o/t
Morning John,
Big brother Just around the corner? I thought he was here - in places at least!
Small towns in the middle of no-where, few or no extra cops, more gun control, if bad guys try to get away with something at Y2k change, things could get ugly, very ugly:
Web posted Sunday, May 9, 1999
Stratford police officers Jason Mosley, left, and Garold McDaniel make a stop.
Steven Line/Globe-News
Now hiring: Small-town guardians; Big job; small pay
By KEVIN WELCH
And JANET BRESENHAM
Globe-News Staff Writers
What if you called 911 and no one came?
The availability of emergency personnel in rural areas of the region may not be that short, but law-enforcement, fire and medical services are frequently understaffed and services can be stretched thin.
Most towns and counties fill in the gaps with volunteers, while paid staffers are frequently young people getting experience for their next job in a larger town.
The chamber of commerce may tout small-town life as a peaceful existence with low taxes, but the combination of a lack of excitement and short budgets has left some area towns with a chronic shortage of law-enforcement personnel.
"It's a combination of problems," said Stratford Police Chief Jim DeWeese. "Some of it is pay. A lot of it is due to the media. They (potential police officers) see the show 'Cops' on TV and they think it's like that. It's not."
Things aren't much different in Spearman, where two positions on the force went unfilled for weeks. Officers were hired for them only recently, said city manager Robert Patrick.
According to Spearman Police Chief Larry Kenealy, not enough car chases or gun battles happen in his town to satisfy a rookie's desire for action.
"I've been in law enforcement since 1970 and never shot my gun in the line of duty. I hope I never have to," Kenealy said.
Money also is short. One position was cut last year to allow for raises, he said.
"The tax base determines the budget," Kenealy said "And it's getting more expensive to run a police department. We have to pay for cameras in the cars, $3,000 a unit, and for things like continuing education."
Some towns cope with short budgets by utilizing existing resources. Clarendon, which at one time had a police department, contracts annually with the Donley County Sheriff's Department for law enforcement. Dumas is currently negotiating with Moore County to continue and enhance their agreement to share dispatchers and jail cells.
Other towns are still seeking solutions. Sherman County Sheriff Jack Haile is awaiting the outcome of a legislative initiative concerning law enforcement in Texhoma. His deputies currently respond to crime calls in the town, but pending legislation will allow police on the Oklahoma side of Texhoma to cross the state line to more quickly enforce laws.
Amarillo College's Panhandle Regional Law Enforcement Academy produces about 60 graduates annually, according to its coordinator, Sondra Beighle. Many of those completing the training go to work in small towns, the Pantex security force and Potter and Randall County sheriffs' departments, she said.
Beighle said difficulty in attracting law-enforcement personnel to small towns is nothing new but not an epidemic.
"It's not running rampant across the Panhandle, but there are places where it's been a problem for a while," Beighle said.
Eastern New Mexico battles similar problems: low pay and the subsequent effect on employee turnover, officials said.
Tucumcari Police Chief Dennis Townsend said he only recently filled two positions that were open for eight months.
Townsend shares a problem with Childress Police Chief Billy Don Hinton: losing officers once they gain experience to higher-level agencies or cities that pay much more.
"We're pretty much a training ground for those other agencies," Townsend said, adding the New Mexico State Police and state Motor Transportation Department offer higher pay.
"I probably lose about three to five officers a year, and when I only have 24 sworn officers in the department, that's a lot," Townsend said.
Hinton said most graduates of law-enforcement academies use small-town departments as stepping stones to larger departments or state-level jobs.
"A lot of big cities won't hire them without experience, so I'm kind of running a training center," Hinton said.
His chief competitor for officers is the Texas prison system's Roach Unit in Childress and Pampa's Jordan Unit. Two officers who went to the Pampa prison are getting $600 more a month, he said.
Clovis Police Chief Harry Boden echoed the others.
"It's very, very difficult - in fact, almost impossible - for us to be competitive. Salary is a major issue with that, especially when you take a look at what other communities are paying. We lose a lot of people to places like Albuquerque and Hobbs or the sheriff's department."
The prospect for any significant pay increases appears dim for most eastern New Mexico law-enforcement agencies, officials said.
"What you can just about count on is either a 3-percent annual raise or no raise at all," Curry County Sheriff Roger Hatcher said. "I want to see a longevity plan to help us keep officers around. It's just tough when, for example, the state police can start a new recruit just out of the academy at about $30,000 a year and that's more than my top deputy who's been here 19 years can make in the sheriff's department."
Boden said of the 63 authorized officer positions in his department, he has several positions vacant. But the city is holding off on advertising or filling those positions for now to try to save money, he said.
The Clovis police chief said he would like to see city leaders institute a better pay plan for his officers, but so far, commissioners say they don't have the money.
Hutchinson County Sheriff Mickey Blackmon said the overall economy of an area also can have an effect on the turnover rate for law agencies. Despite offering above-average salaries, his department has one opening and sometimes loses officers to businesses with better compensation, he said.
"When the oil industry economy is good, they can leave law enforcement and double their salaries," Blackmon said.
He said he has lost six deputies in three years - and that's a hassle.
"It's not like you can just go out and hire anybody. Then there's the training and outfitting them," Blackmon said.
Patrick has had to deal with heavy turnover in Spearman, too. Since 1990, 14 officers and three chiefs have left the police department, including Kenealy, Patrick said. The force is typically composed of three or four officers. (cont)
amarillonet.com |
