This blog is maintained for the sole purpose of allowing the people of Peru and those interested in the cities of the Illinois Valley to express their views.
“It doesn’t take a majority to win, just a tireless minority that will keep starting brush fires in the mind and hearts of their fellow men.” Samuel Adams
Regretfully the blatant difference between the Peru airport and the Bolingbrook airport is that LaSalle County and Peru City officials confiscated $500,000 and everyone left Peru with the idea that a price had been set to break the law and still be free. In Bolingbrook charges have been made against involved parties. None of us will ever see the day that that $500,000 will ever do us any good, but those who live in Bolingbrook will see a decrease of crime if laws are enforced in their area. Why is the law not being enforced in Peru? What is the present program of law enforcement at the Peru Airport?
After reading the similarities of the two airport occurences Bolingbrooks legal action makes an old fishermen think we let one get away. Shame on all involved at the legal end.
How long had or has this been going on and how often has it occurred? It is becoming more and more evident that two factors that icrease multifold in communities on the downward trend are illegal gambling and illegal drugs. The Peru Police Force best utilization appears to be policing Peru and allow the State Troopers to patrol Interstae Eighty.
I agree with you very much but the draw on 80 is making a big catch worth big bucks. The article was interesting because of the quick in and out quick stops into small towns with small planes.
If the draw on 80 is making a big catch worth big bucks,where is the big catch ending up? Plus deduct the cost of placing a fully equipped police car and officer on 80 times the number of hours Peru officers are there. Does Peru have any policemen living outside the city limits who drive a squad car home and back to work every day? What is the reason that any emplouyee of Peru drives a city bought vehicle home rather than parking it in a city location and drives their own vehicle? Mileage, maintenance, gas, insurance on and on and on you know you have to pay your own plus these in taxes.
Anon 8:49 Good questions these are all questions which should be and haven't been answered in a cost analysis. If it is not the responsibility of the treasurer whose responsibility is it in the framework of Peru's management structure. Take politics out of the equation, hire a out of town city manager and you would will have a answer to questions such as this in a short period of time. A professional city manager will start at the most expensive bad prior business practices such as no bidding on water treatment operations (always over $650,000/year), not reaching out to compettitive engineering establishments and staying to the same one for consultation for sixty some years (over $700,000 per year). A city manger would professionally overlook the entire establisment and question why a government entity would be conducted as Peru has been without a bidding process but has the same city attorney for over thirty five years.
8:49 I could be wrong, but I believe almost all cities allow their officers to use their squad cars, kind of like companies allow their sales reps to have the benefit of a company car. Personal mileage may need to be reimbursed on expense forms. Only difference is the sales reps don't usually lay their lives on the line everyday for our sorry rear ends. There is plenty of waste and graft in this city, you do not need to focus on police use of their cars.
AMEN 8:49 I totally agree. There is no reason why a city employee of any nature needs to take a city vehicle home with them. It's an expense to the city and the taxpayers that could easily be eliminated. I wonder how each mayoral candidate feels on this subject. Would like to hear their opinions.
Anon 10:40 No doubt that you have a horse in this race as you, from your comment have knowledge of "plenty of waste and graft in this city". Please inform the rest of us on your inside knowledege. You could start by telling us if a policeman has to report to the station at the end of his shift as a safety precaution? You state what you believe is the only difference between a salesman and a policeman. I had always thought that one was a private employee and one was a public employee. I didn't know my taxes were paying for a paint, furniture, clothing salesman etc. I do know that they are paying for all government employees such as policeman, fireman, street department. now would you please reply back and maybe later you would care to discuss the issue of a timeclock, or lack of a timeclock.
