With a new fiscal year looming July 1, at least one police department in the East Valley is preparing to deal with cuts in personnel, while others hope to “hold the line” to keep cities safe.
Police staffing levels are dropping to what they were nearly a decade ago throughout the East Valley, but cities are doing what they can to keep criminal activity from spiking out of control.
Mesa
The state’s third largest city is proposing a $141 million annual budget for the police department, with at least a $2.1 million cut from a year ago. The cost-reduction plans eliminate 19 full-time civilian positions, according to Candace Cannistraro, acting budget director for Mesa.
On top of health-care costs increasing for city workers, Mesa police now are entering their fourth year without a pay raise — and with a 2 percent pay cut that went into effect in January 2009.
The number of sworn officers in Mesa is about 769, down 66 from two years ago.
After experiencing double-digit cuts into the millions the last two years, further cuts into the low millions have concerned the executive board of the Mesa Police Association, which represents about 730 sworn officers and issued this statement:
“Over the last two years, Mesa’s police department has been cut by approximately $25 million dollars. Frontline officers were hopeful last year when city officials stated that our great city was at the end of the road with budget cuts to in turn find Mesa considering another $3 to $4 mil-
lion dollar hit to our department in 2012. Mesa’s local and state elected delegates have heard from their constituents that public safety is a priority, however, the city spends the lowest amount per person for our services. How is this acceptable?”
Mesa police have worked to maintain core services as they’ve lost staff, including more than 130 non-sworn employees, Sgt. Ed Wessing said. Police have tried to streamline the department to become more efficient and also plan to let the public file some types of crimes online. That would allow people to report crime without having to wait for an officer to be available to take a report on a low-level crime, Wessing said.
“We surely would like to bolster the total number of officers that we have available, but we just don’t have that luxury,” Wessing said.
The MPA statement also said, “Financial challenges compound our ability to provide adequate protection. Officers feel the police department has become more reactive. Many Part II crimes like identity theft continue to rise and our detectives have a huge workload. When Mesa has a great insufficient number of officers, police have to realistically assess what calls we will and will not respond to. Police experience many angry Mesa citizens because they had to wait for hours for an officer to respond. The simple truth is we do not have enough boots on the ground. The current police department budget is cut so thinly, further cuts mean less people doing the job.”
Tempe
Earlier this year, when city leaders were putting together a budget where all departments had to identify 2 percent in “efficiency” cuts over the next two years to avoid further layoffs, the Tempe Police Department turned to its jail and speed photo enforcement program. It also is eyeing grant funds to help with special programs or operations.
The cuts in operational aspects of the police department, which city deputy financial services managers Cecilia Robles and Tom Mikesell say should save $800,000, will be done without eliminating any personnel, as the department will not be filling positions.
“This is a strategic initiative,” Robles said. “We’re just looking at every department and asking tough questions by asking whether anything can be done different. We hope to re-engineer some of our business practices.”
Last year, the city made deep cuts when it eliminated 55 non-sworn or civilian positions in the police department to save $75 million. Most of the personnel were able to transfer to other city departments; the cuts ultimately resulted in seven layoffs.
The police department, which now is fully staffed with 341 sworn officers, plans to go forward with an annual budget of $66.3 million and weather the continuing economic storm by generating $8 million to $10 million from a four-year sales tax increase that was passed by voters in the May 2010 elections.
In hopes of saving money, Tempe will reconfigure city jail operations to save $100,000 by adding weekend city court hours to process criminal cases (so the jail will not shoulder the cost of housing inmates over the weekend if they are booked into the jail on Fridays).
Tempe also plans to save about $600,000 in costs it would have paid Redflex Traffic Systems. The Phoenix-based vendor oversees the city’s speed photo enforcement program. The city pays Redflex for each citation issued, but with the number of speeding citations down, the city will see savings, Robles said.
Chandler
The Chandler Police Department is the only police agency in the East Valley that will experience pay raises for the second straight year — up to 5 percent, following a memorandum of understanding between the City Council and the Chandler Law Enforcement Association that was approved on June 9.
Chandler also plans to keep what it now has in the way of police officers and administrative staffing into the 2011-12 fiscal year, with an annual budget to $78.4 million.
Last year, Chandler experienced minimal cuts that included its DARE drug prevention program, which was eliminated at the end of the 2010-11 fiscal year. The officers in that program were able to transfer into other departments.
Officers also were awarded merit raises last year.
