MY86Carrera

That is kind of splitting hairs - saying construction company gets money from government so tax payers pay officers.

So officers are paid by taxes collected by government, officers pay property tax, large income tax and tax on items they buy... So they work for free or close to free using your logic... ??

P0rsch3F113

We're dealing with human beings here...so are there cops out there abusing the system to get more court time? Sure. But the vast majority of cops I knew, hated going to court (bylaw, traffic, criminal). Part of the job they signed up for, definitely, but they hated it. You don't get paid enough to go to court off duty or on a day off. Most valued their off duty time. Court time just takes you away from your family.

LastMezger

My dad was a police officer and many of his friends and our family friends are or were as well. Believe it or not most police want to make a difference...do some good. They hate court duty and they hate administration and duties that many here would criticize as "not real police work."

That said, traffic enforcement serves as a valuable tool. You'd be amazed at just how many wants and warrants are uncovered by traffic stops. Turns out if you drive like a dick there's often plenty to uncover...

MY86Carrera

You sir are 100% correct....

Christien

No, you're over-complicating it. Let's say bridge work on the qew will cost $1,000,000 and will take a week to complete. The government will pay the construction company $1 million from the tax coffers. Now add a cop there, 24 hours a day x 7 days at $65/hr, that adds $11k to the cost, which is paid by us. Simple as that.

Christien

Then stop writing so many BS revenue generating tickets! When ticket revenue starts going to charity and not police budgets, I'll be on their side 100% because I'll believe it's truly about safety. You'll never once hear me complain about RIDE programs.

JimV8

Back to the OP which is the subject is the growing cost of Policing in an environment of lowered crime stats and a provincial deficit. Once upon a time Police were first responders to Alarm Company dispatchs and when only banks, jewellers or VIPs had alarms it wasn't a drain on resources, but nowadays when one out of five homes and seven of ten business' have alarms it becomes a problem. Historically more than nine of ten alarms are false. It got to be that alarm response used as much police resources as traffic so Police Services started requiring verification of alarms before dispatching officers. Currently that is the rule as are, in some jurisdictions, permits with a fee for alarms dispatched by alarmco's. It really hasn't worked out well, especially for people who have invested in Alarm Systems only to find that when needed Police arrived hours later after the deed was done. In those cases the business(wo)man or homeowner is left scratching their head wondering why, as a community, they pay all that money for a non existent service.

FWIW crime maps.
http://www.peelpolicemaps.ca/
http://www.torontopolice.on.ca/stati...crime_maps.php
http://www.hrps.on.ca/CrimeFiles/Cri...s/default.aspx

Christien

With our alarm (alarmforce) we get a call when the alarm goes off, admin us if we want police dispatched. We get one free false alarm per year, after that the police charge is $50 per. Fair enough, but then I expect them to be there within minutes if they are indeed dispatched.

Look, there are lots of aspects to most jobs that seem frustratingly futile and ineffective but that's life. Suck it up, buttercup. So you joined the force because you had all these dreams of busting drug rings and high speed car chases, then you find out most of it is rather pedestrian work. Welcome to life.

Imo000

The pay duty is paid by the construction company and not you. It comes from the money that you as a tax payer pays but its not your money. Same as taking your car do a dealer for service. You pay the bill for the repairs to the dealer and the dealer pays the mechanic. This doesn't mean its your money directly paying for it. The cop or the mechanic does not work for you, they work for the shop/construction company. Tax payers love playing the "I pay your wages" game. You pay for a service and not the paycheque.

JimV8

Albeit, but the buck stops at the taxpayer. It's not much different than a few years ago by sheer chance it was discovered the Toronto Library Service was paying $180 for oil changes per on their fleet of cars. Why a fleet you might ask? It was to ferry loaner books from branch to branch. Since then they've discovered courier services. It's mission creep. A common malady among public services. I come to learn the difference between public and private sectors. One is about process and one is about results.

911 Rod

Yes but, does not the extra wage also go towards additional holiday pay, pension, benefits etc? Wear and tear on the car etc. That comes out of the tax payers pocket.

I do some work for a traffic management company and I'm pretty sure they charge almost as much as an officer.

MY86Carrera

Christien ... you can't add the paid duty on top of it to prove your point. Construction would by bid, therefore construction company should have included that in costing. So if the construction company feels the work crews need the extra safety of a cruiser present that some how screws the common man, ah...no

Remember that cops pay taxes too.

LastMezger

It's important to understand that the Police are a para-military force and, as such in our system, follow both a chain of command and operate at the behest of elected officials.

And what do you consider a "BS revenue-generating ticket?". A small increment over the limit? A rolling right? Hand held device usage? Like it or not there is one sure fire way not to get any ticket...follow the law. If you don't have the discipline to do that then be prepared to pay a fine. It's not a big deal.

P0rsch3F113

Not sure where you were working, but cops at intersections and construction sites was happening in 1976, when I first joined TPS. Miller didn't create the problem. It existed in some shape or form, long before Miller. The Board and City Council felt there was a need - it certainly wasn't "to keep them happy due to their union contract"! Cops don't belong to any union (not legal)...they have an association.

Not saying I endorse any of this, but your facts are incorrect.

JimV8

I think the cops on road construction site, etc thing may be connected to the municipalities insurance liability. I know thats the case for the Fire Department where the city's rating depends on distance between stations and average response time.