Tulsa Police - the cars do not belong to them - they are paid by our tax money!

[patric]

In all, it could be worse:
We could be wrestling with the problem of take-home guns...

"MANGUM, Oklahoma – An off-duty Mangum police officer who shot his brother-in-law during a disturbance has died.

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown says investigators believe 37-year-old officer Brian Ditmore shot his brother-in-law during the disturbance Thursday night in Mangum.
The brother-in-law was taken to an Altus hospital with non-life threatening injuries, Brown said.

Officer surrounded the home Thursday night and after they could not contact Ditmore, they sent in a bomb squad robot, Brown said.
Ditmore was found dead inside. It appeared he had died from a self-inflicted gun shot wound, Brown said."

[shadows]

Although Google in view of the highest educated (four years college) cops only are accepted, then thousands of dollars are spent in training them in the police academy, furnish them shot guns that are stolen and uniforms where by the FBI stats Tulsa's crime rate is on constant increase, might suggest every citizen should be under curfews from being on the streets and not protecting their property. 

Now the top cop has been chosen by the new mayor to continue "business as useable?  Is that 150K bonus or is there something wrong with this picture?   

[Townsend]

Arbitrator: Tulsa must pay back patrol car fees to officers

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20091208_11_0_Aninde716273

Palmer said he completely disagrees with the arbitrator's ruling.

"This is about allowing officers to use our city police vehicles to supplant the budgets of persons who hire them for off-duty jobs," he said. "Is that really what the people of city of Tulsa want? I'm not sure that is the case."

[Conan71]

Palmer is right on this one. 

[MDepr2007]

Here's a new policy idea for TPD http://www.wral.com/news/local/video/4414130/

[Conan71]

Here's a new policy idea for TPD http://www.wral.com/news/local/video/4414130/

That's an interesting connundrum.  I don't like the concept of limiting someone having the ability to earn as much of a second income as they want, when they are off the clock from their first job.  My initial reaction was: "This policy is a bad idea and over-reaching" but I thought about why pilots have limits on the number of flight deck hours, number of hours from drinking alcohol (bottle to throttle), required rest between flight shifts, etc. because it's a public safety issue.

I could see problems arising from a cop who is terribly fatigued and winds up in the wrong situation with his day job or pulls a Trooper Martin because he's tired and irritable or falls asleep behind the wheel, etc.  I think you simply have to trust the common sense of these people and figure they know how much rest they need to drive around or investigate crimes all day.  Their day job can be stressful enough as it is.

[patric]

Where do you find repo men that reposess police cars?


THIBODAUX, La. — The two new cars the Napoleonville Police Department got this summer have been repossessed and the department is being sued by an Oklahoma car dealership.

Mayor Ron Animashaun said Tuesday the police department planned to buy the cars using federal stimulus money, but paperwork mistakes left them unable to pay for the cars once they arrived.

Joe Watt Auto Sales of Vinita, Okla., repossessed the cars Oct. 9, one day after Animashaun made it clear to the dealership that the village did not have the money to pay. Animashaun previously told Watt on numerous occasions that he had put a "check in the mail," the car dealer said.

The Napoleonville Police Department was awarded $151,628 in federal-stimulus money through the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice. The two-year reimbursement grant is aimed at improving community policing. With the money, the village was supposed to hire two new officers and buy two new police cars.

The department hired two officers, but the grant money came in much later than expected.

The newly hired officers were eventually released Nov. 15 because the money had still not arrived, the mayor said. That left Police Chief Lionel Bell as the village's only paid officer.

[shadows]

Arbitrator: Tulsa must pay back patrol car fees to officers

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20091208_11_0_Aninde716273

Palmer said he completely disagrees with the arbitrator's ruling.

"This is about allowing officers to use our city police vehicles to supplant the budgets of persons who hire them for off-duty jobs," he said. "Is that really what the people of city of Tulsa want? I'm not sure that is the case."

Is the union the Arbitrator?  If not then he must be a member in good standing. Does this exclude the use of the police car as a off-duty escort service job?

[DowntownNow]

I'm jumping in late on this one but seems to me that the take home policy was always intended for the officer's to take the vehicles to and from home to work - work being their TPD jobs, not a second, off-duty job.  That is not fair to the taxpayer to supplement.

At larger issue is how and where the TPD salary budget is being spent.  A review of the TW database for City of Tulsa employees classified as "police officers" would seem to suggest a very top heavy department, with long term career employees making the most.  In that case, it would seem more beneficial to cut from the top through early retirement incentives and such and promote greater numbers to patrol positions at lower salaries.  Its always been my understanding that after serving so many years, most long term police officers are assigned other more desk bound duties than patrol...if I'm wrong, someone please tell me.

The data: (not including Chief Ron Palmer and benefits)

Salary (rounded)     Officers
$61,000                 310
$57,000                 57
$54,000                 61
$51,600                 14
$49,200                 27
$46,800                 140
$44,600                 17
$42,500                 23
$38,600                 16

[TulsaSooner]

I think that was the gist of the Martinson proposal that pissed everyone off.

[shadows]

OKC is suppose to have a ½ cent sales tax to support their police.  I understand the TPD equivalent cost is 2 cents of the 3 cent sales tax we collect.  There is no way to reduce the cost of the salaries and perks when they have become so deep rooted in the system.  A normal operation in the business world would require expenditures to balance out with the income, not the use of projected income needed.  The one at present  continue for citizens to be pissed off but it is like pissing into the wind. 

Inflation has been very easy to achieve but how do you deflate in such a highly political system? How many of these desks job could be done by civilians that furnish their own cars and uniforms?

It is easy to see when a call is sent out for police openings 200 applications are received.

One would think that when over 1/3 of the officers are desk jockeys that would help slow down  the increase in bank robberies.     

[patric]

My crazy thought for the day...  What if the FOP re-classifies "police car" to something more to it's liking?
I mean, If they can call a dog a "police officer" for the purposes of semantics games then why not just call the old Crown Vic an officer.  Just another instrament of justice, right?    

[Red Arrow]

Looking at the title for this thread, the issue appears to be where the money comes from to pay for the cars.  Although I live in the northern part of Bixby, I do most of my shopping (read sales tax) in Tulsa.  I should then be provided an off duty car in my neighborhood for security appearances.

(Now running for cover...)

[buckeye]

Dogs are considered "police officers"?  How do they usually vote at union meetings?  Do they get vacation?  Psych evaluations? 

[patric]

The mayor signed the order to stop take-home police vehicles going to other municipalities today, saving 22 jobs.
Unfortunately, it comes in the form of 22 fewer layoffs, which also take effect today.

The FOP union must be proud of themselves.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20100129_11_0_Moreth648058