Carolina cops could ignore crime due to gas prices

[x635 4,066]

Interesting story.

Cops in Smithfield aren’t going to answer 911 calls from hotels; they say those are usually hang-ups. And robbery reports? False alarms, mostly. Actually, misdemeanors altogether are going to be ignored — all until the city gives gas money to the PD.

http://rt.com/usa/news/cops-gas-scott-smithfield-341/

The dramatic point is understandable, but all it takes is one legit call for the department and city to be in deeper financial trouble...

[antiquefirelt 994]

Interesting story.

http://rt.com/usa/news/cops-gas-scott-smithfield-341/

The dramatic point is understandable, but all it takes is one legit call for the department and city to be in deeper financial trouble...

I've never understood when police fire or EMS departments attempt to hold the municipality hostage by not doing their sworn duty. There has to be a better way to persuade them or save money. Better to lay off one officer than not respond to call. In fact, it appears to me the Chief would be a good place to start.

Being a boss when severe budget cuts come down has to be one of the most challenging times in anyone's professional life. Having to make huge staffing cuts, brown out companies or reducing minimum staffing hurts everyone involved, the citizens, the firefighters and the officers all the way to the top. Another thing I don't understand is the Chief's that flat out quit. I can see taking a hard stand, but getting yourself fired or quitting only leaves an opening for the same difficult position. Then what happens, they push someone from the inside up and force his/her into the same corner or hire an outsider to come make the cuts with no true knowledge of the particular department.

Edited November 3, 2011 by antiquefirelt

[ONEEYEDMIC 68]

I've never understood when police fire or EMS departments attempt to hold the municipality hostage by not doing their sworn duty. There has to be a better way to persuade them or save money. Better to lay off one officer than not respond to call. In fact, it appears to me the Chief would be a good place to start.

Being a boss when severe budget cuts come down has to be one of the most challenging times in anyone's professional life. Having to make huge staffing cuts, brown out companies or reducing minimum staffing hurts everyone involved, the citizens, the firefighters and the officers all the way to the top. Another thing I don't understand is the Chief's that flat out quit. I can see taking a hard stand, but getting yourself fired or quitting only leaves an opening for the same difficult position. Then what happens, they push someone from the inside up and force his/her into the same corner or hire an outsider to come make the cuts with no true knowledge of the particular department.

Not that I agree with not responding to calls, but don't Government's do this when they are attempting to balance a budget? The Town should prob cut out on other nonsense projects to allow the PD to have the gas!

[antiquefirelt 994]

Not that I agree with not responding to calls, but don't Government's do this when they are attempting to balance a budget? The Town should prob cut out on other nonsense projects to allow the PD to have the gas!

I agree 100%, I just don't agree with not doing your duty as the answer. Obviously there must be more to the story, it sounds more like a VFD scenario where the town wouldn't give gas money than a municipal PD. Unless they're down to just one cop and one car, there would seem to be alternatives? I'd don't like suggesting reducing staff, but faced with that vs. not responding to calls? I think a boss that tries to strong arm a solution by holding the community hostage is to entrenched in his fiefdom to stay and lead. Of course, I know nothing about this place or the actual back story, but it seems to me the PD is forcing the citizens to pay for a problem between themselves and town admin?

[ONEEYEDMIC 68]

Police Employment Opportunities

The Town of Smithfield is located in Johnston County, North Carolina. Smithfield is a community with a population of approximately 12,500. The department's 43 full-time sworn and four full-time civilian employees service an area of about 12 square miles. This agency actively participates in community-oriented policing and strives to recruit and hire individuals who will be dedicated to making Smithfield a better place to live, work and play.

The Smithfield Police Department, in conjunction with the Town of Smithfield Human Resources Department, advertises and actively recruits all sworn vacancies. The starting salary is currently $31,326.36 with a 5% raise after the successful completion of a six-month probationary period. Merit raises are available subject to council approval of funding. In addition, the department offers a Career Ladder program that allows officers to advance to Police Officer II and Master Police Officer. There is a 5% increase associated with each of these advancements. Officers with at least five years of previous law enforcement experience can accelerate through this program

[ONEEYEDMIC 68]

Police Employment Opportunities

The Town of Smithfield is located in Johnston County, North Carolina. Smithfield is a community with a population of approximately 12,500. The department's 43 full-time sworn and four full-time civilian employees service an area of about 12 square miles. This agency actively participates in community-oriented policing and strives to recruit and hire individuals who will be dedicated to making Smithfield a better place to live, work and play.

The Smithfield Police Department, in conjunction with the Town of Smithfield Human Resources Department, advertises and actively recruits all sworn vacancies. The starting salary is currently $31,326.36 with a 5% raise after the successful completion of a six-month probationary period. Merit raises are available subject to council approval of funding. In addition, the department offers a Career Ladder program that allows officers to advance to Police Officer II and Master Police Officer. There is a 5% increase associated with each of these advancements. Officers with at least five years of previous law enforcement experience can accelerate through this program

Police Patrol Operations and Teams

The Patrol Division of the Smithfield Police Department is the larger of the two divisions and is made up of the uniformed officers in the department. These officers are the first responders to calls for police services and are the personnel who are foremost in the public eye. These officers are tasked with many duties, including responding to all calls for police service, the investigation of all criminal activity, checking on suspicious people and activity, investigating traffic accidents, serving warrants, developing strategies for dealing with neighborhood quality of life issues, and enforcing violations of law.

The Smithfield Police Department’s Patrol Division is comprised of four patrol teams. Each team is made up of a lieutenant, a sergeant, and five patrol officers. These teams work 12 hour shifts and rotate from working days to nights every two weeks. This schedule allows the department to provide comprehensive and responsive police services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In addition to the four patrol teams, the Patrol Division has other specific functions and duties that are carried out by personnel who have other full-time duties and perform these functions on a part-time basis. Included in these functions are a criminal interdiction team, certified training instructors and community policing officers.

[ONEEYEDMIC 68]

I just tried to lookup crime statistics for this PD. From 01/01/11-present day, they had 1 crime reported. That can't possibly be the case, if it is, the Chief should keep his mouth shut!

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What crimes are they including when they say only 1 crime. If they mean only 1 part one UCR crime (murder, forcible rape, robbery, aggrivated assault, burglary, larceny, auto-theft, and arson) then it is completely possible that there was only 1 crime.

If they are including all crimes, then I agree that it is highly unlikely