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paperboy text opinion editorialsThis editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by editorial page staff and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers
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Sunday, November 22, 2009
Cops a Bad First Cut
It's understood a 3 percent budget cut will weigh heavily on the New Mexico Department of Public Safety. And cutting $2.8 million from funding already 7.8 percent thinner than last year's will hurt.
But the first knee-jerk option should not be to cancel police academies — especially when you have $10 million to hand out on a speculative film studio deal. That's simplistic, and it's short-sighted.
State Police is one division within DPS, and officers one component of State Police. Spokesman Peter Olson says the force is already short around 85 officers. The current cadet class will add 20. George Bernal, president of the State Police Association, says losing subsequent new crops of officers means being reactive instead of "proactive" about law enforcement.
That doesn't bode well for the municipalities that depend on State Police officers to supplement their forces or the rural areas that consider the department their sole police presence.
Public safety is one of the basic services taxpayers expect their government to provide. Putting it first on the budget chopping block doesn't serve anyone.
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