This year, the department’s public information office will reduce its staff from three to two, with an officer also being transferred to fill a vacant position.
Chandler has 318 sworn officers and is in the process of hiring three entry-level officers, according to information from the city. The beginning salary of a Chandler police officer is $51,438, with the top officer pay reaching $73,070.
Gilbert
Gilbert’s police department is looking to bring its level of sworn officers back up to its “normal” level of 226 while avoiding any cuts to its sworn personnel.
Although officers have not had a raise in three years, the department will move forward with a no-growth budget while continuing to place a priority on keeping officers on the streets.
The Gilbert Police Department will be operating on a $34.2 million budget this fiscal year, $1 million less than it did a year ago, eliminating purchases of equipment such as new police cruisers.
Gilbert has 206 sworn officers working, but plans to bring 18 new officers on board within the next year: six in patrol, five school resource officers, three in the traffic division and four in investigations. Those positions will not be an addition, but will replace officers who have retired or moved on to other jobs. Of those new officers, 10 have been hired and are going through training. They will earn a beginning pay of $24.30 an hour or a starting salary of $50,544 a year, according to Sgt. Bill Balafas, a Gilbert police spokesman.
Gilbert has 10 officers in academy training, with three officers expected on the street in August, two in September, three in October, one in January and one in April, Balafas said. Of the 10 hires, there was a mixture of lateral or post-certified officers from a large pool of candidates, Balafas said.
The department also is turning to technology to bolster its efforts against crime.
Balafas said possible changes are under review after purchasing Corona Solutions, a computer software program the police department began using six months ago that is able to see where officers are needed based on population and the types of calls for service in certain areas.
“We’re letting technology of the day show us where we stand, and we’ll go from there,” Balafas said.
The program is assisting the department in seeing where more officers could be re-deployed, he said.
Apache Junction and Queen Creek
As the city is approaching its fourth year without pay raises, Apache Junction, the smallest police department in the East Valley, also is proposing to keep what it has through a “no growth” budget.
“They told us to hold the line, so that’s what we’re doing,” said Capt. Tom Kelly, an Apache Junction police spokesman. “We’re not going to lose any personnel, and Council has been in support of us not losing any sworn personnel.”
In fact, Apache Junction is in the process of hiring eight officers to add to its 57 sworn officer force to replace some that were lost through retirement and others moving on this past year.
However, the eight new officers will be lateral hires or officers that would not require academy training, Kelly said.
The average starting pay for officers ranges from $45,690 for a new recruit to a top salary of $63,966.
However, if an officer joins the department from another agency with at least five years experience, he can begin making as much as $49,704, Kelly said.
Apache Junction police Chief Jerald Monahan, who has been with the department for three years, told the Tribune the department has been able to maintain a minimum staffing level with its $8.3 million annual budget to perform its primary and basic mission, but when economic times improve, the department plans to pursue beefing up other units to better help with crime management and prevention, Monahan said.
“It’d be nice to have unlimited resources and be able to have all the people we wanted, but we know right now that can’t be done,” Monahan said. “When times get better, we’ll seek expansion for specialty units that would help better manage crime and possibly add some school resource officers.”
Law enforcement in Queen Creek is provided by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. Under the 2011-12 Queen Creek budget approved June 1, the town’s contract with the agency will be cut from five beats to four.
• Contact writer: (480) 898-6533 or msakal@evtrib.com
• Tribune writer Garin Groff contributed to this report.
RationalHuman posted at 4:30 pm on Tue, Jun 21, 2011.
Gosh, I sure was surprised to see Gilbert on this list.
They seem to have plenty of money and resources when it comes to sending 12 man SWAT teams to harrass medical marijuana patients.
Perhaps such ignorant activities are causing budget problems?
NAAAAH, couldn't be that! [wink]
Leon Ceniceros posted at 4:40 pm on Tue, Jun 21, 2011.
