Police Chief Holds 1st Meeting To Talk Potential Cuts
Alternative content
CPD Meetings
CPD hosts its first community meeting to talk about potential police-force reductions.
NBC 4
GETTING ANSWERS: The impact the proposed layoffs could have on the federal stimulus monies that helped pay for the CPD recruit class.
COLUMBUS, Ohio—Columbus police went to residents Wednesday night to explain why CPD wants Columbus voters to approve a half-percent income-tax increase.
It was the first public meeting hosted by CPD to talk with the public about significant officer cuts or layoffs that were announced earlier in the week.
FAST FACTS:
- 297 officers would be laid off.
- Important safety services would be cut.
- Federal stimulus money given to keep recruits from losing their jobs would have to be returned.
- The police force would be at its lowest level since 1994.
The high-school resource program would be eliminated, and other subdivisions would see significant job cuts, including vice, narcotics, burglary, economic-crime unit, special-victims bureau, traffic and community liaisons.
Community meeting attendees had plenty of questions, and CPD had plenty of answers.
If Wednesday’s crowd was any indication, though, convincing residents the increase is a good idea may be a rough road.
NBC 4 reported with BOTH SIDES OF THE STORY.
Police Chief Walter Distelzweig said the division will cut or layoff 297 sworn officers if voters don’t approve the city’s half-percent income-tax increase in August. The income-tax increase will be on the special Tuesday, Aug. 4, ballot.
Almost 300 residents turned out to the Barnett Recreation Center on the city’s East Side Wednesday for the first of several public meetings to discuss the cuts.
Distelzweig hoped the meetings would lead to more support for the tax increase.
It was obvious it wasn’t going to be an easy meeting from the beginning. It was hot, and residents had complaints and questions.
“Stop it. Stop the fear. Stop the lying,” resident Dondi Henderson said.
“If you call the police, they do not arrive,” resident Joe Nobel said. “In the meantime, we have five thugs in the neighborhood stealing bikes.”
“Can you explain why somebody that’s being saved by federal funds is being put at risk by being cut by the city,” one lady asked.
Comments went way off course.
“I’ve been shot at. I’ve been raped. I have been hurt,” another lady said.
There was some constructive dialogue spaced throughout.
“What I would like from my police officers is what I can do basically to help make my community safer,” a female resident said.
“What can we do as a community to assist you because the resources are not there,” Shelly Jenkins asked.
Distelzweig said attendees were educated on the consequence of the levy’s passage or failure.
With the upcoming forced retirement of 100 senior officers in 2011, the real number of officers gone could be closer to 400 than 300.
Equipment isn’t being replaced, according to Distelzweig.
Helicopter flying hours have been cut.
While no one knows for sure whether crime will go up with a smaller police force, there certainly was that impression.
“I think it’s a bunch of crap that the city officials and the law enforcement officials are using to stay on the public’s nipple,” Henderson said.
CPD COMMUNITY FORUMS
Chief Walter L. Distelzweig would like your input and has scheduled four community forums. The first was held on the city’s East Side Wednesday evening.
The Columbus Division of Police scheduled forums to gather input from the community on issues affecting Columbus neighborhoods.
Citizens were invited to attend, ask questions and provide ideas regarding policing services.
NORTH MEETING
6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 28
Gillie Recreation Center, 4625 Morse Centre Rd. (Morse Centre Shopping Center), Columbus, 43229
WEST MEETING
6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 4
Westgate Recreation Center, 455 S. Westgate Ave., Columbus, 43204
SOUTH MEETING
6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 17
Marion Franklin Recreation Center, 2801 Lockbourne Rd., Columbus, 43207
Call 614-645-4593 for additional forum information.
WHAT’S HAPPENING TO RECRUIT STIMULUS FUNDS?
Twenty-five CPD officer recruits’ jobs were saved by a $1.2 million federal bailout in March.
President Barack Obama came to Columbus for the recruits’ graduation ceremony.
Obama said he wanted the nation, especially Columbus and Ohio, to understand—from his point of view—the impact federal stimulus monies can have on a community.
The division’s newest officers are facing an uncertain future again after the chief announced potential cuts to the city’s police force Tuesday.
