Elusive logic
Dear Editor,
I read with interest Dick Trail's column of Aug. 5, 2008. ("Combined law enforcement, stealth buildings") After considerable deliberation, I decided to respond. I feel it important to emphasize that the opinions I am expressing here are mine, and mine alone, as a private citizen of McCook and Red Willow County. [EDITOR'S NOTE -- The writer is an officer with the McCook Police Department.]
I can't help but wonder where Mr. Trail's facts, figures, and logic come from. While I am glad to see that he is aware of the condition and age of the current Public Safety Center, and I personally agree in principle with his stance on how a new facility should be authorized, the mental path to his other conclusions eludes me.
I'm thinking he got some bad directions to begin with, because according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics data from 2003, the average ratio of police officers to population is 2.5 to 1000, not 1 to 1000. By Mr. Trail's calculations, this new data suggests that McCook's officer ratio is only 80 percent as expensive as would seem necessary. Mr. Trail's 1 to 1000 proposal, countywide, would result in a total of 12 deputies, or three on duty at any given time (assuming 24-hour coverage, which McCook residents currently enjoy), for the entire county, including McCook.
Even this figure does not account for absences due to vacation, training, or sick leave. I doubt that city residents would vote for this, and while it may benefit those county residents outside McCook, I can't see any legal, moral, or logical basis for a vote by all county residents regarding an issue of city government.
As for the viability of a bond issue, my opinion is that an appropriately designed and sized public safety facility is far more likely to pass public muster than the "Jail of Dreams" (If We Build It, They Will Come ... )
I further suggest to Mr. Trail that he borrow, rent, or purchase a radio frequency scanner, so that he can hear for himself just how much of the dispatching for our region the McCook Police Department actually does. An equitable sharing of expense DOES sound like a good idea, though.
Finally, I am frankly perplexed as to how it is even POSSIBLE for any CITY to "weasel out" of a responsibility which, by long-standing statute, rests firmly upon the shoulders of the COUNTY government. I'm very definitely hearing some quacking and seeing some waddling there.
Owen J. McPhillips
McCook