Almost everyone in America has had to "tighten their belts". I lost my pension. I have many friends who have lost their jobs. Their sons and daughters have lost their jobs. They are skipping meals to make ends meet. Many others have seen their hours and or pay cut by 10%-15%-20%. While the highest paycut that the East Valley Police Officers have seen is only ...2%. As patriotic Americans, surely these Police Officers can some how manage to live with this sacrifice when the Public who pay their salaries are making do with paycuts that are 10 times larger. As just one senior citizen living only on my Social Security, I like so many, have had to make due with higher living, utility and food costs and no raises from the Government for the past 2 years. How can we, In good conscience, complain when so many fellow Americans are having to make even greater sacrifices. There are many job seekers out there who would gladly accept a "starting salary" of $45,790 that have not just a BA but an MBA or a Doctorate. Many job seekers will never find a job with this starting pay and the generous health, hospitalization, dental, hearing and vision care benefits that these East Valley Law Enforcement positions enjoy. Many job seekers will never, ever see the generous retirement benefits that these East Valley Law Enforcement positions enjoy. I know that "unions being unions" are always going to be trying to get the most from Management for their members but these Public Sector unions should also realize that "Management" in this instance is the "Citizens of the East Valley" who pay the salaries, the health and retirement benefits and are making huge salary sacrifices during this monumental Recession. These East Valley Law Enforcement Offficers should be not be upset at the Citizens but should be thankful to them for their sacrifices that enable these Officers to keep the standard of living that they have. As a citizen, I know that whenever I see a Mesa Police squad car or a Mesa Police Officer out in public that I wave at them or go up to them and....."thank them for their service" in keeping our Community safe and secure.
901fan posted at 12:34 pm on Wed, Jun 22, 2011.
Leon, yes times are tough all over. But 2% is not an accurate view of the the impact. Not only is it the 2% cut, for me its an additional 15% that I was promised but has not been paid. Couple that with a 200% increase on what the city charges me for bennifits and I take home 30% less than i did 5 years ago. The bennifits are not so generous and I can get them for the same price the city of mesa charges me retail. Back then gas was 2.86 a gallon now its nearly 4 bucks a gallon. So that 30% less is worth even less in buying power than it was 5 years ago and I am 17% short on my hourly pay rate. It costs an organization about 100K to train a police officer by the time they finish FTO. Thats about what it cost to go to law school or med school. For every one person that graduates the academy they filterd through 1000 names. Like it or not, not every one is willing to risk thier lives on a daily basis for a starting pay of 46K. Now start deducting 500-900 a month for family medical expences, 400 a month for pension (going up to 700 in the next two years) union fees, taxes and pretty soon that awesome pay and genrous bennifits seem a little light. I dont pretend to know how to do your job. Dont pretend to know how to do mine. How much would you feel is sufficent to get shot at, do CPR on a drowned baby that dies, investigate the details of a brutal fatal child abuse or molestation, make a death notification to a loved one telling them thier family member is dead. Have fractions of a second to make life or death situations and people like you have the rest of thier lives to critique it. Its ingrattitude like yours for what we do that makes the decesion for me to take the 150K in training the city has paid me and move into the private sector for much more money and much less risk, very very easy.
Leon Ceniceros posted at 7:08 pm on Wed, Jun 22, 2011.
Everyone is suffering with the high cost of gas....everyone, not just Mesa Police Officers. Everyone is paying higher food, and utility costs...everyone, not just the Mesa Police Officers. You didn't mention the savings that you enjoy through your Credit Union on the cost of home and car loans that are not available to the Mesa Tax-Payers who's taxes pay your salary. No one begrudges you these benefits but what angers the Mesa Tax-payer is that instead of being realistic about the State of the Economy, the fact that tens of thousands of Mesa Tax-payer have lost their homes and all of their equity which was their major or only "life saver for their future or their children's college"...........the Mesa Police Union blames the Mesa Tax-payer for not giving them a pay raise...that somehow they are "Special" and that the Mesa Tax-payer should make even more sacrifices so that their Mesa Police Officers would be "cushioned" from any monetary shortages caused by the worst Recession since the Great Depression of 1930's.
As for gratitude and respect ..two words = earn it. Put and end to the never-ending DUI, domestic abuse and sex scandals that we read about day in and day out lately. You and I know that the scandals we read about are just a fraction of what has been going on that never gets over the ...BLUE WALL. Stay out of politics, your stance on SB1070 has greatly damaged the Department's reputation with the your core supporters.
I feel nothing but awe about what you do in your job. I do have issues with your "sense of entitlement" though. Just look at what Soldiers and Marines are going through every minute of ever hour of every day for 8months to a year or longer deployment. I wish you could read some of the heart-breaking letters that I get back when I send a few packages every month to some of these American Heroes. No showers for a week or two. Having to use "baby" wipes to clean themselves...not something that big rough-tough Marine enjoys. Having to ask strangers to send them basic human hygenie items like toothbrushes, and disposible razors, lice shampoo, roach motels and sticky-sheets for the scorpions and camel spiders and centipedes, room deodorizers because of the human waste burning that goes on 24/7. When I read in their own handwriting what their day to day life is like (rarely do they mention the fighting ...maybe they will say..."last week was rought, lost 2 good men"..and go on to something else.
