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Deputy Chief of Police Mike Rogers explains the need for additional officers to held patrol a growing Shelbyville as city manager Ed Craig and mayor Wallace Cartwright listen. (T-G Photo by Brian Mosely) [Order this photo] |
Shelbyville police asked the City Council Tuesday for the opportunity to hire four additional officers with federal stimulus money.
The funds, which would come from the Department of Justice's Community Oriented Policing (COPS) Hiring Recovery Program, via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, would provide 100 percent funding for three years for newly hired, full time officers.
There is no local match requirement for the grant except that Shelbyville would be required to retain the officers for at least one year after the initial three-year period in which the salaries are fully federally funded.
The federal funding would be based on entry level salary and benefit packages. The funds can also be used for re-hired officers who have been laid off or are scheduled to be at a later date as a result of budget cuts, according to the Justice Department.
Deputy Chief of Police Mike Rogers explained to the council that Shelbyville is within the national average of two officers per 1,000 residents, but that the South Central Tennessee Development District has projected an average growth for the city of about 2,000 residents every five years.
The city currently has 41 full time officers on the force, Rogers said.
But Rogers said that several areas have been annexed into the city, including Highway 231 North to Airport Road, which has increased the department patrol duties.
"It would be essential that the Shelbyville Police Department be prepared for this future increase by taking advantage of this opportunity of providing these officers at no cost for the next 3 years," Rogers wrote in a memo to the council.
Crime is up
Rogers told the council that according to statistics provided by the TBI and the city's own records, from 2007 to 2008, the department's complaints dropped by five percent, but reportable crime jumped by 30 percent and arrests by eight percent.
Burglaries, theft and vandalism also showed significant increases during the same time period, Rogers said, and the first quarter of 2009 projects no decrease.
The deputy chief said the department is very interested in implementing a "flex unit," in which the four proposed officers would be assigned.
The unit would be deployed in high-crime target areas throughout Shelbyville and would saturate those areas with a zero-tolerance policy targeting criminal offenders, Rogers said.
But the new unit would also have the flexibility to adjust to fight crime "in other areas such as drug trafficking, consumption of drugs, illegal gambling, burglaries, criminal gang activities, graffiti random gunfire calls, etc."
Rogers also said that the department's Criminal Investigations Division (CID) is in need of another investigator due to the workload. The proposed unit would work closely with CID in providing intelligence, helping with following up on drug complaints, graffiti in commercial areas and city parks, working undercover and making traffic checks in high DUI-prone areas, Rogers said.
Training grant
If the city receives the grant, the only expense would be training and equipment, but that could be covered by another stimulus program called the Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant.
The grant could be used for technical assistance, training, equipment, contractual support and information systems for criminal justice, among other items, Rogers explained.
Training for an officer costs an estimated $2,500 and equipping him or her could be as much as $3,000, Rogers said, also adding that if the city got the four officers, two additional patrol cars would be needed.
Police Chief Austin Swing also told the council that the Byrne grant could also be used to upgrade the department's radio system, which he said has some issues that needs to be addressed.
The city will have to act quickly to apply for the COPS hiring grant, with the application materials already posted on line. The Justice Department said that the COPS office will get $1 billion from the stimulus to address the personnel needs of state and local law enforcement.
There is no cap on the number of positions a police agency may request, but awards would be limited to available funding, the Justice Department said.
Also, at the conclusion of federal funding, the grantees must retain all sworn officer positions awarded under the grant with local or other funds.
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Why? The spineless thugs we have now pulled off the bust of the century with that Ruby Ridge stunt at the Tuckers "blood-thirsty gambeling house" just fine. Federal Authorities, (Dept. of Homeland Security and FBI) will obviously have to do the real work to clean up the Shelbyville streets at this point. So, why do we need this stinulous money again? Just give old "Lash Ra Rue" there from the gambeling raid another AK-47 and let him kick a couple of elderly folks at the Bedford County Nursing Home in the heads. That'll keep us in line!
