Alto, Texas can't afford it's own Police Force.

[Feuer Frei!]

WTF?

ALTO, Texas—People here are bracing for a spike in crime after the city put its police force on furlough.
"Everybody's talking about 'bolt your doors, buy a gun,' " said Monty Collins, Alto's mayor, who was against the measure.
City Council members sent the police home when they decided they couldn't afford them. On June 15, the police chief and his four officers secured the evidence room, changed the passwords on their computers and locked the department's doors for six months—longer if local finances don't improve by then.
For now, the Cherokee County sheriff's office, based 12 miles north in Rusk, is policing Alto, a city of about 1,200. Sheriff James Campbell said the extra load would strain his 25 deputies and reservists, who oversee a 1,000-square-mile territory. The sheriff is already responsible for the nearby city of Wells, which has a population of about 800 and earlier this year shed its only police officer. Crime went up initially, he said, but has stabilized.
"I'm going to try, but I can't guarantee you there will always be an officer in the town," Sheriff Campbell said of Alto.

With city budgets tight across the country, police departments are under the gun to cut costs. Some are disbanding special units. Some are shedding other personnel. And some small jurisdictions are doing away with their police forces altogether.
Half Moon Bay, Calif., is now patrolled by the San Mateo Sheriff's Office after city government earlier this month dissolved the local department to save more than $500,000 a year.
Whether a county sheriff is obligated to provide public-safety services free of charge to a local community or is paid for them depends on state law. In most cases, the sheriff's office is paid, said Fred Wilson, director of operations at the National Sheriffs' Association.
The closure of small-town police forces is part of a broader consolidation of services in communities across the U.S. Keeping the peace is rarely a revenue-making operation and is easier to outsource to county or state agencies than responsibilities such as utilities, some officials say. Others see advantages in having a bigger, more professional force patrol their communities.


SOURCE


So what the hell is the local council doing with all the money?

We had to do something drastic," said Jerry Flowers, councilman and hay farmer. "The police department, being a non-money-making entity, was the easiest to get rid of while we catch our breath and build up some cash.

[Armistead]

Why people need to conceal carry..

[kraznyi_oktjabr]

$185,000 budget shortfall and they cut by furloughing police?!

I'm not expert but I'm quite sure that with enough political will getting savings from somewhere else but public safety wouldn't have been a problem!

$185,000 budget shortfall and they cut by furloughing police?

Well the question is when you have state police and county sherrifs do you also need a city police where there is one policeman for every 100 homes?

[kraznyi_oktjabr]

Originally Posted by Tribesman

Well the question is when you have state police and county sherrifs do you also need a city police where there is one policeman for every 100 homes?

I got from article an impression that Sheriff does not have enough resources for the job. Could someone explain what city/town police, sheriff and state police (Texas Rangers?) actually do? How their responsibilities are divided? U.S. system with multiple police forces is a bit confusing for me.

I see just one colour scheme police cars with one style uniform (exception being military police). A 30 to 45 min response time sounds about same as for my parents home. If there is a fire the rescue department will be at scene within 30 mins, just in time to grill steak or two before ashes get too cold... In some places police will arrive within next 2 hours. Police patrol consist of car with two officers who in remote areas are first responders, back-up and SWAT team as necessary.

[Krauter]

It's kind of similar to Canada, Ontario as well. I'm not sure about how it works here in Quebec, but from where I originally hail from we had municipal police as well as OPP (Ontario Provincial Police). Some towns and municipalities in my region decided to drop their municipal police and just run with OPP instead thus saving costs and the like.

[GoldenRivet]

Im not far from Alto.

Have friends there, and used to routinely overfly the little town.

its a small community, and it doesnt amount to much more than a four way stop with about 1200 people within the city limits.

Im sure they do have problems with money. it is probably one of the poorer communities.

that said, Cherokee County has an excellent sheriff's department capable of responding to calls in Alto IMHO

My little Village had a Constable for years.
(Maybe 800 people live here)
They eliminated that position and Crime actually dropped!
I believe it was because the County Sheriff's department does not take BS as he did.
So money was saved and crime reduced.
The Sheriff's department also supports home defense in this County.
Saves them money as they only need to send a Coroner most times.

[Onkel Neal]

Pfft, a town that small only needs two cops.

[Feuer Frei!]

I think apart from the fact that law enforcement has been put on hold for 6 mths, the other big thing i scratch my head over is what kind of council is this, is the council almost broke? The mismanagement OR misappropriation of funds. Which one is it?
And i'm not sure over there (US) but here the 'local' councils get grants and funds from the state government, which inturn is funded by the Federal government.
Anyone enlighten me on that?
What i'm asking is, and the quote in the op says so, the council is almost broke, skimp, short on pennies etc etc.
How does a local council get into that situation in the first place?
I can think of 2, which i mentioned up above in this post.
Now, if, and i say if that is the case, then surely the state government would monitor and regulate that and take action as seen necessary and/or fit to rectify this immediately.
Fair assumptions?

[magic452]

Local police are just that, Local and so is 90% of the funding.
With the recession still going strong many local governments are really short of local funds. Property tax and sales taxes are the principle income for most small local governments and property values are down 50% or more so property tax income is way down. Same for sales tax revenue.

As the article states there is an alternative police available so no doubt the easy thing to cut was the cops. Taking the easy way out (mismanagement?)
Put the cost on somebody else. They learned that from the federal government.
As for the state it neither has the money or the jurisdiction to do much.
Cherokee County sheriff's office was next in line before you get to the state level.

Magic

How does a local council get into that situation in the first place?

Very easily, one big expense can wipe out years of careful budgeting.
In this case it looks like a single needed infrastructure repair did the job.
Plus of course a reliance on sales and property as a means of revenue meaning an economic downturn and property crash your revenue goes.

surely the state government would monitor and regulate that and take action as seen necessary and/or fit to rectify this immediately.

I never thought of you being in favour of more and bigger government

Pfft, a town that small only needs two cops.

With 60 crimes per year does it even need 2?

[Feuer Frei!]

Originally Posted by Tribesman

I never thought of you being in favour of more and bigger government

Well it's roughly how the order of things are here on a local, state and federal level.
My preference for government sizes is moot.