I tell other Seniors who complain about not getting a raise in Social Security for 2 years that our Men and Women are sacrificing far more than we are and you don't hear them complaining.
901fan posted at 11:12 pm on Thu, Jun 23, 2011.
Leon, as a veteran all I have to say is that I know firsthand what it is like to live the life. I have chewed dirt and sand with this nation’s best and brightest and sadly some my best friends are no longer with us. You should first ask me if I am a veteran before you rebuke me. I have never said that I have it worse or get treated worse than my brothers in arms. You are missing my point. If you feel that feeling owed what was promised me is a sense of entitlement then so be it. I do feel entitled to what was promised me when I was hired, period. I don’t ask for or expect anything more. The simple fact is that I am not irreplaceable, only very very expensive to replace. The city invests more into me than other employees, that is a simple fact. When I leave they lose the 150K they have invested in me for training. A new organization gets me with said 150K in training without having to spend it. From a logic perspective, it seems like common sense to at least make an attempt to try to keep the most expensively trained employees rather than lose them to competition. If you lose a sanitation employee that makes what I make you are out about 12K in training. If you lose me you are out 150K, which makes more sense to try to keep from leaving? Spending 17 million dollars to update the finance software when you can’t even pay your employees seems, odd. The city is self insured for medical insurance and did not collect enough premiums for one of the plans for several years. The surplus required to be self insured was too low so they raised the rates on all of the premiums to ALL employees to make up the difference for their mistake. They bond rating improved from good to very good during this economic downturn. So just how does a bond rating improve? By improving its ability to pay off debt (improving its income to debt ratio). How does it do that when it cannot afford to pay its employees the promised merit increases? By not paying them! The city has the money but won’t pay its employees what it promised them. It reminds me a lot of the VA healthcare system, plenty of money but does not give a #$#@ about the solders Marines and sailors. And I didn’t get any credit union or loan discounts for being a cop. I got them for being a veteran As far as the respect and gratitude thing. I have never been arrested for DUI, I haven’t drank in 10 years. I have never had any domestic violence incidents and I have never been in a sex scandal. But you went ahead and lumped me in with those that have. As far as politics go, you have no idea where I stand and how close or far apart you and I are on issues. I think you will find that cops are human and do make mistakes like all other humans. But I think you will also find that cops in general commit less crime statistically than other professions. With Law Enforcement it’s such a betrayal of public trust it gets publicized more than Lawyers or truck drivers or landscapers. And rightfully so, to me its appalling with officers offend; But I have done none of the things that bring you distaste for law enforcement and more importantly, if needed I am willing to risk my life to protect you up to and including losing my life to do so, knowing that you may dislike me or not respect me. I would and do this for everyone regardless of race color criminal history sexual orientation whatever qualifiers you choose, I don’t care, I have submitted to the fact that it is my role to protect others at the expense of my wellbeing. Are you going to get that kind of commitment from your trash truck driver? That is why we ARE different than other employees.
RationalHuman posted at 3:49 pm on Mon, Jun 27, 2011.
901fan wrote:
"Couple that with a 200% increase on what the city charges me for bennifits'"
Wow, you can still afford your BENEFITS? (so much for the college degree)
I had to cut mine out of my budget 2 years ago! Must be nice to still be able to afford them.
"How much would you feel is sufficent to get shot at..."
I didn't realize convenience store clerks required a college degree.
RationalHuman posted at 4:00 pm on Mon, Jun 27, 2011.
901fan wrote:
"But I think you will also find that cops in general commit less crime statistically than other professions. With Law Enforcement it’s such a betrayal of public trust it gets publicized more than Lawyers or truck drivers or landscapers"
Actually, after some rudimentary research, I found your comment to be pure garbage...how easily certain groups of people lie.
Here, for some Truth -- http://phoenixcopwatch.org/
Over 20 FELONY INCIDENTS PER DAY committed by law enforcement in the United States in 2010 and 2011 (current).
Please name another profession where 20 felony incidents PER DAY is the norm, or even considered acceptable.
901fan posted at 1:29 pm on Tue, Jun 28, 2011.
Rational,
I used to pay 200 a month for bennifits, now I pay 672. That is a 200% in crease (give ot take)
Maybe next time somone kicks in your door to steal your stash of weed, you call circle K to report it.
