More Money for Police? A Conflicted City Council Deliberates

[Updated Wednesday, May 25, 2016 | 10:00 a.m.]     The Pasadena City Council’s conflicted relationship with the Pasadena Police Department has never been more evident in recent times than it is now, as the 2017 budget comes up for deliberation and the Council has to put a dollar figure on where it stands.

Recent months have seen clashes as some Councilmembers focused on police oversight and performance, while others campaigned against what they describe as lack of Council support for police at a time when shootings and assaults have risen dramatically.

“Of the eight Councilmembers,” said Councilmember Steve Madison, describing police budgeting deliberations, “there are probably nine different opinions about that issue.”

Arguably the four most outspoken Councilmembers on police issues — Victor Gordo, Public Safety Committee Chair John Kennedy and fellow Committee members Steve Madison and Tyron Hampton — this week shared their conflicting (and conflicted) thoughts on policing and money.

One said he wants to spend more on Pasadena police, one cautions the focus should not be on much how much is spent but rather what it is spent on, and another said he would not support increased spending without a clear study first.

And one Councilmember — Tyron Hampton — flatly declined to go on the record at all about the budget for the police department.

The proposed 2017 budget calls for $77,467,292 for the police department, a 9% increase over the budget for 2016. The higher cost is attributed mostly to salary line items and increased workers’ compensation liability, according to Interim City Manager Steve Mermell, who presented the budget to the Council two weeks ago.

Pasadena already spends $452 per year for each resident of Pasadena — the sixth highest per capita of any California city with a population of 100,000 or greater according to a recent report by Orange County-based law firm Graham Donath.

“I can tell you right now, I intend to ask for increased staffing, and I’ve heard other members of the Council say the same thing,” Madison said, without identifying the other Councilmembers.

“We’ve got to be clear-eyed about this,” he added, “and it’s not as if we have unlimited resources. Every choice to do something is a choice, for want of a better number, to not do ten other things. It’s a tough process that we go through every spring.”

Madison added that he thought the city “could be doing more to stop violent crime if it had more resources.”

“I have been the through the budget process many times on both sides of the issue,” said Councilmember John Kennedy, “and I know that there are no easy issues.”

Kennedy, who once served as Deputy Chief of Police – Administrative Services, for the Richmond, Virginia Police, added, “I think the proposed budget is a great starting point.”

Kennedy, who chairs the Public Safety Committee, continued, “If there are any major increases in the police budget, I would hope that there would be a clear study and justification for those changes. I don’t want to engage in anything reckless or irresponsible with regard to the budget.”

Kennedy also acknowledged that “crime is not just a police issue.” He cited “societal issues” such as mental health, jobs, and education. He also cited the fact that city revenues may decrease in the next five years, according to the proposed budget report.

He also said he would support “overfill” hiring, as the department is currently only six officers away from its recommended strength levels. ‘We must take attrition into consideration,” he said.

Councilmember Victor Gordo, who recently called a community town hall meeting in the wake of an increased number of shootings in his district, also said he would favor a number of changes in police staffing.

“It’s not a matter of dollars, it’s a matter of resources needed,” he said, explaining that he would like to see the return of at least two tactical resources—the neighborhood action teams, which respond directly to violent incidents, and the special enforcement section. “These are the ones who directly target and arrest the bad actors,” he said.

“Policing is problematic without these two teams,” he added.

Gordo also said he would be in favor of ‘overfill’ hiring to cope with regular attrition on the police force.

“We can’t be understaffed,” he said.

The full council, as well as the Finance Committee, will continue to finalize the final budget numbers when council returns to regular meetings June 13.