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It's been a busy week at City Hall...
• The City Council approved a funding plan for $5 million in cost overruns on the South San Jose police substation, cutting back on other planned public safety projects like the regional driver training center.
• The Consortium for Police Leadership in Equity was back before Council committees with a quarterly report as they look to begin their study of police practices in San Jose.
• And Protect San Jose's resident statistical guru Ed Rast and the rest of the Sunshine Reform Task Force that he chairs made their Phase II recommendations, albeit through the middle man of the Rules Committee.
Let us know what's on your mind.
Showing posts with label substation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label substation. Show all posts
Friday, August 21, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Paperwork
By Bobby Lopez
I don’t know about you, but I was having a good weekend up until yesterday morning. That’s when I saw this article in the Mercury News.
A long-awaited police substation is about to cost $5 million more than the City originally thought. It’s the second time this year City administration has had to adjust their numbers because of “flawed design documents”. To add insult to injury, they want the council to pay for the cost overrun with funds that are meant for a police driver safety training center.
In the past, I’ve pointed out numerous examples of wasteful spending coming out of City Hall. This is just another example, and it comes at the expense of cops.
This substation has been a long time coming. Our officers and support staff are stretched too thin to keep our streets and neighborhoods safe. A second home in South San Jose would relieve some of the pressure. Councilmember Kalra has it right the Merc story when he says, “it’s something we need to do.”
But think of the cops we could put on the beat with $5 million. Think of the new technology SJPD could use to improve reporting and records keeping. Think of the community policing programs we could fund. I think about it, and it makes me cringe, because instead of spending that $5 million on public safety, we’re making up for messy paperwork.
Recently, we’ve been hearing about how police pensions and benefits are bleeding our City coffers dry. Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad in the first place if the City spent our tax dollars wisely.
Bobby Lopez is President of the San Jose Police Officers' Association
I don’t know about you, but I was having a good weekend up until yesterday morning. That’s when I saw this article in the Mercury News.
A long-awaited police substation is about to cost $5 million more than the City originally thought. It’s the second time this year City administration has had to adjust their numbers because of “flawed design documents”. To add insult to injury, they want the council to pay for the cost overrun with funds that are meant for a police driver safety training center.
In the past, I’ve pointed out numerous examples of wasteful spending coming out of City Hall. This is just another example, and it comes at the expense of cops.
This substation has been a long time coming. Our officers and support staff are stretched too thin to keep our streets and neighborhoods safe. A second home in South San Jose would relieve some of the pressure. Councilmember Kalra has it right the Merc story when he says, “it’s something we need to do.”
But think of the cops we could put on the beat with $5 million. Think of the new technology SJPD could use to improve reporting and records keeping. Think of the community policing programs we could fund. I think about it, and it makes me cringe, because instead of spending that $5 million on public safety, we’re making up for messy paperwork.
Recently, we’ve been hearing about how police pensions and benefits are bleeding our City coffers dry. Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad in the first place if the City spent our tax dollars wisely.
Bobby Lopez is President of the San Jose Police Officers' Association
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