FLA79
12-02-2008, 07:43 AM
Hey Guys atleast New York Post is on our side !
DON'T CUT COPS
Under any circumstances, cutting the police force is troubling. New York has been down that road before, with unhappy results.
But this cut would come when city murders are reportedly up 8 percent over last year - in addition to anecdotal evidence of slippage in the city's overall quality of life.
Kelly told the council that, while he isn't thrilled with the budgetary "hand that [he's] been dealt," he's confident that crime could be kept under control.
Now, we have the utmost confidence in Kelly's ability to get the most out of the resources available to him. But eliminating an academy class severely restricts the top cop's flexibility.
It's especially problematic when you consider how Kelly deployed rookies during a crime spike earlier this year.
In April, in response to an uptick in serious crimes (murder, rape and robbery), Kelly doubled the number of rookies in high-crime "impact zones."
That "surge" proved a quick success, getting immediate control of a situation that had produced a 25 percent jump in murders from the previous April.
No one envies the mayor the tough choices he has to make. But he must keep in mind that a strong, fully mobilized police force is an economic asset in and of itself.
New York bounced back in the mid-'90s, when American and international tourists alike realized that "the bad old days" of the city were over - and that it was safe to walk the streets again.
Those people became visitors, ready, willing and able to spend their money in the city.
The city economy thrived once again.
Envision the opposite of that - fewer cops, increased crime, fewer visitors, less tourist revenue.
Et cetera.
Cut where you must, Mr. Mayor, but the cops should be way down the list.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/12012008/postopinion/editorials/dont_cut_cops_141678.htm
DON'T CUT COPS
Under any circumstances, cutting the police force is troubling. New York has been down that road before, with unhappy results.
But this cut would come when city murders are reportedly up 8 percent over last year - in addition to anecdotal evidence of slippage in the city's overall quality of life.
Kelly told the council that, while he isn't thrilled with the budgetary "hand that [he's] been dealt," he's confident that crime could be kept under control.
Now, we have the utmost confidence in Kelly's ability to get the most out of the resources available to him. But eliminating an academy class severely restricts the top cop's flexibility.
It's especially problematic when you consider how Kelly deployed rookies during a crime spike earlier this year.
In April, in response to an uptick in serious crimes (murder, rape and robbery), Kelly doubled the number of rookies in high-crime "impact zones."
That "surge" proved a quick success, getting immediate control of a situation that had produced a 25 percent jump in murders from the previous April.
No one envies the mayor the tough choices he has to make. But he must keep in mind that a strong, fully mobilized police force is an economic asset in and of itself.
New York bounced back in the mid-'90s, when American and international tourists alike realized that "the bad old days" of the city were over - and that it was safe to walk the streets again.
Those people became visitors, ready, willing and able to spend their money in the city.
The city economy thrived once again.
Envision the opposite of that - fewer cops, increased crime, fewer visitors, less tourist revenue.
Et cetera.
Cut where you must, Mr. Mayor, but the cops should be way down the list.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/12012008/postopinion/editorials/dont_cut_cops_141678.htm