MORE ON THE CMPD REORGANIZATION
As reported in CM PRESS # 249, Chief Shawkey and Captain Gogerty made a presentation at the City Council Study Session yesterday about a reorganization of the CMPD. We were there.
PRESENT SYSTEM
The CMPD is presently using a Watch Commander system with the city being split up into three areas for administrative and reporting purposes. In the three areas are a number of beats that are patrolled by officers for the shifts that they work.
When one of the three shifts is over, other officers replace them. Under this system, individual officers generally patrol the city as a whole and do not concentrate in any of the areas or beats except during their assigned shift. An officer might report for his or her shift and be assigned to the Westside on Monday but be on the Eastside on Tuesday and in the north part of the city on Wednesday depending on where the Watch Commander feels there is a need.
NEW SYSTEM
The new system is a combination of Team Policing and Area Commands. The city will be split into two areas with everything south of Wilson on the Westside and 22nd Street on the Eastside being part of Area 1 and everything north of that in Area 2 (this corrects the statement in CM PRESS # 249 listing Victoria as the dividing line).
While Area 2 is geographically about twice the size of Area 1, the number of service calls including major service calls in Area 1, warrants the size difference. According to the report, the number of service calls (the report is not clear if this was one year's calls or an average) was 33,092 in Area 1 and in Area 2 it was 36,496.
Officers assigned to an area will constantly work that area so that they get to know it and the people living there. Every six months there will be a shift change, where the officers can request a different time shift, but they will still remain in their assigned area.
If there are problems in one area requiring more police officers, they will be called in from the other area.
It appears that there is a good deal of flexibility in the new system to cover any contingencies while at the same time putting officers in an area where they will soon learn to identify people and things out of place that may indicate impending problems.
To the CM PRESS, this looks like a good change. Now, we'll all have to wait and see if it works to make Costa Mesa a nicer and safer place. The proof is always in the pudding.
# # #
WE ASK ABOUT ICE
At the Study Session, the CM PRESS asked if there might be an easier way for the public to get monthly ICE detainer figures. City Manager Allan Roeder said that it might be possible for the City to put them on the City's Website. Hopefully, this will be the case.
We also suggested to the Council that they may want to prepare a back-up plan in case the ICE agent is removed from our jail.
Frankly, aside from the fact that such a back-up plan would help keep the deportation of dangerous criminals out of our city on track, we're also interested in seeing whether there is resistance from some in the CMPD (as there was in the past) to having some of our officers cross-trained to check for immigration status.
In our view, if such resistance does emerge, it's a sure sign that more needs to be done to get the CMPD working for the best interests of the citizens of Costa Mesa.
# # #
HERE'S SOMETHING WE GRABBED OFF THE INTERNET ABOUT TAXES
This is too true to be very funny
The next time you hear a politician use the word 'billion' in a casual manner, think about whether you want the 'politicians' spending YOUR tax money. A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of its releases.
A. A billion seconds ago it was 1959.
B. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.
C. A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.
D. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.
E. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it.
While this thought is still fresh in our brain, let's take a look at New Orleans It's amazing what you can learn with some simple division. Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu (D), is presently asking the Congress for $250 BILLION to rebuild New Orleans. Interesting number, what does it mean?
A. Well, if you are one of 484,674 residents of New Orleans (every man, woman, child), you each get $516,528.
B. Or, if you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans, your home gets $1,329,787.
C. Or, if you are a family of four, your family gets $2,066,012.
Washington, D.C... HELLO!!! ... Are all your calculators broken??
Tax his land,# # #
Tax his wage,
Tax his bed in which he lays.
Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes is the rule.
Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.
Tax his ties,
Tax his shirts,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.
Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he tries to think.
Tax his booze,
Tax his beers,
If he cries,
Tax his tears.
Tax his bills,
Tax his gas,
Tax his notes,
Tax his cash.
Tax him good and let him know
That after taxes, he has no dough.
If he hollers,
Tax him more,
Tax him until he's good and sore.
Tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in which he lays.
Put these words upon his tomb,
'Taxes drove me to my doom!'
And when he's gone,
We won't relax,
We'll still be after the inheritance TAX!!
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL License Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Perm it Tax
Gasoline Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax),
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax),
Liquor Tax,
Luxury Tax,
Marriage License Tax,
Medicare Tax,
Property Tax,
Real Estate Tax,
Service charge taxes,
Social Security Tax,
Road Usage Tax (Truckers),
Sales Taxes,
Recreational Vehicle Tax,
School Tax,
State Income Tax,
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA),
Telephone Federal Excise Tax,
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fe e Tax,
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax,
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax,
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax,
Telephone State and Local Tax,
Telephone Usage Charge Tax,
Utility Tax,
Vehicle License Registration Tax,
Vehicle Sales Tax,
Watercraft Registration Tax,
Well Permit Tax,
Workers Compensation Tax.
STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?
Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago,
and our nation was the most prosperous in the world.
We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.
What happened? Can you spell 'politicians??'
And I still have to press 1 for English.
I hope this goes around THE USA at least 100 times
Those are our opinions. Thanks for reading them.
