The entire article can be read at this link.
http://www.startribune.com/stories/562/5606438.html
My question has to do with the comment below...
• Placed greater pressure on the Park Board to merge its police
department with the city's (The estimated savings from decreasing
administrative redundancy is $750,000 per year.)
Who out there can VERIFY that this would be a true cost savings? I
personally was not thrilled that the MPRB chose a time of budget
shortfalls to spend the money to redo their lower level to house the
police ( check out the nifty retro lights if you are in building) but
if the Park Police were merged with the city police would our parks be
safe? I am not usually one to agree with Commissioner Dziedzic ( and
he'll be happy to point that out ) but we have had discussions about
this subject and I am inclined to believe that there would not be a
substantial savings and the parks would be less safe. He even pointed
out that in cities like Philadelphia, where they combined the police,
they are considering separate park police again due to safety concerns.
And if you dial 911 in Minneapolis and a park police car is the
closest available car you might get them before MPD as they are both
dispatched by the same operators ( or vice versa, or maybe both as in
the Jason Stone incident).
One of the biggest issues with the MPRB police was retention of
officers. Many were trained ( at approx $75,000 for a sworn officer)
for the summer season and then laid off come fall where they then used
their training and experience ( at our expense ) to get jobs elsewhere.
The following year the MPRB would be back to training a new group.
Due to the endeavors of Commissioner Erwin the police from the schools
now become park police over the summer. This has greatly cut down on
training expenses and to paraphrase Commissioner Dziedzic , those cops
know who the troublemakers are cause they see them in the schools most
of the year and then in the parks during the summer.
We are not the only city that has a separate Park Police department...
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parkpolice/
http://www.sanantonio.gov/sapar/parkpolice.asp?res=1024&ver=true
and many other counties have them as well ( though often they are
called "park rangers" which unfortunately makes most of us think of
Yogi Bear more than park safety)
Liz Wielinski
Columbia Park
who is now going to find a pic-a-nic basket
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