County rebuffs anti-crime pleas

What an outrage. The LCC's are a bunch of idiots. Let the deputies provide thier own semi-auto. If I was a deputy that's what I'd be holstering!

If we interpret the information presented in this story the whole issue is window dressing .... If it is correct that the $1,000,000 (1 million) offered for community Officers is a three year package then only $333,333.33 would be available on a yearly basis for the program although money would carry to another year if not used. The above figure would mean that at $50,000 maximum only 6 officers could be hired not thirteen so the money percentage of total officer cost would have to be adjusted lower to cover the thirteen.

Explanation --- the program says that up to 50% of an officers total salary ( this includes health benefits but not overtime could be reimbursed by the County. The maximum reimbursement is $50,000. But with the funding of more then six police officers, this maximum must be adjusted lower unless more money is poured into the fund.

In otherwards the $1,000,000 figure at 1/3 use a year since it is a three year program may be inadequately funded.

I ask, when will Cunningham address the County need for better communication systems for County Officials involved in police enforcement and judicial functions?

And I add that the vote on this issue was along party lines. The Democrats united to promote a Cunningham issue and the Republicans opposing it on grounds of not wishing to assisrt operational costs of police enforcement in the municipalities.

But the issue is not over as the program was essentially passed with $1 in the fund but the program essentially moot until further discussion involving parameters of the program.

In the case of Allentown, the Allentown Police Force already has plans to reestablish its Community Police Program. The catch is, they would prefer that some of these costs be shared by the County.

I suppose that when you look at it this way, the issue is the old argument for Revenue sharing incorporated into the idea of Regionalism.

The question here is should the County limit its help to the municipalities to providing assistance for equipent and training of personnel or expand its role into providing assistance for operational payroll.

It is a crime that the LC deputys are carrying revolvers. Help these guys out and buy them the best equipment you can, it's there safety were talking about.

The Police Officers need everything we can give them,
but the Deputy Sheriffs also need equipment to perform their jobs. Is this not Lehigh County tax money?

Darryl Isherwoods article is written in error as he conveys the message that all commissioners are against the SSI. The vote was a party line vote with the Republican majority voting against the funding of additional police. The four Democrats favor the community policing initative. The vote was 5-4. I am disappointed the SSI did not pass as I continue to believe the arguments against it are without merit.

As much as I'd like to see more police, I understand the Commissioners exercising due diligence, and agree that this is not the best use of that sum of $$$.

The actual benefit would be less than 13 officers, and after three years would have to be paid for by the various municipalities with increased taxes (?)

I suspect this was just a feather Cunnigham wanted to add to his cap for a future run at Governor.

Isherwood is also in error that they failed to "restore" funding. The program was never funded. Cunningham proposed funding but the commissioners never approved it.

The issue isn't whether the commissioners favor community policing. Eight of the nine spoke in favor of it. The issue is should the county pay for Allentown cops or should Allentown pay. Same for Coplay, Whitehall, etc.

Frankly, I think they got it right. If a city needs more cops, it should pay for them or, as one commissioner suggested, let the county simply consolidate all of the police forces and have a county police force.

This was nothing more than politics by Cunningham to share some of the tax base from the suburbs to garner more votes from the urban areas in his run for the nomination for governor.

The GOP were right.

Before you bash the deputies, they already offered to raise the money to purchase THEIR OWN WEAPONS, that's how much they need them and THAT was turned down by the "powers at be". So get your facts straight before you bash the deputies.

Of course we don't need more police on the streets. We don't need educational programs which target future little gangstas either. What we need is more politicians like Mayor Michael Nutter who want to unsurp state preemption laws so we can target those little mind controlling devices called guns. We all know that it is guns which are the true problem in society. I mean, look at our liberal politicians and gun control groups (Obama, Hillary, Kennedy, Bloomberg, Brady Campaign, Violence Policy Center) who are working so dilligently to infringe upon the rights of law-abiding citizens because of the problem we have with guns magically turning otherwise law-abiding citizens into mass murderers! Look at our huge problem with gun collectors and law-abiding citizens wanting to purchase more than one gun a month! Look at the huge problem we have with "Assault Weapons" which are used in <1% of all gun crimes!

It is obvious that despite all the legislation, finite resources, and time we are dumping into trying to regulate implements, that it is not working and we need to focus on wasting MORE of those resources!

Why in the world would we want to provide our dangerous gang-banging areas with more police presence when we would continue to attack the 2nd Amendment and try futilly to disprove decades of ineffective gun control legislation?!

Two words: More Prisons.
Two more: Personal Responsibility.
Two more: Criminal recidivism.

The commissioners were right to deny this new program. Why should we start something new when the totals for the court house and the health clinics are not in??
County commissioner, you got it wrong. Let's finish paying for all the other projects before we start something new. BTW, it's not the county's issue to pay for local inforcement, I don't care how much the locals whine.
Dennis Pearson, great overview.

Come on. The Real Issue here is that local GOPs are jealous of Don Cunningham and they will oppose anything Don does or proposes that they perceive would make Don more popular. That's the GOP way.

Uh oh. Pawlowski's plans for more community policing (secret code word for full-time FOP politicking in crime watch neighborhoods for his re-election campaign) are dashed, just absolutely dashed.

Whew, six or more pensions NOT paid. Another straw on the camel's back removed. Thank you Commissioners.

How much longer will we have to live in fear on our own streets? This Republican hand-wringing over the SSI is blatant partisan obstructionism. This isn't just Allentown's problem. Any region with an interstate is a target for these criminals. They don't know if they're in Easton, Hellertown, Fountain Hill, Emmaus, or Upper Milford. As the saying goes, "Throw the bums out!" Save some lives.

Isherwood should put his article on the opinion page. He does not report facts. He writes spin.
The commissioners did not rebuff anything. The passed the crime initiative unanimously. They modified the line item for the safe streets to $1 so they could discuss it more without holding up the rest of the bill. They may end up funding more.

The overall bill is a great step for Lehigh County to launch a regional crime fighting effort modeled after the highly successful NYPD Real Time Crime Center. Isherwood seemed to miss that. We would be the only two county region in the world to pull this off. The DA, Police Chiefs, and County Execs of both counties should be commended for their vision and spirit of cooperation.

Isherwood would rather report a false controversy so they can sell more advertising space.

Regarding the specific line item of the safe streets, it should be viewed more as an investment to try to reduce the $80M the county spends on the back end of crime. Cunningham has already proven that he can do that. He saved millions by modifying the approach to the court house.

God Bless Don Cunningham and the good County Commissioners who supported this legislation.

1. Either create a Countywide police force and fund via County Taxes.

or

2. Municipalities merge so they have a taxable base large enough to provide the services their constituents desire.

It is not a proper funding source for providing operational payroll.

You do not fund a "permanent hire" with a "temporary cash flow". It is politicking of the worst kind and it is not a solution to hire maximum 6 person per year for 3 years.

The solution is driving economic stability and employment options other than relying on drug trafficking to meet economic needs. The demand base is not just the "poor", it is the middle class suburbans, professionals, and high schools children with disposable income that allow this type of criminal enterprise to happen. Tackle the problem of you and your children doing drugs, and then the crime and need for police with diminish.

The solution to policing is the one it has always been. If you want a larger police force, you the taxpayer pay for it. There is no free lunch in life, regardless of what Ed Pawlousy thinks.