. They purposely didn't build this on large enough! When our leaders at that time knew it wasn't big enough!
Take the whole way Car theft is tackled in Flint. The City’s attitude is. “Let their insurance cover it!” Same with home break ins. Flint under this Mayor has sent a message to Car thieves. You Steal it. We will FINE the victim! It’s ok because their insurance will cover it! The City is making a fortune off thieves stealing cars. It is not in the Police Departments best interest to investigate car theft or catch the thieves. Doing so would cut the City’s budget for More officers. Not than having to respond to less than 2 incidents per day is too much to ask any officer to do.
My point is, it is easier when police have endless supplies of evidence yet refuse to act upon any of it. They already have these criminals identified but don’t act because a felon with a handgun isn’t as high a priority as a felon using that same handgun to kill someone. Yes this is exactly the way they think down town! I have tons of evidence. |
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Wed Aug 09, 2006 6:00 pm |
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ellwood flint
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I can see that as true. I have had my van stolen from peirce park golf course. myself, my husband and our 2 kids were left waiting there for over an hour before we gave up and called my mother for a ride to get the kids home. police didnt show to our house till over 5 hours later, this was on a sat, We got a phone call monday saying the van was found on "sun", but since the impound area was closed they waited to call and charged us 2 days of impound. When i asked the lady at the police desk why it was like this she said in thefts the city charges were waved but the "state" charges still had to apply. We were home all day sun. If they would have called it would have been cheaper to tow it to a garage than to have it bailed out.
perhaps what we need is to start an enforcement campaign. Policeman are paid by the city. Isn't there some way we can FOIA some info to prove our point to approach city hall and ask for specific changes? |
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Thu Aug 10, 2006 10:27 am |
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Ted J
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From Interviews with other municipalities in Genesee County. I've discovered that Flint is the only one that seems to take this approach.
Major differences:
If your car is stolen and found say in Mundy Township. They first attempt to contact you before having it towed. The officer on the scene may or may not depending on probable evidence finger print the car.
In Grand Blanc They will also call you and let you decide where you want the car towed to.
There are no STATE charges when dealing with towed cars!
If your car is stolen the towing company only charges what the tow costs.
The storage yard will charge but the township or municipality doesn't profit from your misfortune.
ONly in FLINT! ONly after the Mayor came up with this brilliant scheme to make money of citizens misfortune! He's number one in my book. |
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Thu Aug 10, 2006 5:04 pm |
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Biggie9
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"ONly in FLINT! ONly after the Mayor came up with this brilliant scheme to make money of citizens misfortune! He's number one in my book."
Yep. mark it down. The "don" is a business man first, second and last. That he makes $$ for the city of Flint off of others misfortune bothers him not a whit.
I suspect it would bother each of us INDIVIDUALLY if we experienced that, but since the majority of the citizens presume THEY won't experience it, AND it benefits the city; as an issue it is pretty much a non-starter. UNTIL enough local citizens experience it and start to scream.
give it time, let it simmer. once it is apparent the city need not rely on this revenue stream, then start pressuring the council, then the mayor. By then it will be election time, and a ripe issue. |
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Thu Aug 10, 2006 9:08 pm |
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DC
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| I SAY TOW THOSE DAMN JUNK CARS, MAKE THE MONEY, PAVE THE ROADS, TEAR THOSE DUMPY HOUSES DOWN. BALANCE THE BUDGET! GO DON! |
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Thu Aug 10, 2006 9:35 pm |
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Ted Jankowski
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LOL LOL LOL LMAF FDL LOL LOL Thank You, I got cramps laughing so hard. Keep the Humor coming.
quote:
I SAY TOW THOSE DAMN JUNK CARS, MAKE THE MONEY, PAVE THE ROADS, TEAR THOSE DUMPY HOUSES DOWN. BALANCE THE BUDGET! GO DON!
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Thu Aug 10, 2006 9:39 pm |
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Biggie9
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| That's right, as the budget gets balanced, the extra 50 cops are for "the don's" personal security detail. Of course half of them were to go to Lansing with Patsy-Lou. Since that plan fell through, they don't need as many. |
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Fri Aug 11, 2006 8:33 am |
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ellwood flint
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so what do we do in the meantime?
just wait till election time? there has to be something |
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Fri Aug 11, 2006 9:55 am |
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Ted Jankowski
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| Do your own research. Look at the manpower, look at the incident rates. Then go down to council meetings and do as I am. Speak before council. I gaurentee you will come to the same conclusions I have. What is scary is how obvious this stuff is. How obvious it is that the flint police Department is so poorly managed. One offic every day to run comunications to lansing every day. Officers assigned to do the Don's bidding. If we knew all the facts. People would be in the Mayors office daily. |
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Fri Aug 11, 2006 10:08 am |
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pissedliveinginflint
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wow 50 more cops in flint. and they say that we could get them by the time the snow starts to fall WOW cool a safer flint . hold on that would be after the elections sounds like a reelection trick i'll bet that after this bunch of crooks ( side note, all politicians are crooks so i call all politicians crooks.) are reelected there will be some reson why we dont get 50 more cops , maby cost of clearing roads or budget ect. and if we do get more cops i'll bet they will be the same as the current cops next to usless!!!
P.S buy a gun learn to safely and efectively use it ,and protect your self and the ones you love. becouse flint cops can't and won't. |
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Fri Aug 11, 2006 9:02 pm |
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Ted Jankowski
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quote:
pissedliveinginflint schreef:
wow 50 more cops in flint. and they say that we could get them by the time the snow starts to fall WOW cool a safer flint . hold on that would be after the elections sounds like a reelection trick i'll bet that after this bunch of crooks ( side note, all politicians are crooks so i call all politicians crooks.) are reelected there will be some reson why we dont get 50 more cops , maby cost of clearing roads or budget ect. and if we do get more cops i'll bet they will be the same as the current cops next to usless!!!
P.S buy a gun learn to safely and efectively use it ,and protect your self and the ones you love. becouse flint cops can't and won't.
OUCH! Talk about facing the FACTS!
I believe you are correct. If the Police Department is run the same way it is now. It won't matter if we have 10,000 police officers in FLint. It just means the ashpalt at 7-11 will be held in place better. Or we might actually have a few new donut shops open in Flint. But, it will have little if not any affect on Crime. It just means that the Mayor can have 50 Police officers at Housing COmmission meetings instead of 12. Makes sense to me. |
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Fri Aug 11, 2006 9:54 pm |
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