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The police department is the last place the City Council is going to look to trim–even criticizing “a few bad apples” in the police department is generally considered a dumb political move. In this tough budget year, the mayor has proposed hiring 50 more officers, and aldermen have griped that they need to find money to hire more.
When interim police superintendent Dana Starks testified Monday evening, most aldermen played their expected roles, spending their Q & A time praising their district commanders and condemning those who dare to wonder if the department is plagued by corruption and abuse.
“So each officer is getting $730 a quarter to be available? My, my, my,” Beale said, shaking his head. “Is anyone tracking who’s working a second job and isn’t available?”
“Well, I can put aside a nice shirt and tie and come in looking real good for inspection,” Beale said. “Officers are paid to be available, compensated for furloughs and uniforms, but we don’t know if they’re using it for uniforms or not–all that comes out to $153 million when we’re being asked to slap the taxpayers for $300 million–“
