Here is me hijacking my own thread using this as a catalyst.
This is one thing that I've always thought Americans have gotten massively wrong, is the bureaucracy of local government, in particular police forces. I've never understood why every tiny town (such as this) has their own police department along with other entities such as the Indian casino I used to live near had their tribal police, universities have their own police, then you have state police and county sheriffs anyway.
Here we have only the state police with police stations in towns, for many towns this size they'll just have highway patrol from a different place. The overlap is phenomenal along with the opportunity cost of economics of scale for really no reason, people wonder why US municipalities are going bankrupt left right and centre.
As a side note, anyone else think its a little counter productive to take away a man's employment because he's behind on child support.
Goldenshield From United States of America, joined Jan 2001, 5427 posts, RR: 13 Reply 4, posted (7 months 3 weeks 1 day ago) and read 1145 times:
"Let this sleepin' dog lie, son. Dog-gone it, I'm dog tired. I'm tired of leading the dog's life and fightin' likes cats and dogs against cats and dogs, a young pup's doggin' my trail tryin' to become top dog. I'm going to the dogs in a dog eat dog world, son. I... I'm so far over the hill... I'm on the bottom of the other side."
Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.
IMissPiedmont From United States of America, joined May 2001, 6201 posts, RR: 43 Reply 5, posted (7 months 3 weeks 1 day ago) and read 1124 times:
Bit to the question of the town having it's own police force. You need to understand the toe of people in this particular town. I'm just put it this way, most of the town would be classified as hazardous waste if ou dug deep enough.
What is it with all the "is there a possibilty airline X will.." threads? The answer it'll is possible.
iowaman From United States of America, joined May 2004, 4088 posts, RR: 7 Reply 7, posted (7 months 3 weeks 20 hours ago) and read 1041 times:
AIRLINERS.NET CREW FORUM MODERATOR
Quoting QFA380 (Thread starter): I've never understood why every tiny town (such as this) has their own police department along with other entities such as the Indian casino I used to live near had their tribal police, universities have their own police, then you have state police and county sheriffs anyway.
I would certainly agree. There have been some departments - like the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department which is considered a joint city-county police force. It also is both city and county founded. It merged in 1973 and seems to be a great decision to this day.
One reason to have a city officer in many of these small towns in Iowa is the refusal of county and state resources to enforce petty city ordinances or laws (not that I blame them). For example responding to complaints of dogs on the loose, lawns not being mowed in the summer, trash all over the place, etc. City officers are also dedicated to within the city limits and have more time to spend proactively.
chrisair From United States of America, joined Sep 2000, 1769 posts, RR: 4 Reply 8, posted (7 months 3 weeks 19 hours ago) and read 1023 times:
Quoting QFA380 (Thread starter): I've never understood why every tiny town (such as this) has their own police department along with other entities such as the Indian casino I used to live near had their tribal police, universities have their own police, then you have state police and county sheriffs anyway.
Money. That's why small towns like Vaughn, N.M. have their own police force.
Not all universities have their own police force, by the way. Oregon State University is one that comes to mind. They have a joint partnership with the state police.
DocLightning From United States of America, joined Nov 2005, 16810 posts, RR: 57 Reply 9, posted (7 months 3 weeks 15 hours ago) and read 991 times:
Quoting QFA380 (Thread starter): As a side note, anyone else think its a little counter productive to take away a man's employment because he's behind on child support.
You notice that, too? It's quite the reverse of what you ought to do, which is garnish his wages.
QFA380 From Australia, joined Jul 2005, 2025 posts, RR: 1 Reply 10, posted (7 months 3 weeks 8 hours ago) and read 929 times:
Quoting chrisair (Reply 8): Not all universities have their own police force, by the way.
Which is perfectly reasonable, I cannot see why a university would feel the need for their own police force. At my university we have 'ANU security' but they're mostly just to check out any disturbances and escort people around at night. They have zero statutory authority to do anything other than give parking tickets and just call ACT Policing for pretty much everything else.
Who is able to hold a cop accountable if there's only two of them, there's certainly no Internal Affairs department. You wind up with massively different policing standards between departments, would the infamous UC Davis pepper sprayer be permitted to do that anywhere else...
Quoting chrisair (Reply 8): Money. That's why small towns like Vaughn, N.M. have their own police force.
Who pays for it though. That article showed a pretty new looking pickup truck and the town only has a couple hundred people.
Quoting iowaman (Reply 7): One reason to have a city officer in many of these small towns in Iowa is the refusal of county and state resources to enforce petty city ordinances or laws (not that I blame them).
A painful and costly relic of the US' foundation... Some state should take the lead, have a referendum to merge local police into a statewide body with a rationalisation of laws, possibly with municipalities paying the state. Surely local governments are keen to get this massive burden off their shoulders.
fr8mech From United States of America, joined Sep 2005, 4241 posts, RR: 12 Reply 11, posted (7 months 3 weeks 1 hour ago) and read 886 times:
Two reasons come to mind: power and money.
Your local cities and towns will sometimes do their darnedest to separate themselves from their bigger cousins. A lot of times, this means their own fire and police protection. It's just the local politicians protecting their own fiefdoms.
The money part comes in because you don't have to pay a local cop, who may be part time, as much as you pay a state trooper. It probably lowers the overall cost to the state, while increasing the cost to the local government. I'd hazard that the various local governments do get some federal law enforcement offsets. The cost to the local government is a trade off. The locals have more ready access to law enforcement and the local officers tend to be long time residents of the communities they serve.
Quoting QFA380 (Reply 10): I cannot see why a university would feel the need for their own police force
When a university's campus overlaps and is engulfed by a city's boundaries, the local police can be overwhelmed by the cyclical swells in population while school is in session. A university with its own police force can easily augment the local department. And, should a large incident occur, the city department augments the university department.
Quoting QFA380 (Reply 10): Who is able to hold a cop accountable if there's only two of them,
Usually, the State Police would handle complaints.
Quoting QFA380 (Reply 10): Surely local governments are keen to get this massive burden off their shoulders.
You'd be surprised. A local police force offers some semblance (or illusion) of autonomy.
Yup, it can be and largely is inefficient, but as you say, it is a relic of our foundation. And, something that will largely remain. Something we say in the fire service can easily be used by law enforcement: 200 hundred years of tradition unimpeded by progress.
Sponsor Message: 
From Australia, joined Jul 2005, 2025 posts, 
From United States of America, joined Feb 2012, 897 posts, 
From Kazakhstan, joined Jul 2007, 6276 posts, 
From India, joined May 2007, 262 posts, 
Printer friendly format 
