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The Michigan Association of Police has clearly stated its concern about making a priority of maintaining adequate police protection in America's cities. It has become increasingly apparent that MAP is not alone in sounding this alarm. To the contrary, more and more politicians and many law enforcement officials are criticizing the dangerous trend of shrinking personnel numbers in local police agencies, in an era when homeland security is a huge priority and officers are being asked to play major roles in that cause. For example, Blueprint Magazine, which is published by the Democratic Leadership Council, recently stated its partisan, the issue crosses all party lines and the publication's position hits home, in more ways than one. "America faces a cop crunch, just when we least need it," an article in Blueprint declared. "It amounts to a reckless hollowing-out of the nation's police forces - at just the moment when crime rates are rising and homeland security is placing new strains on the existing force." The article further points out that, although police are increasingly engaged in a two-front war, on terrorism and crime, many departments are losing officers faster than they can replace them. This development has been spurred by municipal money crunches; difficult budget problems caused by shrinking revenues and rising costs. The question it raises is: Are cities' budget priorities skewed? Here's a review of what the editorial in the most recent edition of MAP's Police Report had to say: "MAP has continued, and will continue, to call for cities to re-prioritize in order to meet all of the well documented needs for fighting the war on terrorism. The campaign to achieve this goal will not end with the adoption of 2003-2004 fiscal year budgets. "MAP strongly urges the governments of all Michigan cities not to cut back on law enforcement personnel or important equipment acquisitions as a means of handling their mounting fiscal problems. Doing so would mean further skewing their priorities and further disregarding the greater need of the people they serve." Blueprint Magazine spotlighted the same concern on the federal and state, as well as local, levels. It pointed out that the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) characterizes the money earmarked by the Bush Administration for state and local homeland security efforts as short of the mark. NAPO Executive Director William Johnson was quoted in the article as follows: "...this proposal will not adequately safeguard America's cities nor assist state and local law enforcement efforts which are further constrained by shrinking municipal budgets. "While states reel from fiscal downturns, overall homeland security funding needs to be increased to alleviate budget cuts, officer layoffs, additional overtime, un-replaced officer reassignments and technology needs to combat terrorism while departments still address domestic crime." MAP is committed to pursuing the same goal in Michigan and fully endorses broader national support for funding local law enforcement, Executive Director Fred Timpner recently declared. "Maximum departmental personnel levels and the ability to purchase essential equipment and technology must be a top priority," he said. "These elements are at the very core of homeland defense. Anything less undermines the entire purpose of our homeland security program." |
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