Symptom of the Disease: Federal government paying for local cops
Fiscal responsibility is dead. Well, it probably died years ago but can we bring it back? The city of Akron, Ohio – along with other cities in the state – will be able to hire and pay 23 police officers for three years thanks to federal stimulus dollars. Of course, the string is the city must guarantee to pick up the tab for an additional year.
More than $1 billion in federal funds are being made available to more than 1,000 law enforcement agencies around the country. That’s $1 million per agency spread out over three years.
From Ohio.com, with my emphasis added.
Akron is a big winner in the fight for federal funds to hire and rehire police officers.
The city is poised to receive $5.7 million in stimulus funds to pay the salaries and benefits of 23 police officers over the next three years.
In all, about $1 billion in grants were announced today to assist 1,046 law enforcement agencies nationwide. About $80 million was awarded in Ohio to fund 336 officers.
Other local departments set to receive funding include Barberton and Canton.
Barberton is set to get $469,256 to pay for two officers.
Canton will receive about $1.4 million for eight officers.
Those cities accepting the grants must agree to retain the officers for at least one year after the federal money runs out.
My jaw dropped to the floor when I read this…
Biden called paying cops’ salaries ”a moral obligation.”
If the vice president of the United States thinks the federal government’s responsibilities include paying for “moral obligations”, we’re screwed. Totally screwed.
This is what the TEA Parties must focus on: the federal government taking town, city, county and state responsibilities and making them their own. This complete disregard for the United States Constitution has bred nepotism, ethics deficiencies and hypocrisy in all three branches (both Republicans and Democrats) of the federal government.
Let me tell you what will happen in Akron…
- Everyone will jump for joy that Akron got more cops on the street. We need more cops! Politicians including the mayor, state representatives and members of Congress will all claim credit.
- After two years, the city of Akron will have to figure out how to pay for these 23 new LEOs in year four. Quiet concern develops…
- At the beginning of year three, city and state officials in Ohio will start complaining about unfunded mandates, since the federal government is demanding they come up with more than $1.9 million to pay those 23 cops in year four.
- During year three, the political threats begin. If citizens don’t agree to tax increases, Akron – and other cities across Ohio – will have to lay off police officers, teachers, senior services. Oh, the horror.
The vicious cycle continues.
I’m not saying the city of Akron does not need more law enforcement on the street; I don’t know. What I’m saying is that if Akron needs cops now, they should come up with the funding at the local level to pay for the law enforcement they need.
Depending on the federal government to cover the initial costs of putting cops on the street is a terrible mistake, proven to cause all sorts of issues in the future.
3 Comments
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Fiscal responsibility is dead all right!! Even if we could get it under control in the US, we better start getting through our skulls that everything is global. We need the rest of the world to buy our debts/borrowing/deficits etc. Gone are the days that we could simply control our destinies as an insular America.
Steve wrote above: "This is what the TEA Parties must focus on: the federal government taking town, city, county and state responsibilities and making them their own. This complete disregard for the United States Constitution has bred nepotism, ethics deficiencies and hypocrisy in all three branches (both Republicans and Democrats) of the federal government." You are so right!
Earlier this year, I watched the informational forum on S.B. 1098. Even after scholars and lawyers explained to the representatives that they could not make a law that imposes their own will on the right of a church to govern itself, they still asked questions such as, "What if we increased the number of lay members on the board?" The representatives still didn't understand that they shouldn't even be thinking that question, let alone asking it! But it's worse than that. The are oblivious of the bounds of their authority and they seem to want to stay that way.
Law enforcement works within very strict lines. They know what they can do. They know what they can't do. They can't search your home or car without just cause, etc.. Politicians, however, seem to think that they can do anything. Where are the lines they must not cross? And how do we keep them from crossing those lines?
How did this work the last time these COPS grants funded officers to work the street? It comes up every few years, with the last big push about 10 years ago (when I was hired through the use of an identical COPS grant ;-)). How did we manage then?