Delay School Funding For Cops?

In a new tact some council members are proposing to defer payment of 2.5 million dollars the Cincinnati Public Schools due in October. That would buy some time. I assume the four members of council reportedly pushing this newest idea beleive that if we save 2.5 million dollars, that they CPD is the most important group to retain. They are the most vocal about it, that is for sure, but not all of the jobs affected are more important than keeping more Health inspectors. I'd like to not get sick the next time I eat out.

I like where Council Member Greg Harris is going on this issue. He reportedly is inclined to support the idea of deferring payment to CPS, but he wants the FOP to step up to the plate and make concessions for 2010. We will be having the same fight next year if the FOP doesn't. The FOP president is quoted in the article as basically saying no, cut someplace else. I still do not get how the FOP can be so hypocritical and plain old greedy. Sure some would say it is their job to fight for their members and they need to have a strong negotiating position. Well, sure, but how can anyone in good conscious claim they are moral and doing the right thing for the safety of the city if they willingly take a pay RAISE while other police officers and other vital city employees loose their jobs? We are not talking about pay cuts, just a pay freeze. If there are other departments in the city not taking a pay freeze, slap one on them for 2010. If people are serious about public safety being compromised, then they should be taking these steps, the FOP should not be playing chicken with public safety. If people (like Jeff Berding and Leslie Ghiz) are not being serious about the impact of the reduction of police officers and are doing this to appease the FOP and appear (falsely) to be fighting crime, then they should be ashamed of themselves and be honest about it. Yeah, I know, that is a pipe dream.

Deferring the payment to the CPS is a short term fix. It can buy us some time. It does not solve the problem for 2010. The FOP must step up with concessions or agree that the CPD doesn't actually need the number of police officers it has.

RIP Ted Kennedy: 1932-2009

The Lion of the Senate has passed. His shoes shall never be filled.

Now Deters Is Fear Mongering

I am not surprised by County Prosecutor Joe Deters scare tactics. When you are trying to save your budget, you will say anything to panic the people into supporting you. Si Leis, Jeff Berding, and George Bush are the others who do it often.

Details Take Days?

Why is it taking Jeff Berding a couple of days to produce details about his new 'plan'? If you have a plan, you should have the details down. If you don't have the details down, you don't have a plan. Jeff actually have a plan if he spent his time working on the details instead of going on WLW and trying to put fear into the public, as he did yesterday where he claimed the population of the city would drop because the city laid off 138 people in the police department. We don't need grandstanding. We need leadership. A leader exposes the FOP unwillingness to make concessions to save jobs. A leader isn't a shill for the police union and goes out and cuts jobs in other department to preserve the raises of cops.

Hamilton FOP Steps up

I still don't know how much the Cincinnati FOP leadership pays attention to anything outside their Central Avenue clubhouse, but it would be good if they read this. The Hamilton FOP agreed to concessions:

While the city eyed cuts of more than $4.5 million to balance the general fund, concessions made by both unions saved the city more than $3 million in expenditures for this year and in 2010.

The other union mentioned was the Fire Fighters.

The power is the FOP hands. They can save every police officer's job with concessions. I don't get why they are not willing to protect their FOP brothers and sisters from getting laid off. I am hoping when they lose in court, they will come to their senses.

Police Chief States Excessive Force Used

The video is here on Cincinnati.com and it is clear enough to put the cop on suspension until a full investigation can be made.

The Enquirer has a good summary here, including the past of the officer under suspension, who was actually fired and then the city was forced to rehire after arbitration. This police officer needs to think about his career choice. He can avoid problems for himself and save another police officer's job if he quits.

Relevant? No.

When an adult child of a sitting council member is arrested by police and is tased in the process, I hesitate to post anything about it. This councilmember, Cecil Thomas, is a retired police , so that adds some level of interest to the story. A clear conclusion everyone must reach is that this has no bearing on the election. If she was a minor and living with her father, this might be more of a relevant story to his character. At this point, this story is really only about the character of Celeste Thomas, age 26, someone who happens to be the daughter of a politician. The police cruiser’s video camera will hopefully shed light on what actually happened. Until then, lets hope this doesn't become an a circus. After that, lets hope it still doesn't become a circus, but let the facts fall where they may.

UPDATE: Reportedly, after seeing the cruiser video, the Police Chief has suspended the officer who tased Thomas, on grounds that excessive forced was used.