What's gonna happen next? We just get the warning siren fixed and now people are belly-aching about the city policeman taking the police car to his residence in Hannibal. This is probably something that should be belly-ached about when you get right down to the nitty-gritty. How many of us that hold jobs are provided company transportation? With sky-rocketing fuel prices, it is a wonder we don't put the city cop on a bicycle.
Best scenario: Require the city policeman to either live within the city limits of Center, or within an area where he can respond within 5 minutes. Let him take the car to his home.
Next best scenario: Let him live where he wants, but make him park the car at the city garage and use his privately owned vehicle to travel back & forth to work. This still doesn't make much sense, because you have hired that policeman to protect & defend, and if he lives 20 miles away, he can't do that very well. Especially during an emergency.
Worst scenario: Fire him. Hire a night watchman. Sell the police car and put the money in the sewer fund, along with any other funds that would normally have been paid the policeman.
Actually, Center has a pretty good policeman. Better than most the past 10 years. He will actually write a ticket! I've seen fines posted in the county newspaper that have been collected for speeding, running stop signs, etc. I believe he is paying his way and actually doing something other than sitting on his ass at city hall. He is visible, but could probably stand some more visibility -- especially on weekends, and at different hours all the time. He is too predictable, and most all the trouble makers know when he is out of town. He needs to sneak around more and surprise people every once in a while. Boo!
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"Actually, Center has a pretty good policeman. Better than most the past 10 years. He will actually write a ticket! I've seen fines posted in the county newspaper that have been collected for speeding, running stop signs, etc. I believe he is paying his way and actually doing something other than sitting on his ass at city hall. "
That pretty much sums it up for me. I don't really care where he lives or if he drives the car back and forth - he is doing more generating revenue than any other cop the city has had in most of my lifetime. So whatever, people want to bitch, they are going to bitch and it doesn't matter what they bitch about. If it isn't the cop car it'll be the grass in the park is too high.
It is what it is.
It started out as "him taking the squad home and working on it"....fixing this and that, that was left unfixed by the other past officers...then somehow...??? He started taking it home because one of the aldermen said he could....
Then it was tossed around that the use of the squad could be part of his wages...(not sure how the gas is figured in)...
Actually...if he was to respond to a call to the city in his personel car and there is an accident, the city could be liable for his repairs and health care...
It's about as long as it is wide, either way ya look at it...
Yes, for his age and expierence he does very well...it's not his fault the PA cuts WAY TOO MANY DEALS on the citations that he writes. That should never curb him from doing HIS job...it's gonna take a long time to bring this town to the front compared to what they have had over the years.
just makes ya want to go.........good grief!
It has been a perk of the job for years, started by none other than the honorable mayor Clyde Ardrey. When complaints were made to the honorable mayor at the time he had multiple "reasons" and at that time John Star was the officer and it is not a secret as to the bang we got for buck. If this perk keeps Nick on the Center payroll, I say leave it alone, look at it each time you hire an officer. I do wish that Nick did live closer to Center for several reasons other than the car/gas, but I think it is more important to have him as the officer than pursuing this issue.
and..........they hired 3 more officers last night....commisioned as reserve officers...they will be able to take up the slack when Nick can't be here.
And no cost to the city...they are working for the expierence and to keep their P.O.S.T. hours active.
A win-win all the way around !!
How can a police officer work for no pay? Doesn't that violate FLSA?