DENHART: New Albany resident: Police ‘pricing themselves out of a job’

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June 19, 2009

By VICKI DENHART The News and Tribune Fri Jun 19, 2009, 11:33 AM EDT

One million dollars should not go for 10 new police officers, in our opinion, after attending the recent workshop and reading the June 4, 2009, Tribune article regarding Mr. Haub’s request for $1 million to hire 10 new police officers and two crime-scene investigators.

As we have stated before, no one is against the New Albany Police Department. What we are against, Mr. Haub, is this: You have no take-home car policy. Over the last two years, your department will have received 25 new police cars. You have 61 police officers and only 19 officers live in the city of New Albany. You wonder why you need new cars?

It is not because you are chasing criminals — it is because you are running the wheels off our cars in Washington, Harrison and Clark counties.

In one day’s time, we counted two police cars sitting down at a pawn shop, one police car sitting in front of a gun shop, one police car sitting at Kroger along Grant Line Road. That same morning, we saw an officer drop her child off at Scribner School, then saw police officer and Councilman Jack Messer parked at the Firehouse.

We inquired why and were told Messer is a regular visitor for breakfast and campaigning for mayor. Later that evening, we spotted two police cars sitting at Swifty along Silver Street shooting the breeze. So tell me what’s wrong with this picture?

Please, don’t tell me this is only a one-time occurrence as we have it all documented since Jan. 3. You presented the same “scare tactics” over the LOIT tax. What is sad is that you are totally not giving all the correct information.

In a 2007 Indiana Cities and Town Salary, Wage and Fringe Benefits Survey for a second-class city, former Mayor James Garner submitted your department information. In comparison to other cities with about 36, 000 residents or even more, your department is overpaid. You receive more benefits compared to larger cities like Elkhart, Bloomington, Anderson and several others.

New Albany’s violent crime, on a scale from 1 — low crime — to 10, is a 4. Violent crime is composed of four offenses: murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault. Indiana’s average is 3.

You are right, Mr. Haub, all crimes affect each and everyone of us. After looking at the big picture of your police department, we found very disturbing information.

We would like to share this with you, the New Albany City Council members and the residents of New Albany. Our information is based on the end of the year 2008 Green Bar Budget Report.

For the city of New Albany Police Department — percentages are the amount over the police department’s own budget:

• Salaries — 104 percent

• Overtime — 148 percent

• Office supplies — 228 percent

• Gasoline — 139 percent

• Tires and tubes — 147 percent

• Cell phones — 198 percent

• Police Department training — 120 percent

• Perf-Civil — 155 percent

• Perf-Police — 139 percent

• C.I.D. — 112 percent

• Postage — 112 percent

• Police liability — 116 percent

• Workmen’s comp — 110 percent

• Equipment repair — 105 percent

• Other garage repairs — 117 percent

• Insurance administration — 124 percent

• Insurance claims — 108 percent

We are not talking nickels and dimes, Mr. Haub. We are talking thousands of tax dollars!

This just backs up our claim. We need a take-home car policy and leadership from Mayor Doug England. In fact, we feel that England’s administration needs to renegotiate your contract, along with other departments, if you want 10 more officers and two CSI investigators.

As far as annexation, you mention it as a loan, and adding that land to the city’s taxable boundary will bring in more than $4 million a year to New Albany’s General Fund is misleading and not factual. Can you back that up with data?

As we stated before, Mr. Haub, the New Albany police officers are pricing themselves out of a job. My mother always taught us “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” So, where is the bird, Mr. Haub?

Vicki Denhart, President, Citizens for Accountability, New Albany

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DENHART: New Albany resident: Police ‘pricing themselves out of a job’

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