Don't get me wrong. Austin Swing and others like Rod Stacey ARE very accomplished Police Officers who HAVE contributed alot. However, if the local law enforcement is not all that commited to truly making Shelbyville the safe place to raise our children that it used to be than this money should be commited elsewhere.
I think the need to provide security for the employment office every week when Tyson hires new employees justifies these new officers. Too bad they can't be funded through Tyson, who alone is responsible for the problem through their inefficient and ridiculous hiring practices. I still can't understand why they can't accept applications continuously like everyone else does rather than creating a big security problem weekly. It is degrading, unsafe, and non-hygienic for all those people to sit/stand/lie outside that office for 1-2 days at a time.
We need the officers, but what are we going to do when the money runs out in three years? Were will the funding come from then? That's the problem with this, it creates jobs but doesn't have anything in the works for sustaining the jobs.
THANKS FOR REQUESTING WHAT YOU ALL NEED.(sorry the caps lock stuck on me).
287G is one major thing that needs to happen.
Illegals are ruining Shelbyville. Look at all the illegal type graffiti, talk with anyone who has been in jail lately or even go to any of our schools.
287G would be much more effective than 4 more officers. Eliminating the SOURCE of our crime is better than trying to contain it.
How can someone like mark.geeting sitting behind a computer dare call our police officers "spineless thugs"? Are you there with them when they burst through the crack houses and the meth labs (and gambling houses),where potential danger lurks behind every door? Do you stand beside them when they work accidents where people are killed and maimed and their bodies are disfigured beyond recognition? Are you near-by when they make late-night traffic stops and approach only the Lord knows what kind psychotic person in a drug or alcohol induced state? Do you take home the memories of crying children clinging to criminal parents who are being taken away into custody? Attitudes such as yours only promotes more crime and disrespect for the law. I'm sorry your gambling friends got caught doing what the law says they cannot do. Tennessee has made some forms of gambling legal, there are avenues for gamblers to "get their fix" legally, but that was not the case at the Tuckers' set-up.
I hope you never have to eat those bitter words that you remarked about our police officers should you ever need their assistance.
Thank you writeattitude for the questions you posed. I am married to one of those "spineless thugs" and am very proud of the work he and his fellow officers do to protect and serve our community. I pray every day that he comes back home safely and soundly just as he left to begin his shift.
Thank you SPD and BCSO for all that you do!
HEY MARK , if you ever need assistance from S.P.D. OR B.C.S.O. maybe they will take the long way to your house. oh , i'm sorry they they do the job to even protect pathetic people such as YOU!
As the economy continues to spiral downward, I bet the crime rate will rise. 4 more officers sounds pretty good. I am lucky enough to know a few of these men that work to protect us. They are good men and good fathers. To each of you, I want to thank you.
writeattitude/chopper and others,
I respect your support for SPD and BCSD. I truley do. However, I want you to listen to me. Do YOU know what it's like to spend 15 months in a third world country to protect our country? Meanwhile, the local law enforcement lets potential terrorists, right there, in Shelbyville become more and more of a threat on the streets of my small American town I think of everytime I think of my home while I'm in Iraq. It's an honest question?
Shortly, my family will have to go through this cycle again for the third time since the "Era of Presistant Conflict" began. I'm proud, every day, that the great people of Shelbyville and the rest of the United States LET me serve them. However, imagine, just for a moment, all you want to do is get home to see your family and friends that you've known all your life and grow old with these folks watching your children grow up in the same environment as you were blessed to only to find it was comprimised due to shortfalls in the local judicial system.
I would like to read more about how SPD and BCSD goes in and takes out more meth labs and is working more and more closely with the Department of Homeland Security to ensure the folks we live with now from other countries are not potential threats to the security of our nation. What I have a problem with is while we turn a blind eye to these potential problems we hit a "gambling house" with automatic weapons to scare folks that are not near the threat as what I previously mentioned.