As far as your crime stats, as inflated as they may be by fellow cop haters, 20 felony crimes per 800,000 persons is still well below the national average. And well below that of other professions. Keep digging.
RationalHuman posted at 2:02 pm on Tue, Jun 28, 2011.
"I used to pay 200 a month for bennifits, now I pay 672."
Must be nice to be able to afford 672 in BENEFITS (seriously what are "bennifits"??? If an illiterate law enforcement officer doesn't scare you, IT SHOULD)
"Maybe next time somone kicks in your door to steal your stash of weed, you call circle K to report it."
Might as well, considering the thugs doing the door kicking are Gilbert Police and the MCSO...who exactly do you recommend calling? Bozo?
"fellow cop haters"
Aww how cute! You ignorant bigots are all the same - critical of corrupt cops, suddenly you're a "cop hater" - just like the pro-illegal jellyfish who call anyone who wants our borders secure a "anti-Hispanic racist."
Sad and pathetic.
901fan posted at 12:23 am on Wed, Jun 29, 2011.
Rational,
I can afford that much for medical benefits because I live the American dream and work three jobs (two in addition to my 40 hours a week as an officer) and my wife works two jobs. You should try it, maybe you too could afford to buy insurance.
Spelling has nothing to do with literacy, you should know that. I am guilty of poor spelling skills, bad penmanship too now that I think of it. Neither of which are terribly important to making good choices and decisions under pressure. But if spelling truly is that important to you, next time you call 911 when someone is breaking into your house. Ask them to send an officer that has super duper spelling skills. I will just use this nifty feature called spell check (that these comment sections don’t have) when I submit my reports.
Regarding bigotry, here is the definition for you (stubborn and complete intolerance of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one's own.) You imply that all cops are ignorant bigots, and you don’t even know me or my beliefs. As stated before, I do this job and submit to the fact that I put yours and every other persons (regardless of race, color, creed, religion, legal status, criminal history) welfare above mine. I would even risk my life protecting you from harm even though you are a bigot and dislike me for no other reason than I am a police officer. That is the difference between us. You have no idea where I stand on immigration or any political issues, you have no idea what race or color I am. Yet you call me a bigot because I belong to one classification that you dislike. You my friend are the scariest kind of bigot. A bigot that thinks everyone else is a bigot. Look in the mirror. At least Leon had rational dialog and seems like a fair and logical person. All you have brought up is pejorative conjecture.
RationalHuman posted at 1:53 pm on Fri, Jul 1, 2011.
901fan - Nice try with the ignorant assumptions. In addition to my 60 hour a week job, I run a nonprofit animal rescue from my home...sorry I didn't sacrifice my decency and morality to haul in the "big bucks" - I have a conscience.
"Spelling has nothing to do with literacy"
I sure hope you aren't homeschooling your children! Here, from the dictionary:
Literacy (noun): the quality or state of being literate, especially the ability to read and write.
"You imply that all cops are ignorant bigots"
Thanks for exposing yourself as a bigot AND a liar...nowhere did I EVER state that I considered ALL cops ignorant bigots...just the corrup bigotted ones...which, from your comments, would seem to include YOU.
RationalHuman posted at 1:56 pm on Fri, Jul 1, 2011.
901fan wrote:
"you have no idea what race or color I am. Yet you call me a bigot because I belong to one classification that you dislike."
I called you a bigot for the ignorant, bigotted comments you made - it has nothing to do with your race/color/occupation. so please quit pretending otherwise.
But thanks for the revelations...if a "good" cop like you can lie so effortlessly, what does that say about the "bad" ones?
901fan posted at 9:37 am on Wed, Jul 6, 2011.
Rational, I am still wondering why you picked that name. you dont seem very.....
Regarding literacy, I can read and write, just like you. I may not spell as well as you. But It seems like I can read better. I wrote that you "implied" all cops were bigots form this statement here "Aww how cute! You ignorant bigots are all the same - critical of corrupt cops, suddenly you're a "cop hater". your response? a personal attack "Thanks for exposing yourself as a bigot AND a liar...nowhere did I EVER state that I considered ALL cops ignorant bigots...just the corrup bigotted ones...which, from your comments, would seem to include YOU." What does "Corrup" mean? Did you misspell that on purpose to make me feel better or was it an attempt to mock me am make yourself feel better about being you? Or was it just a mistake like my spelling errors? I bid thee adieu