The Votes Are In!
2023 Readers' Choice is back, bigger and better than ever!
View Winners → 
Opposing Viewpoints Clash Over Police Budget
Pasadena Independent May 31, 2016
by
share with
Certain council members call for more police officers, but statistics show Pasadena holds amongst highest police officer per capita ratio. – Photo by Terry Miller
Pasadena PD FY2017 Budget Hearing Set for June 6
By Gus Herrera
The public hearings regarding the City of Pasadena’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 Operating Budget will continue on Monday, June 6.
The joint meeting between the city council and finance committee will run from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and will cover the following budgets: public health, human services and recreation, information technology, fire, and finance.
At 7 p.m., during council’s regular meeting, there will be a hearing on the FY 2017 police budget, which has raised controversy and opposing viewpoints from not only city council members, but also local attorneys Skip Hickambottom and Dale L. Gronemeier of Gronemeier & Associates, P.C., who recently authored an opinion piece in Pasadena Now, titled “The Pasadena PD ‘Understafffing’ Myth.” The civil rights attorneys also happen to be members of the Coalition for Increased Civilian Oversight of Pasadena Police.
According to the city’s 2017 Recommended Operating Budget (http://cityofpasadena.net/Finance/Budget/), this year’s police budget of “$77,476,292 is $6,387,921 or 9.0 percent higher than the FY 2016 Revised budget, which is primarily attributed to anticipated increases to salary line items increased per union negotiations, as well as workers’ compensation and general liability increase based on prior years’ actuals.”
Compared to the FY 2016 revised police budget, there is a “7.1 percent increase of $4,778,551” that is recommended to be taken from the general fund this year, resulting from the “net of increases in personnel costs and decreases in services/supplies, capital outlay, and transfers,” according to the city’s recommended budget.
The police operating budget is divided amongst five expenditure categories: personnel, services and supplies, internal service charges, operating transfers, and capital outlay.
Of the five categories, personnel is typically the highest and this year will see an “increase of $7,326,392 or 12.4 percent” resulting from “salary and benefit changes based on union negotiation increases, including salary educational pay, and uniform allowances. There were also significant increases to workers’ compensation and general liability increases.”
The three categories which decreased from FY 2016 were as follows: services and supplies by “$290,016 … as result of the elimination of one-time expenditures,” capital outlay by “$179,791 mostly due to the reduction of a one-tie expenditure for helicopter equipment and engine overhauls,” and operating transfers, which decreased by about $738,000.
Recent controversy stems from the fact that certain council members, particularly Steve Madison (District 6), would like to see an even larger budget than the $77.47 million proposed.
Council Member Steve Madison. – Photo by Terry Miller
Hickambottom and Gronemeier’s opinion piece cites a Pasadena Now article from May 25 entitled “More Money for Police?” which quotes Madison’s call for more staffing, arguing that Pasadena PD is under-manned.
Hickambottom and Gronemeier claim that, “the understaffing argument is a myth; rather, if anything, comparing its staffing levels with neighboring cities suggests it is overstaffed.” Citing statistics provided by the 2012 Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program and data collected by the law firm of Graham Donath, they argue, “Pasadena is already the most-heavily policed city of nearby cities with 50,000+ populations.”
The op-ed continues to say that the “‘understaffed’ myth purveyors assert that Pasadena should return to pre-recession staffing levels of at least 260 – i.e., an increase of at least 20 officers.”
According to Hickambottom and Gronemeier, each additional officer would add approximately “$200,000” to the budget, “So proponents of more officers such as Council Member Madison would expend approximately $4 million more on an already enormous budget increase to fund 20 officers based on their myth … ”
Ultimately, the civil rights attorneys state that they support staff’s proposed budget of $77.47 million, although they do make it clear that some priorities must be re-considered.
For Hickambottom and Gronemeier’s op-ed piece, visit: www.pasadenanow.com/main/guest-opinion-the-pasadena-pd-understaffing-myth/#.V0z_s4-cGt9.
Council Member Victor Gordo (District 5) also recently spoke out on the subject in his Pasadena Now opinion piece titled, “Public Safety First – Safe Streets and Safe Neighborhoods Mean a Safe Pasadena.”
Council Member Victor Gordo. – Photo by Terry Miller
Similar to Madison, he argued that the police department is under-staffed, citing both an increase in city shootings and decrease in police personnel: “there were a staggering 80 shootings in our City’s neighborhoods and parks in 2015 … Already this year, as of April 20, 2016, Pasadena experienced 28 shootings … Over the same period, the number of police officers patrolling our City has dipped to a level that is inconsistent with Pasadena’s commitment to keep all neighborhoods safe. While enforcement alone does not ensure the safety of a community, it is an important component to keeping our streets safe. In 2010, Pasadena budgeted for 274 officers, in 2011, our budgeted officers dipped to 251, and our 2016 budget allocated 239 officers to keep us safe – with only 216 currently on the force.”
Gordo concluded by emphasizing the following priorities for the upcoming June 6 hearing: “1) staffing the police department at a level closer to 260 officers, including return of the NAT teams and a fully staffed Special Enforcement Section – the retention of experienced officers must be a priority ; 2) staffing parks with Park Rangers/Specialists; 3) ensuring our parks and community centers are properly staffed to provide educational, entertaining and healthy activities; and 4) ensuring our community reintegration programs are properly resourced to support our realignment population.”
For Council Member Gordo’s op-ed piece, visit: www.pasadenanow.com/main/public-safety-first-safe-streets-and-safe-neighborhoods-mean-a-safe-pasadena/#.V00AZI-cGt8.
Hearings regarding the FY 2017 Operating Budget will continue on June 6, 13, and 20. The FY 2017 Operating Budget will be adopted June 27 at 7 p.m.
More from Pasadena Independent
