Pubdate: Wed, 09 Aug 2006
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2006 The Ottawa Citizen
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Author: Charles Akben-Marchand

OFFICERS COST MORE

Re: Ontario pays Ottawa $1.127M for new officers, Aug. 5.

How about this for a headline instead: "Ottawa pays $10M for new 
officers"? When international crime-prevention expert Irwin Waller 
spoke to my criminology class earlier this year (shortly after the 
first time this money was announced), he pointed out what really goes 
into hiring more police officers.

While the province is offering to reimburse Ottawa less than $30,000 
per officer, other costs associated with employing police officers -- 
such as training, equipment and office space -- bringing the total 
closer to $100,000 per officer.

That means the City of Ottawa must find $10 million in its 
chronically strapped budget to accommodate the hiring of these 95 new 
officers. This money will come from property tax hikes or, more 
likely, from cuts to social services.

The real pity is that police can only arrest the people who have 
already chosen a life of crime; social programs actually provide 
genuine alternatives to those who need them.

Charles Akben-Marchand,

Ottawa
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman