The Safe Streets Initiative - don't sign the petition
Yesterday I received a petition in the mail asking for my support of the Safe Streets Initiative. You can learn more about the Safe Streets Initiative, aka "The Safe Streets and Neighborhoods Act of 2008" at this website.

Basically, it sets the number of police officers required in Oakland to 1075.

While I don't disagree that we need more police officers in Oakland, I do not think that creating an initiative is the way to do it. It does not come with a plan of how to get to 1075. If it did, I might be more interested in getting behind the initiative.

The issue is that I don't think you could possibly find anyone in the City - in politics, OPD, or otherwise - that is against adding more cops. The issue is funding of the training, finding interested candidates willing to hit the streets of Oakland, and even the funding of the actual positions. I don't disagree that money is wasted in our City Government, but if this initiative were to pass my fear is that the good stuff would be cut, and not the bad, and worse - I don't see the number of 1075 as even remotely possible for at least two years.

As it is, we're currently at around 750 officers, give or take. We have a bunch of cadettes that started training a few weeks ago, but the average number that ultimately graduates and makes it onto the streets isn't a high number. We would be extremely lucky to get to 803 (the current goal) by the end of the year, and that's only if no one retires, gets injured, or quits. Not a likely scenario.

Once we get to the 803 number, then we can work towards more. But let's get to the 803 number - which we already can't fund with the current budget - before requiring the city to bankrupt itself or significantly raise taxes in a feeble attempt to get to 1075. To me, setting that number is a set-up for failure and will merely give everyone more fingerpointing as to who is at fault for it not happening and possibly/probably at the expense of other city services.

Don't sign the petition. It sounds good, but it doesn't have a plan for getting there and it will bankrupt the City trying to get there.
Posted 5/28/2008