If voters were to turn down a city income-tax increase and pink slips were handed out, as the most recently hired, the recruits would be the first to go.
Insiders within the force told NBC 4 they were told the city intended to spread that stimulus money out over three years and since the bailout was aimed specifically at saving those recruit jobs, some of the money may have to be returned.
Dan Williamson, a spokesman for the mayor, and city council spokesman John Ivanic told a different story.
They said the stimulus money will pay the recruit class salaries through Dec. 31, 2009. It all will be used for its intended purpose by the end of the year. The potential layoffs and cuts would not begin until Jan. 1, 2010. Not a penny of the bailout money will be returned—even if the recruits find themselves on the unemployment line.
For additional information, stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com—Where Accuracy Matters.
To submit a story idea or news tip, e-mail
.
MORE: NBC 4 Local News | Local Crime News
NBC 4 SPORTS: Sports News, Video
NBC 4 POLITICS: Headlines, Interactives & Video
Advertisement
Reader Reactions
Hello mjones21, I am not sure but I think the answer to your question is,
if you go to the franklin county
auditor’s website, you can pull up any
residential address here in franklin
county and see just how the property
tax’s are used. There is a link on that
website that show’s how and individuals
property tax’s are divided up and what
gets spent where. So I dont think they
will ever combine a tax levy that links
the schools to the CPD and CFD. I may
be wrong but I think that is the way it works.
Hello, can anyone tell me if Mayor
Coleman and the Columbus City Council
was present or will be present at any
of these short 2 hr meetings?? Mayor
Coleman and Columbus City COuncil need
to be at these meetings so they can
take the HEAT for this MESS!! Oh, by
the way, this issue did make national
news, I saw it yesterday on FoxNews in
the 4 PM hr, they talked about the
Fed Stimulous money that Columbus
received to keep all of the NEW POLICE
RECRUITS and how our Police Dept. is
now looking to lay off I think 297
officers? Why can’t Mayor Coleman ask
his NEW BUDDY PRESIDENT OBAMA TO FLY
HERE AGAIN AND SAVE THE DAY WITH ANOTHER STIMULOUS PACKAGE??? OH, THATS
RIGHT, THE TAX PAYING CITIZENS HERE IN
COLUMBUS WILL HAVE TO PAY THAT MONEY
BACK TOO!!! MAYOR COLEMAN, BOTH YOU
AND COLUMBUS CITY COUNCIL BOTH SUCK!!!
Why are they not making this part of the property tax? I work in Columbus, but do not live here. Why should I have to pay to keep other peoples homes safe, or to keep the crime down in their neighborhoods? They do not pay for my officers to stay employed. I do. When did this become the responsibility for those of us who simply work here?
You are correct Buckeye Steve. Thank you Clinton and Mayor Coleman for making Columbus a Sanctuary city. Come one come all!! And did they ever. Bleeding our social programs to the bitter end. Ever remember our food banks so empty before? Considering the State holds a campaign every year to help the Mid Ohio Food Bank, and they get tens of thousands of dollars and food given to them. Now, it’s gone as soon as it comes in. All the illegals are their to get “their share” and more. I am getting pretty tired of paying for someone one else all the time. The people in charge can’t manage the money, so we go to the people who are working their self to death and ask them for more money. Then what? 6 months later, we will have a “special” election and put it on the ballot we need more money? While Coleman and his entourage takes trips to Israel? FOR WHAT? What did Columbus get out of that except a big bill? Why at the time the City is asking US working stiffs to shell out more money we don’t have, are they continuing to talk hundreds of thousands of dollars to tear down City Center and build a “Park”? Oh yea, and who’s gonna go to that park downtown? Besides the homeless who have no place else to go? Are you going to come downtown on weekends to sit in the park? Yea right..Take a good look at Front and Town st. downtown at all the Condo’s being built. Who for? Eventually maybe Section 8. Who has the money for this? Who will give me money if I lose my job like you are wanting us to support all these other people, then make it look like a big guilt trip about “protecting our City” if we voters don’t raise the income tax. Hey $50.00 per $10,000 is a lot of money here. Especially when you are just getting by yourself. They want the American citizen to bailout GM again? You are NOT bailing out GM you are paying the union workers to continue to collect a union wage while they build a car/truck that nobody is going to buy cause they can’t afford it. Gov’t keeps taking away from the working class more and more, then keeps asking for us to give more because they can’t manage their budget. I don’t know about a lot of people out there, but there comes a time when I just say “enough is enough” and I am not giving anymore. Charity begins at home, and my home comes first. We are all holding on by a thread, and if we lost our jobs tomorrow who would bail us out? While all the fat cats are taking trips, and wasting tax dollars as it is, on foolish projects that really could wait until the city is in a better financial situation. They throw this infrastructure at us all the time wanting us to help pave the roads and build bridges. WAIT…....isn’t that what our high gas tax is suppose to do? Whoops, lest we forget about that? Time to stand up and say “No” to all this and let Columbus tighten their belts!!!
