Their population is 250 with a police department of 50 officers.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_vkD-efoFos
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pq3B7pePYLg
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_K3RhdPyshM
Excaliber wrote: Tue Sep 12, 2023 8:43 am The mayor pleads ignorance, but he and the city council approve the budget for the agency. The salaries and benefits for all those officers and the costs of their vehicles, equipment, and other support has to be eye popping. The required funds may have come largely from the revenue from the 5100 annual citations written. That could be around $1.75 million.
I think there's much more here than meets the eye, and the issues likely permeate the city's leadership beyond the police department. "Aw shucks, I didn't know" is unlikely to cut it with TCOLE.
Unless the mayor and city council had their heads where the sun don't shine denying they knew is less than plausible. Of course there' alway's the possibility they were benefiting financially under the table or otherwise. Just think about it - they wouldn't have noticed the fleet of vehicles it takes for 50 officers or the ballooned budget they approved year after year. Me thinks it stinks!The former chief has to be a moron for thinking it was any kind of good idea to agree to that interview..
Back of napkin math: population of Coffee City, 249. Number of officers on force, 50. Officers per capita, 1:4.98.Excaliber wrote: Tue Sep 12, 2023 8:43 am The salaries and benefits for all those officers and the costs of their vehicles, equipment, and other support has to be eye popping. The required funds may have come largely from the revenue from the 5100 annual citations written. That could be around $1.75 million.
You are off by an order of magnitude. Should be Officers per capita, 1:4.98Rafe wrote: Tue Sep 12, 2023 11:08 amBack of napkin math: population of Coffee City, 249. Number of officers on force, 50. Officers per capita, 1:49.8.Excaliber wrote: Tue Sep 12, 2023 8:43 am The salaries and benefits for all those officers and the costs of their vehicles, equipment, and other support has to be eye popping. The required funds may have come largely from the revenue from the 5100 annual citations written. That could be around $1.75 million.
Population of Dallas proper in 2021, 1.288 million. Number of officers on force for DPD to be equivalent to Coffee City, 25,881. The Dallas Police Department has just over 3,100 sworn LEOs and 600 non-sworn members.
Population of Houston proper in 2021, 2.288 million. Number of officers on force for HPD to be equivalent to Coffee City, 45,961. The Houston Police Department has approximately 5,300 sworn officers and 1,200 civilian support personnel.
Apples and oranges, admittedly, but still...
You might want to check the battery in your calculator, Sir.....carlson1 wrote: Tue Sep 12, 2023 10:57 am Think about this 5138 tickets annually. That equals out to about 97 tickets a day in a town that is about 2 miles square.
Oh howlin' coyotes! You're right! The napkin I was writing on must have had that corner torn off at exactly the wrong time. Gotta go back and fix all that....Papa_Tiger wrote: Tue Sep 12, 2023 11:56 am You are off by an order of magnitude. Should be Officers per capita, 1:4.98
That is what happens when you count on Apple. I did calculate weeks. Either way that is a LOT of situation for a town if 250 people.RoyGBiv wrote: Tue Sep 12, 2023 1:10 pmYou might want to check the battery in your calculator, Sir.....carlson1 wrote: Tue Sep 12, 2023 10:57 am Think about this 5138 tickets annually. That equals out to about 97 tickets a day in a town that is about 2 miles square.
5138 / 365 = 14.1
Maybe you meant 97 per week??![]()
What you and many seem to be missing on this is that 50 officers is not really quite as many as you think and is no where near as expensive as you think. It is probably only two paid officers and 48 unpaid part-time officers (what we used to call reserves). In a very small town, it is the only way to get a police officer on duty all the time. The part-timers, if it is like the town I work in, each donate two eight hour shifts per month. Figure there are twenty-one shifts per week to cover, that makes about 90 per month. Forty-eight officers covering two each means 96 shifts covered, which allows for a few being sick or on training days each month.Excaliber wrote: Tue Sep 12, 2023 8:43 am The mayor pleads ignorance, but he and the city council approve the budget for the agency. The salaries and benefits for all those officers and the costs of their vehicles, equipment, and other support has to be eye popping. The required funds may have come largely from the revenue from the 5100 annual citations written. That could be around $1.75 million.
I think there's much more here than meets the eye, and the issues likely permeate the city's leadership beyond the police department. "Aw shucks, I didn't know" is unlikely to cut it with TCOLE.