To the Editor,
Mandates!
Department heads throw this word around during budget time like a four letter word. Most of the time it is unfunded mandates from the State or Federal Government that is used as an explanation for taxes and budget increases.
Well, we can blame downstate liberal politicians for most of our unfunded mandates. The key word there is most! During the March County Legislative meeting a mandate was slipped thru in the form of a Police Reform Policy. It was not the entire Reform Policy but action item number 6.
Now this is in no way a support for reform. What this letter is all about is the fact that we as local taxpayers and local leaders hate it when Albany or Washington passes on Mandates to us and then when they don’t fund them it is even worse.
Well inside the Police Reform Policy that your Legislative body passed on to Albany there was a Mandate included that if accepted by Albany will cost us.
It is not a Mandate forced on us by Albany but one that was created by our own local officials. Number 6 action item calls for the creation of a Civilian Police Academy. Now who is going to pay for this when it and if it is accepted by the State.
You and I will.
I see some good old boy running this in Oswego County someone recently retired collecting a pension and a salary also. This should have never been approved by the Legislative body.
All other action items were acceptable and will help our front-line men and women in Blue. We must hope that the State rejects action item number 6 and sends it back to Oswego county for a redo.
– Frank Castiglia Jr.
Below was added in by Oswego County Today for reference:
Recommendation Number 6 in the county’s Police Reform and Reinvention Plan –
“Develop and implement a Civilian Police Academy. The Oswego County Citizen Police Academy will be designed to strengthen the partnership between the police agencies of Oswego County and the citizens of Oswego County. The objectives of this program are: To encourage increased communication and interaction between Law Enforcement Officers and the community which they serve; to dispel misconceptions about the roles, responsibilities, and activities of law enforcement officers; to provide participants with a basic understanding of police powers and limitations imposed law and police department policy; to familiarize participants with the dangers, difficulties, and and ambiguities inherent to modern police work and to foster a citizen police partnership to combat crime and develop a safer community.”
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This reference shows what a far fetched idea a Civilian Police Academy will accomplish. If anyone really thinks that going thru a Police Academy will help a everyday person know or feel what goes thru a police officers mind every day he puts on his uniform and he goes out on a domestic call or even making a everyday traffic stop you are very wrong. The training of respect and a working relationship with the law enforcement should start in our school system and be part of the curriculum from K thru 12 grades. Not at the Adult level. If you look at the number of people that participated in the survey 250 that number is 1/4 of 1% of the population. So the number that will partake in a Police Academy will more than likely be fewer. Again this letter was about the creation of a “Mandate” not about the need or unnecessary need for reform. The State Liberals want the reform of the police not of the public. They are wrong. The mistrust and dislike of the Police didn’t happen over night and it won’t go away over night. It has to start in the schools. Funded by the State and the Federal Gov’t. Only about 5% of the population distrust the rank and file officers.
The above comment is an argument in favor of propagandizing schoolchildren to love and respect right-wing domestic terror organizations (ie the police)? Why?
Citizen-your comment is a far left wing argument in favor of no respect and there is 99% of our problem today. No respect for teachers, or any authoritative figure, claiming they infringe on my right to do what I want and when I want to.
Respect? Tell the police to respect the citizens of the United States. Tell the police to stop murdering, brutalizing, terrorizing, and abusing citizens, physically and verbally. The police as an institution are unworthy of respect, based on their performance. From slave patrols, to union busting, to using chemical weapons on protesters, to terrorizing Black communities, and using excessive force against citizens of all colors, the police in America have consistently been on the side of racism and injustice. Only fascists believe in blind obedience to authority … socialists understand that if authority is illegitimate, then authority must be dismantled and rebuilt anew. The American police have proven themselves to be a pro-Trump partisan terror organization. The sheriff of this very community is a pro-Trump fascist fanatic. You expect thinking people to respect that? Good luck.
Unbelievable that the Oswego Coty government feels the need to INCREASE the the police budget by a WHOPPING 67.5%, when ALL ACROSS the NATION, OUR CITIZENRY is DEMANDING REDISTRIBUTION of city BUDGETS to ADDRESS the UNDERLYING FACTORS that CONTRIBUTE to “crime”! Did I miss the 67.5% INCREASE in Oswego city CRIME? Because all I’ve seen INCREASE in the city of Oswego in a decade of residency, is POVERTY and HOMELESSNESS! Hmm, maybe new glasses is the answer? Oops! Forgot! You’d need INSURANCE for THAT? Something EVERY DAY people are DESPERATELY in search of!