The City of Seattle has a shortage of police officers. According to a recent staffing study, the city needs to add 175 police officers to meet 911 response times and other service goals plus the “equivalent of more than 100 officers in overtime.”
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray pledged to hire 200 new officers by 2019. Thus far, the Seattle Police Department has added 50 officers.
Murray’s original plan was to add 100 new officers. The cost of meeting the city’s needs by doubling the original figure is expected to cost the city an additional $15 million a year. Murray is planning to introduce a police-funding plan that includes a tax increase to meet the cost.
Slow response times by Seattle Police have been a serious concern with complaint after complaint piling up. Last month, Seattle Police failed to respond to 911 calls at the scene of a car crash during evening rush hour. Two drivers and witnesses who called police told dispatchers they “thought the man who caused the accident was drunk and they feared he could hurt or even kill someone if he left the scene.” The drivers waited three-and-a-half hours making repeated 911 calls, but Seattle Police failed to respond.
Meanwhile, the Seattle City Council just voted to buy out Pronto, the failed bike share company, with Murray’s approval. The city will spend $1.4 million for the initial buyout, and then another $5 million more in 2017. From then, the city will spend about $2 million each year.
Of course, this is assuming that the city’s plans for the bike-share company do not go over budget. Yeah, right.
What’s more important, ensuring one of the most important functions of a city runs smoothly or ensuring the city maintains a false sense of eco-progressive credibility by pumping money into a failed “green” mode of transportation?
By every indication, Seattle officials appear to believe it is the latter. That reasoning has a lot to do with the fact that, for liberals, it doesn’t really matter if their extreme “green” agenda doesn’t really work. It just has to look like it works.
Worse, it’s taxpayers who pick up the check without seeing any real benefit. And, it’s taxpayers who have to pay higher taxes (like those Murray is expected to propose) to receive essential services like some semblance of police protection.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is what happens when liberals have their way in government. All reason is thrown out in favor of ideological delusions.
