FOP asks city to fund two vacant positions at JCPD

By Kris Hilgedick, khil@newstribune.com

Published: Saturday, August 30, 2008 5:38 AM CDT

Members of the Jefferson City Fraternal Order of Police on Friday approached the City Council's Public Safety Committee with a financial request.

FOP executive board member Andrew Lenart noted the mayor's budget - introduced a few weeks ago - funds only 86 of 88 available positions within the department. The two unfunded positions are a detective and a patrol officer.

“We feel it's time to add those positions,” Lenart told committee members.

Lenart noted it's the third year in a row the detective's position has remained unfunded.

“We want the city to grow and prosper, but not at the expense of public safety,” said Lenart.

Lenart said the department's work load has grown increasingly busier, with higher call volumes and a 12 percent increase in activity.

“We owe it to the citizens to provide the same level of service, if not better,” he said.

As a side note, a budget document shows police department heads requested three additional positions not funded in the 2009 budget. Those include a K-9 officer, an information clerk and a 911 operator.

“If we're not in a position to add, then at least we should fund the current positions,” Lenart said.

City Administrator Steve Rasmussen replied to Lenart's comments by saying, “There's no organization the city has more respect for than the Fraternal Order of Police.”

But Rasmussen said FOP leaders “could be of assistance” if they suggest potential sources of revenue, or possible budget cuts, to keep the budget in balance, if the positions are filled.

It's conceivable the council could be looking at increasing fines for various municipal offenses, such as assaulting a police officer or speeding in a school zone.

Police Chief Roger Schroeder said he'd prefer to compare Jefferson City's fine structure with other cities' before suggesting a new schedule.

Mayor John Landwehr also tried to address the FOP's concerns about the two positions.

“I didn't fill them in my budget because this year we had to look at all the departments for assistance in balancing the budget without raising taxes,” Landwehr said. “I certainly agree we need to provide a robust public safety service ... it's one of (our) most fundamental obligations.”

But Landwehr added the city has spent thousands of dollars to provide new technology, such as laptop terminals in the squad cars.

“It's a good investment because it frees up officers' time,” he said.

Landwehr cautioned he wasn't trying to suggest officers can be replaced with technology, but that technology can make workers more productive.

Finally, Landwehr noted - as the county gets a better grasp on what it will cost to build and operate a new jail - city leaders may ask for more financial assistance from the county's half-cent law enforcement sales tax.

“I firmly believe portions of the county tax should be accessible to assist our law enforcement efforts inside ‘our portion' of the county,” Landwehr said. “If that revenue source can be used to fund school resource officers outside the city, why is it not possible to fund school resource officers within the city?”


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AJ415 wrote on Sep 8, 2008 6:28 PM:

" Instead of using the tax money for a ambulance service, use it for existing departments like the police dept. This is another reason that its irresponsible taxation by our local government. "

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boscoe wrote on Sep 3, 2008 10:15 AM:

" You know, this is just like state government always balancing the budgets on the backs of the workers to pay for all the expensive pay and retirement raises for the bigwhigs. "

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boscoe wrote on Aug 31, 2008 11:25 AM:

" How about funding the positions by cutting the covention center consultant budget? That $200,000 wasted on the consultant would have easily paid for four officers.

Rassmussen needs to do his job and accept his responsibilities. Asking the the FOP to do his job of budgeting was plain condescending and patronizing to our law enforcement professionals, who once again are being treated like children by the city administration. "

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AMAZED wrote on Aug 31, 2008 10:42 AM:

" Why add two extra officers. They should be cutting the shifts down to one officer per rotation. There's no crime here, so why do we need cops? Much less the FOP. They need to move on to a town that supports such organizations. At least PBR takes my name and position. "

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brucewayne wrote on Aug 30, 2008 10:11 PM:

" i agree with shiny. the fop is not in charge of the budget, and they should not be responsible for making sure it is balanced. i guess one way to fund the police dept would be to cut the city administrator's salary and stop wasting money on a convention center. "

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shinymcshine wrote on Aug 30, 2008 5:52 PM:

" But Rasmussen said FOP leaders could be of assistance if they suggest potential sources of revenue, or possible budget cuts, to keep the budget in balance, if the positions are filled.

What a load-O-Hooey! Its not the FOPs job to come up with revenue sources or even reasonable to suggest it. Good Grief! Just another dodge to try and put the problem on someone else's plate. "

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PBRMAN wrote on Aug 30, 2008 2:18 PM:

" I firmly believe portions of the county tax should be accessible to assist our law enforcement efforts inside our portion' of the county, Landwehr said. If that revenue source can be used to fund school resource officers outside the city, why is it not possible to fund school resource officers within the city?

Amazing, simply amazing. No wonder there are relationship problems between the county and city. Apparently the Mayor has no ability to manage his budget so take the easy way out and go after money that doesn't belong to him. The money is there to build and run the new jail, not to fund pet projects or positions at the City. At least that is what I voted for. "

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