East St Louis Police force gutted

[Doc]

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/illinois/article_dfb230c2-9bf3-11df-9731-0017a4a78c22.html

Rev. Joseph Tracy said he’s tired of going to funerals. And now, he suspects he’ll be going to more of them.

"It’s open field day now," said Tracy, the pastor of Straightway Baptist Church here. "The criminals are going to run wild."

Gang activity. Drug dealing. Cold-blooded killing. Tracy worries that a decision to shrink the police force by almost 30 percent will bring more of everything.

The pastor voiced his concern on Friday at a raucous special City Council meeting at which East St. Louis Mayor Alvin Parks announced that the city will layoff 37 employees, including 19 of its 62 police officers, 11 firefighters, four public works employees, and three administrators. The layoffs take effect on Sunday.

And take a big guess who's party is in charge in St.Louis

Moderators note:  Title corrected for accuracy.......there is a distinct and historical difference between StL (MO), and EStL (IL).

[DumbAss Tanker]

"EAST St. Louis" - yeah, STL MO is run by a Dem machine, but ESL IL is run by incompetent, crooked ILLINOIS Dems.  It has been a cesspool for decades...the midwestern counterpart of Camden, NJ.

[Thor]

More reason for people to carry. After all, an armed society is a polite society.

[formerlurker]

Worries about East St. Louis’ crime rate got little sympathy from Councilman Roy Mosley, who gave a 10-minute speech on Friday blasting the city’s police officers.

"We don’t have the money," Mosley said. "You lay off when you don’t have the money. The money’s gone."

Mosley complained that police officers take patrol cars home, park them in other jurisdictions, and misuse the city’s gasoline.
"I’m only telling the truth," he shouted.
The crowd jeered.
"You can see how disrespectful they are," Mosley said while pointing at the police officers. "You see what they’re doing to me right now."

He expected to receive silence after uttering those comments?   

That is a huge hit to their first responders.    I would imagine a great deal of their budget shortfall has to deal with health insurance premium costs, which are just unsustainable. 

[NHSparky]

More reason for people to carry. After all, an armed society is a polite society.

Only one problem...CCW is ILLEGAL in Illinois.

[vesta111]

Only one problem...CCW is ILLEGAL in Illinois.

I agree that this is a good start to cowering the citizens and allowing total Anarchy to take over.

Naturally there will be people that are in charge of the Anarchist's and will profit from all this.

[Celtic Rose]

He expected to receive silence after uttering those comments?   

That is a huge hit to their first responders.    I would imagine a great deal of their budget shortfall has to deal with health insurance premium costs, which are just unsustainable. 

So, he's trying to claim that driving a patrol car home, and daring to park it in another jurisdiction, was a significant factor in budgetary issues that led to a reduction of almost a third of the police force?  Please 

[DumbAss Tanker]

Actually, in East Saint Louis, it's completely plausible that the cops are just as corrupt as the rest of the city government.

[Eupher]

Actually, in East Saint Louis, it's completely plausible that the cops are just as corrupt as the rest of the city government.

Yup. I've got a stepdaughter-in-law who stems from a more well-to-do area south of E. St. Louis. They call it "The Hellhole That Shall Not Be Named."

Camden, NJ; Detroit, MI; E. St. Louis, IL. There are more examples, but these are stellar negative role models in "how not to run a city and expect much."

[Linda]

the city will layoff 37 employees, including 19 of its 62 police officers, 11 firefighters, four public works employees, and three administrators. The layoffs take effect on Sunday.

WOW...2 depts of the city took the brunt of the layoffs...do they really need all of the secretaries? all of the city clerks? All of the water, sewer and electric workers? All the office staff and assistants?... How about the teachers aids, teaching administrtion and teaching assistants?...these people are more valuable and needed than the police and firefighters? I am pretty sure you could have layed off one or two people from across the board of city employees to keep from hurting your police and fire depts to the extend they did. But then again if you are trying to make a political point I guess thats one way to go....just trying to figure out how the stimulus money has to do with city payroll...I always thought that came from your property taxes?

[Ptarmigan]

East St. Louis is a Hellhole. It is practically Third World.

[Alpha Mare]

East St. Louis is a Hellhole. It is practically Third World.

Born and raised there. It was a nice place, until the mid '60s.The number of businesses declined from 1,527 in 1967 to 383 in 1987.  ESL has always been crooked, but public works were still maintained and there was a high standard of living. It hit rock bottom in 1979 when they elected militant megalomaniac Carl Officer as mayor. They haven't had garbage pickup since 1987 (trash blocking drains caused flooding of I55/70 just a week ago) and this isn't the first time they've cut the police force. It has the highest tax rate in the state....and the highest murder rate in the country. 

[debk]

Born and raised there. It was a nice place, until the mid '60s.The number of businesses declined from 1,527 in 1967 to 383 in 1987.  ESL has always been crooked, but public works were still maintained and there was a high standard of living. It hit rock bottom in 1979 when they elected militant megalomaniac Carl Officer as mayor. They haven't had garbage pickup since 1987 (trash blocking drains caused flooding of I55/70 just a week ago) and this isn't the first time they've cut the police force. It has the highest tax rate in the state....and the highest murder rate in the country. 

When I graduated from NIU in '74, if I had stayed in IL to work for the state with delinquents...chances were, as a brand new grad, I would have ended up either in Cabrini Green or ESL. 

I moved to Nebraska instead. The tornadoes and blizzards were a whole lot safer.


-----Hey AM, I didn't know you were from there! I had an uncle, aunt, and cousins there. I was born about an hour northwest.

[Doc]

Born and raised there. It was a nice place, until the mid '60s.The number of businesses declined from 1,527 in 1967 to 383 in 1987.  ESL has always been crooked, but public works were still maintained and there was a high standard of living. It hit rock bottom in 1979 when they elected militant megalomaniac Carl Officer as mayor. They haven't had garbage pickup since 1987 (trash blocking drains caused flooding of I55/70 just a week ago) and this isn't the first time they've cut the police force. It has the highest tax rate in the state....and the highest murder rate in the country. 

Well......does the name "Buster Wortman" and the Paddock Lounge ring a bell?

If so, I'll PM you a story......

doc

[AllosaursRus]

Never ceases to amaze me how the PD and the FD are the first to go! How about 4 of the 5 guys I see leaning on shovels on every county road crew I've seen for the past 40 years?

Just frikkin' amazing!

[Randy]

WOW...2 depts of the city took the brunt of the layoffs...do they really need all of the secretaries? all of the city clerks? All of the water, sewer and electric workers? All the office staff and assistants?... How about the teachers aids, teaching administrtion and teaching assistants?...these people are more valuable and needed than the police and firefighters? I am pretty sure you could have layed off one or two people from across the board of city employees to keep from hurting your police and fire depts to the extend they did. But then again if you are trying to make a political point I guess thats one way to go....just trying to figure out how the stimulus money has to do with city payroll...I always thought that came from your property taxes?

Those are always the first 2 threatened with layoffs because the public sees them directly. It's the only way Dims can sway votes their way for new taxes.

[true_blood]

This is such a shame. I can see this happening to a lot of city's throughout America unfortunately.
Mr. Hussein and his incompetent buddies in the White House could care less.

[rich_t]

Only one problem...CCW is ILLEGAL in Illinois.

Only if you get caught.