Tulsa World: Safety risks

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Safety risks
Police forces face funding woes

By World's Editorial Writers
Published: 9/11/2009 2:22 AM
Last Modified: 9/11/2009 4:09 AM

As Tulsa city leaders recently learned, public-safety needs are a priority that citizens tend to rank near the top. The defeat of incumbent City Councilor Bill Martinson, who called for reducing police and fire department spending, is evidence of that attitude.

Elsewhere in Oklahoma, public-safety spending is also a critical issue. According to the Oklahoma Association of Chiefs of Police, the number of police departments in the state dropped in the last year from 360 to 348.

Executive Director Stacey Puckett blames the shutdowns on the economy, saying he expects to see more departments close in the future.

He added that cutbacks in city budgets also have led to equipment and staffing problems at some small-town departments.

A small town may have only a handful of officers, but it's a sure bet that even a small force is an integral, highly valued asset in the community.

Puckett said departments are trying to keep old vehicles and radar equipment in running condition and continuing to use bulletproof vests that should be replaced.

There's a question if officer dissatisfaction with old vests could have been a factor in the tragic deaths of two Seminole County sheriff's deputies who were shot this summer. Deputy Robbie Chase Whitebird and Capt. Marvin Williams were not wearing body armor when they were killed on July 26 while trying to make an arrest.

Seminole County Sheriff Shannon Smith said he didn't know why the two weren't wearing vests that day but speculated

the lack of quality equipment could have been a reason.

We'll never know for sure if their deaths might have been prevented by better equipment. But we do know that municipalities across Oklahoma don't have the resources to properly maintain police and firefighting services as well as other critical functions, thanks to severe limitations on municipal revenue-raising abilities.

It's been that way since statehood and there's no reason to believe — or hope — it will change any time soon. By World's Editorial Writers

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	Report Comment Dog's Life, Tulsa (9/11/2009 9:40:00 AM) Your conjecture about Seminole County is despicable. You sound like the creep at City Hall after a young man was hit and killed by a speeding car that ran up into the River Park area several years ago. The bureaucrat, who is still working down there, said that, if Riverside Drive had been widened, this wouldn't have happened. In fact, it happened in a new, wide and smooth area. Speeding and poor driving skills were responsible. It was just as sickening as your editorial above.
	Report Comment cobweb, (9/12/2009 7:42:49 AM) Yeah, we'd hate to have the firefighters do without their gourmet kitchen.
	Report Comment MarkInBA, Broken Arrow (9/11/2009 10:57:33 PM) We'll never know for sure if their deaths might have been prevented by better equipment. But we do know that municipalities across Oklahoma don't have the resources to properly maintain police and firefighting services as well as other critical functions, thanks to severe limitations on municipal revenue-raising abilities. Who writes this drivel? We all have severe limitations on revenue-raising abilities but most of us meet our obligations. The problem isn't revenue it's spending. Municipalities have two primary obligations: public safety and public infrastructure. That's Police and Fire protection followed by roads then municipal buildings and parks. One those obligations are met then the municipalities can address other needs based on the resources available. Every municipal government in this state squanders money on secondary projects and then moans that there is not enough to meet their basic obligations. Stop pandering to irresponsible leadership and start calling these people out for their blatant mismanagement.

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