Schaumburg PD Leaving 9 Officer Positions Open
April 22nd, 2009 | by Brian Costin Published in Public Safety | 1 Comment
Schaumburg PD leaving 9 officer positions open. “Dramatic budget cuts” But Schaumburg’s budget is 42% larger than 5 yrs ago! Huh?
Schaumburg is leaving nine officer positions open, Elgin seven and Wilmette one. Schaumburg also has suspended its gang-prevention program, while officers in Evanston were asked to turn off their squad cars if they are stopped more than a few minutes to write a report or a ticket.
“We’re watching every dime we spend,” said Schaumburg Police Chief Brian Howerton. “We are having some dramatic budget cuts.”
It is becoming increasingly evident with budget expenditures in the $10′s of millions for corporate welfare projects such as the Convention Center, Schaumburg Flyers, and the Schaumburg Airport that the Village is cuttting the budget on the things they should be concentrating on the most.
With a budget that is 42% larger than 5 years ago we shouldn’t have to cut officer positions, we should be able to add more where needed.
With a hiring freeze in Schaumburg, Howerton wanted to avoid cutting the number of patrols and investigators, so he has transferred two liaison officers out of junior high schools and reassigned another crime-prevention officer. He also said he has moved officers from traffic duty to patrol as needed.
Howerton acknowledged that on occasion, there are fewer officers on patrol than there used to be.
“We had school officers in all three junior highs, and now we just have one to cover all three and we’re considering terminating the third position,” he said. “In these difficult economic times, you need to concentrate on core services.”
Craig Jannusch, a teacher and science department chairman at Keller Junior High School in Schaumburg, said school-liaison officers play an important role — not only by presenting DARE and anti-gang programs, but also by interacting with students.
“Our kids get to see a police officer relating to them in a classroom — a friendly setting,” Jannusch said. “To me, the biggest crime of losing school-resource officers is missing this part.”
If the Village board of Schaumburg had their priorities straight and focused on core services instead of corporate welfare they wouldn’t be facing the budget problems they are seing now and wouldn’t be forced to cut officer positions.
For more on this story visit www.policeone.com
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