[fdpaq0580]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

The end game:

Fewer collisions.
Fewer injuries.
Fewer deaths.
More people who drive under the influence removed from the streets.
Fewer car/health insurance claims.
Lower insurance premiums due to fewer claims.
Fewer parents who lose their children.
Fewer children who lose their parents.
More children growing up in an area where it's actually safe to walk on the road.

The purpose of the police department isn't to make money for a municipality. Contrary to unpopular belief, governments aren't supposed to profit. They're supposed to spend. Being a wealthy community means nothing if you're afraid to leave your house because there's chaos in the streets.

We don't have chaos in the streets here, but we definitely have a LOT more traffic accidents than I've ever experienced elsewhere. And I lived in Boston for 7 years, so I understand "traffic" just fine. Boston also has a robust Police Department including an entire traffic control division.

The Villages has grown into an enormous, densely-populated city, but the police departments assigned to its care have no grown to reflect the increase. Citizens demand that their taxes not go up, and every penny they have to pay is another fight against services that exist to keep them safe and alive.

We don't need to be tax-and-spend like Boston is - we're not that kind of city and we don't need the same kinds of services. But we do need a more "present and visible" police department.

And again if that means simply adding 12 more shifts in a week - which would be the equivalent of maybe 6 more officers to cover the traffic control of our three-county community - it'd be a huge start and make a significant impact.

Well said.