Number
130103
Version
SUBSTITUTE 1
Reference
Sponsor
ALD. DONOVAN
Title
Substitute resolution reserving and appropriating up to $620,000 from the 2013 Common Council Contingent Fund for 2013 Milwaukee Police Department overtime and the hiring of 20 additional police officer recruits as part of the Police Department’s 2013 recruit class.
Analysis
This resolution reserves and appropriates up to $620,000 from the 2013 Common Council Contingent Fund for additional Milwaukee Police Department 2013 overtime ($200,000) and the hiring of 20 additional police officer recruits as part of the Police Department’s 2013 recruit class.
...Body
Whereas, The 2013 City Budget includes funding for a 19-member police officer recruit class scheduled to begin in late August; and
Whereas, This 19-member class is the smallest number of new recruits to start in a calendar year in more than a decade, and well below the annual average of 71 new officers over the past 10 years; and
Whereas, The Milwaukee Police Department currently has 152 vacancies among its 1,860 funded sworn positions, or a vacancy rate of 8.2%; and
Whereas, The 2013 City Budget provides $12.9 million in tax-levy funding for Milwaukee Police Department overtime expenses; and
Whereas, Public safety is a top concern of Milwaukee residents and businesses; and
Whereas, Milwaukee residents and businesses are frustrated by what they perceive as increases in the numbers of certain types of crimes, the spread of crime problems to previously peaceful neighborhoods and slow response times from the Milwaukee Police Department; and
Whereas, The Police Department’s ability to address these concerns about crime and MPD response times is constrained by the limited resources provided to the Department in the City Budget; and
Whereas, By increasing the number of new police officers on the streets and funding for Milwaukee Police Department overtime, the City can address the concerns of its residents and businesses regard...
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