If you were offended by my earlier response I appologize. However, please respond and tell me that you understand just where I'm coming from so we understand each other from here on out. Also keep in mind that I'm not hiding behind a fake blog name.
hey mark! we could care less that you spent 15 months where ever. No one ask you to sign up for the service if that's what you claim your in? Don't you get paid to go over there, that's what I thought! It's your choice to put your family in that state! So please give us all a damn break and quit havin a pitty party cause you have to go back for a 3rd time. Here's an idea, DONT RE-ENLIST, and by the way I hope SPD does get to hire 4 new officers just for the sake of this loser!
mark.geeting,I personally would like to kick your $%s for that comment!you have no idea what our officers go through each day!The only spineless thug I know of is the one calling other people names.If you have a problem with the way our police force operates,then get off your butt and move away from here!! I bet you won't come to my face and call them spineless thugs!by the way,my name is Mark also,and you are an idiot.Better watch what you say,you might piss off the wrong one.they do their jobs,just like us mechanics,nurses,doctors,judges or anyone committed to thier work.SHUT YOUR MOUTH BEFORE SOMEBODY SHUTS IT FOR YOU!
Got to love the disrespect for someone who is out in the Middle East trying to stop terrorists. Have anyone of you been in his or her shoes . . . you say don't reenlist but police officers don't have to do the job they do either. That whole argument failed for you guys!
The last time I dealt with the police here, I was at the bowling alley and someone broke my car window to try and steal something. The police officers showed up and basically didn't even look around or do anything and told me I was out of luck and that I didn't need to turn it into the insurance agency(plus they accused me of making someone mad and causing them to damage my car). What kind of moron says that? Oh yeah, the local police department does. I told my insurance agent that and she just shook her head. I do hope Boyce is making it better and I have a lot of respect for Swing but the rest I am not sure about.
jaxspike!
I wasn't disrespecting anyone who serves in the Middle East. I have more friends than you can imagine over there actually lost one 4 years ago! Mark Geeting was BROADCASTING that he's in the military and all that stuff and how he hates to come back and see what has happened? To my knowledge the police here do their jobs? when do they not? I see people getting pulled over all the time, just be glad it's not you. As far as your car window being knocked out what could they have done different? go arrest everyone that was there that night?That officer was probably just being honest with you, guess that wasn't good enough for a person of your statue! And who in the world turns a BROKEN WINDOW into their insurance, no offense jaxspike but they don't cost that much!($500 duductible) Hopefully for your sake you never have to deal with the rotten force anymore. until next time jax have a good day!
I personally beleave that our police department is doing a good job.
I do however have concerns regarding where this "money" is coming from.
The stimulus money is basically fake, its debt. Its just as if you and your family decided to buy something on your credit card.
Our federal government is throwing around money that is not real.
This "Stimulus" bill will eventually drive up inflation within our country and also drive up loan rates within the next year.
People, we cannot spend our way out of debt.
It would be nice for a lot of you to get interested in what our federal government is doing to us.
Look back in History and do a check on that and please note that whenever any government started printing money with no basis in standing, ie equity, then the inflation rate goes crazy and the currency devalues. Please listen to me people.
We as a local government are willing to take this money? At what cost?
Please stop your petty arguments regarding some stupid blogger and PLEASE wake up and smell the roses on the Big Picture.
Brett the retired one.
Hey, mark.geeting,if that is your real name, Stop tooting your horn about your supposed time overseas, it earns you no respect on here with the way you are whining about it. It is totally irrelavent to this topic and brings discredit to the intellectual fortitude of service members in, and around this community. Also, did it occur to you that there are police officers and deputies in Bedford county who are in fact veterans of the military? My father is one of them, and has probably forgotten more about weapons than I have learned, and I am an injured veteran of Iraq. My father also taught me to feel, and show respect for all public servants, military, police, firefighters, etc. We all SERVE the same purpose, so before you call my father, or anyone else a "spineless thug", just go ahead and slap your incompetent self.