Residency!

[GoGrixdale]

Cops now tend to not let too many people in the neighborhood know that they are cops. Too much retaliation, disrespect, and a chance that one's kids might be put in danger. My brother-in-law is a cop and no one in his neighborhood knows it. Too many people want too much advice or call on him [[in his old neighborhood, people did know he was a cop) to solve stupid disputes. He can't get involved, while off duty. Some people called dispatch and requested HIM to come...and he couldn't do that, either...it went to whomever was available. To put calling in a crime on a cop's family is just wrong. They shouldn't have to shoulder that just because there might be a faster response time [[there won't be).

Cops, firemen, and teachers don't want to be the people who have to move into a barren neighborhood just to make it look better. We prefer neighbors who already take care of their homes and community. I purchased my house because I liked the neighborhood. The house was just so-so and needed much more work inside than some other homes I looked at. It was the surrounding area that sold me. Neighbors taking care of their homes, the track record for police/fire/ems response, etc. made the deal, for me. Please don't make it OUR responsibility to improve a neighborhood. Perhaps if the neighborhoods [[and the views of the general public about us) improved, so would our attitude about living in them. If I were a cop's wife, I would steadfastly refuse to live in the city. When people hear you and/or your family are cops, they tend to make it unsafe for that family [[at least in the city). People are out to harm cops [[and firemen) if they feel that their privacy is being invaded...and having a cop living on the block is like sticking a "snitch" sign out in front of their house.

It's very prudent for a cop to underplay his profession to relieve a bunch of headaches. IT professionals do the same thing. But really, if the situation in Officer Smith's neighborhood is that "Boyz-in-the-hoodish" and the teenagers are running the block....then doesn't that mean that something went wrong when Officer Smith went to work?



Couldn't and wouldn't ever say it's any one professional groups responsibility. But if there's to be a reckoning in Detroit, we should take into account those employees that have "residency" skin in the game. Tax relief, different retirement structure ... something. Not as a punishment to those who choose to live elsewhere [[for whatever reason) but incentives for those that don't.




Let's say every resident employee or retiree added $1000 a year to the city's economy [[above pub crawls and concerts). Lets say the taxpayers have about 15,000 on the payroll. Again lets say that of those 15,000 1/2 live outside of the city. Is it strage that a taxpayer [[employer) and citizen [[customer) has expectations of that $7,500,000 to makes a difference in neighborhoods [[QOL) and ultimately the viability of an investment [[ROI).