BuckeyeSteve, you are on point.
Mayor Coleman has pushed us to the brink of disaster and is now going to ask you for tax money to cover his abuse of power. If the levey doesn’t pass he will blame YOU for the loss of 300 police officers and 300 firefighters.
The citizens of Columbus SHOULDN’T look at a yes vote as a vote for the Mayor, but as a vote FOR CITY SERVICES and PUBLIC SAFETY.
The Citizens will have a chance to vote Coleman out of office on another day.
This is reality, not a scare tactic. Please be prepared.
Here are the facts:
Population increases in Columbus since the late 90’s have been remarkable. From 1990 to 2000, 100,000 people moved here. Now from 2000 to now you have anywhere between another 100,000 to 50,000. That does not count the illegal aliens and only guesses about the 30,000 to 50,000 Somolians who moved here thanks to Bill Clinton.
We will know for sure after the 2010 census is completed. Most estimates say that there are around 800,000+ “legal” residents of Columbus. Only around 500,000 lived here in the 80’s… Hmm…
Now compared that to the number of police that the city has hired on to protect the city. 1400 in the early 90’s to the recent increases to arond 1800 now. That does not cover the HUGE increase in population.
The same hiring mistakes were made with the firefighters.
So when you live in an area like the far east side or norht/north east side where the populations have grown the fastest the police presence has not increased!
I know from reading previous articles in the paper and hearing about it on the news former CPD Chief James Jackson (not a puppet for the mayor) wanted around 800 more cops to keep the cops per capita level consistent with other large cities and keep the city safe.
What do you think the Mayor told him? “No”
So when Mayor Coleman started giving tax abaitments to developers to build condos downtown, parks for the homeless, and the lovely Short North Arches, crime was on the rise and all Mayor Coleman cared about was making the city pretty and getting deals for his buddies in the construction business.
WHERE DO YOU THINK THE BLAME SHOULD BE SHOULDERED WHEN THE COPS CANT SHOW UP BECAUSE THEY ARE BUSY?
WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN IF THEY LAY OFF 300 YOUNG MOTIVATED POLICE AND REPLACE THEM WITH OLD COPS?
AS I KEEP SAYING TAKE THESE ISSUES TO CITY HALL!
PUBLIC MEETINGS EVERY MONDAY 6PM!
If Columbus does not wake up we are in for some real trouble. Mayor Colman will hear about these meetings which now look like complaint sessions from people who arn’t happy about the police.
Everyone also forgets about 300-400 firefighters will also be laid off! Who are you going to call to go to the hospital when you are having your heart attack???? How long will it take for them to respond to your house when it is burning to the ground?
WAKE UP!
It is time to RECALL Mayor Coleman.
It is time to RECALL the City Council.
It is time to form an independant Citizens Commission to investigate the misuse of millions and millions of tax payers dollars spent on pet projects and as I keep saying that doesn’t even cover the use of the Captial Improvemnet fund 25% of all income taxes that CANNOT be used to fund the police and firemen!
WAKE UP!
The first to get cut are the ‘worker bees’ How about looking at the higher levels and see where cuts can be made there. What does the Fire Chief make in comparison to the State Fire Marshal? The chief of Police in comparison…public safty person/director or whatever the equivalent is to state marsahal. There is a lot of fat in all goverment - but start at the top where the big bucks are being made and leave the ones actually doing the work alone.
Advertisement