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I believe that the cops make up about 50 percent of the total budget and the fire department makes up about 20 percent of the total budget. All other departments combined make up the other 30 percent of the Phoenix budget.

I find it amusing that every time the issue of cities spending too much money comes up they always refuse to talk about making cuts to the cops or fire department. When the cops and fire department make up 70 percent of the budget you ain't going to save jack shit by cutting the library department which is probably 1 percent of the total budget.

I doubt if they will make any significant cuts to either the police or fire departments. They are jobs programs for cops and fire fighters and their powerful unions will to the best they can to prevent any budget cuts.

The article didn't address this issued, but I consider the drug war a jobs program for all those cops.

Two thirds of the people in American prisons are their for victimless drug war crimes. Re-Legalize drugs and you can fire two thirds of those cops because they won't have any drug war criminals to arrest for victimless crimes.

Source

Call to trim Phoenix Police Department met with skepticism

by William Hermann - May. 3, 2011 06:01 PM

The Arizona Republic

A consultants' report suggesting radical cuts could be made in the Phoenix Police Department was met Tuesday with almost complete dismissal by the mayor, close questioning from City Council members and strong words of caution from the head of the police union.

The council met in a working study session and heard representatives from Berkshire Advisors Inc., a Pennsylvania firm, set forth their Innovation and Efficiency Review.

The city last summer commissioned about $500,000 worth of studies for the Police and Fire departments and a combined review of the Municipal Court, and the Public Defender's and City Prosecutor's offices.

The Police Department study was done for a fee of $169,900 and is the first of the reviews the city commissioned. Public safety departments make up about 70 percent of the city's $1.01 billion general-fund budget. The Police Department's budget this year is $539.6 million.

Mike Walker, president of Berkshire, said that with crime in Phoenix on the decline and with calls for service down by 18 percent since 2007, it seems reasonable that substantial savings could be realized in the police budget.

Walker said the department could save manpower by abandoning its "four-ten" work week of four 10-hour days, could cut the number of officers responding to calls, cut staffing in such units as airplane and helicopter support and in the bomb squad, eliminate some duties for higher ranking officers and deploy civilian employees rather than sworn officers whenever possible.

Walker said that 106 positions now filled by sworn officers could be "civilianized" and that a total of 714 positions could be "reallocated."

Last week, when the report was made public, Walker said that "reallocate" translates to "eliminate."

Mayor Phil Gordon complimented Walker for the thoroughness of the report but then took issue with the whole notion of equating "efficiency" with good policing.

"Yes, we can be more efficient, but at what cost safety-wise?" Gordon said. "The more officers we have, the better. [Yep, Mayor Gordon loves the Police State!] As stewards of the future, I reject the notion that we cut back on public safety."

Gordon said that when he became mayor about eight years ago, "we began building up the Police Department, and that's why there has been a drop in calls for service and a 20-year low in crime."

"We should continue to reduce crime, and that translates not to cutting officers but to adding officers," he said.

Councilman Michael Johnson, himself a former police officer, also was skeptical of the report.

Before the meeting began, he said, "I want to hear how they got those numbers for their reallocation recommendations, how they think that could be done. That kind of reduction doesn't sound very likely to me."

Johnson also said he doubted the report's assertion that one officer in a patrol car is as safe as two.

Phoenix Law Enforcement Association head Mark Spencer said that although he was sure there are useful recommendations in the report, "we have to look at this very carefully."

Spencer said he and many other officers believe that it has been community based policing, "with officers having the time to be proactive in the community," that has been responsible for lowering calls for service and cutting crime.

"Calls are down and crime is down because of the current course we embraced of community-based policing," Spencer said. "Now, we are going to eliminate some 700 officers?'

"When we talk about the lives of our officers, we are entering hallowed ground. There is strength in numbers. What looks good to (consultants) in Pennsylvania doesn't translate to the streets of Phoenix."

City officials say the consultants' report will receive exhaustive scrutiny and that Tuesday's working session was just the first step.

The City Manager's Office will form an implementation and review committee consisting of the assistant city manager, acting police chief and human resources director to work with labor unions and the community to review the consultants' recommendations.