The Review Team's Report

[professorscott]

The Freep posted the review team's report:

http://www.freep.com/assets/freep/pdf/C4187149327.PDF

[Novine]

One thing it highlights is how police and fire costs continue to be a key part of the budget overruns. As I've noted before, those are huge pieces of the city's budget and cuts in other departments aren't going to save the city when the big overruns are happening in the police and fire budgets.

[professorscott]

Just so. Such a huge portion of the City's money is spent on police, fire and transportation that it is irresponsible to suggest the budget problems can be fixed while holding those things harmless.

[corktownyuppie]

Has any thought been given to whether there can be cost savings by outsourcing police work to Wayne County Sherriffs? or Michigan State Police?

[313WX]

Has any thought been given to whether there can be cost savings by outsourcing police work to Wayne County Sherriffs? or Michigan State Police?

Aren't the Michigan State Police and Wayne County Sheriff Department already struggling to patrol and protect the jurisdictions they service now [[both entities have made significant budget cuts themselvse, which is why in the last few years the MSP have been trolling the local highway to give any and everyone a speeding ticket)?

Wht would be the financial benefit of these entities inheriting the 143 additional square miles in Detroit to patrol and protect? Furthermore, what benefits would thi provide to the citizens of Detroit have if their policee services will be spread even thinner? Remind you, Detroit isn't Pontiac and Wayne County isn't Oakland County.

[corktownyuppie]

Aren't the Michigan State Police and Wayne County Sheriff Department already struggling to patrol and protect the jurisdictions they service now [[both entities have made significant budget cuts themselvse, which is why in the last few years the MSP have been trolling the local highway to give any and everyone a speeding ticket)?

Wht would be the financial benefit of these entities inheriting the 143 additional square miles in Detroit to patrol and protect? Furthermore, what benefits would thi provide to the citizens of Detroit have if their policee services will be spread even thinner? Remind you, Detroit isn't Pontiac and Wayne County isn't Oakland County.

Well, in outsourcing them we'd choose to pay them instead of our own police in an effort to save money. Hell, I'm sure the residents of East English Village would gladly pay extra per year to have their jurisdiction protected by Grosse Pointe Park. GPP would benefit by having a little more control over the crime taking place on their borders.

[Novine]

Michigan State Police has around 1,000 officers across the entire state. Detroit PD has almost 3,000 officers. Outside of some specialized services, I don't see how either MSP or the Sheriff's office is any position to take on general police services in Detroit.

[Novine]

"Well, in outsourcing them we'd choose to pay them instead of our own police in an effort to save money."

That only makes sense to those organizations if there's some potential benefit in taking on those services. If the Sheriff's department or MSP had people sitting around not really being productive, there could be some efficiencies that the departments could realize by taking on the extra work. But in case you've missed it, it's been mostly cutbacks everywhere for the past few years and most departments don't have capacity to take on additional responsibilities without incurring additional costs.