11:40 I will gladly reply back. I do have a horse in this race and is not Harl, nor do I support the chief of police. I do however respect those police officers and value their jobs differently than other city workers. They are my taxes too, and I just have a different opinion about the ranks of peace officers than you do. I have started to check, and it seems so far that a vast majority of municipalities offer the personal use of police cars to officers, some with mileage restrictions, some required gas payments for personal use. I would be interested in the practices of other similar cities, and the estimated value of the non reimbursed personal miles if any. Then I could make a better judgement on the relative waste vs the value of the perc in attracting quality law enforcement officers. Also would value the mayoral positions on this issue, but far down the list of issues in the city.
Maybe I am alone in this view, but I can live with it. If anyone else values the risks that police personnel take daily and wants them compensated in a similar manner to other cities, salary, benefits, etc I would hope to hear from them. If not, I will be glad to criticize the other wasteful practices and lack of vision, while simultaneously stating police vehicle mileage is a minor issue. I see no conflict in that. I believe that time clocks should be required where practical, but I believe many police personnel are on call 24/7, for emergency response, and as such having their vehicles ready at home, I would prefer they get in them and drive to the emergency rather than head over to punch in first. I see it a little different than mowing the grass at Baker Lake, you don't.
Anon 12:37 You must be involved in some form of politics. you have the knack of going on forever without saying anything. You did not directly answer any of the questions or comments that 11:40 Am stated, and your only justifications for a police officer to drive a fully equipped squad car home and park it until his next shift is that other locations do it. Before I would make a effort to get the PPD compensated as others around them you should inquire. They are already the highest paid and compensated in this area. I as 12:37 realize that the PPD is within a fraction of being 25% of the city budget which will always make them a cost which is to be watched carefully and feel all unnecessary costs shoiuld be eliminated. As for the comparison of a police department and a city employee cutting grass at Baker Lake it is yours and only yours.
2:40 I am not a politician. I stated I disagreed with you. I stated that allowing police officers to use the cars in a limited manner and station them outside their house is common practice in many cities. I stated that you are focusing on a minor issue, both in cost and practice. Maybe it seems as if I go on and on because you do not want to hear any rational for why someone might disagree with you. You have made your decision. It sounds as if we should be focusing on eliminated some police positions or hiring a city manager to prepare to bargain a more favorable contract with them. I still would support them having their units at their homes. It seems as if you cannot argue a point without projecting some characteristic or analysis of the person you are arguing with. That is both irrelevant and illogical. I stand by what I said. I support the officers we have on staff. I said what I meant and meant what I said.
policeman-street department worker, electrical worker they all put their lives on the line everyday-that street employee could be struck by another vehicle that electrician could be electricuted-need i go on? why don't all the city employees get to take their vehicle home? do we really have that many police cars that they can stay in someone's driveway for 8 hours? if so perhaps we need to sell a few and donate that money to the pool fund
Anon 4:15 . Good for you, you support the officers and where do you find anyone who said they don"t. The next time you go to purchase a car remember that you stated it is is a minor issue in cost. To most, besides their home, it is their second biggest investment. The philosophy that because many others do it makes it correct is equal to trying to fill a bucket with a hole in it full of water - and trying to reach the bottom of the hill from the peak with the bucket full. Found your attempt at psychology amusing. Now everyone knows that you are not a politician and you have just proven you are not a psychologist or a financial student.
7:35 Why do you continue to make this about me? You continue to guess about my career and tell me what I am or am not. Your disdain for me is palpable. Let's stick to our basic argument or debate.
I believe that the issue is minor, likely a small small percentage of operating cost, and there are good reasons to have officers able to respond directly from their homes. I did not say that police cars were inexpensive.
You and others do not think it is a minor cost. I agreed I would like to know what comparable cities do and what the candidates felt about the issue.
7:21 That response barely deserves rebuttal , equating police officer risk with all other city positions. Check actuarial statistics if you need to know how dangerous the job is. I personally support effective review of salaries, numbers of officers, for review of excess spending. But I believe that the issue of where the cars are parked is not a big deal. I do want effective monitoring of hours, but of all jobs that require some respect and trust, it is a police officer.
Now I will leave you to make your next personal attack on me and say I cannot have an opinion that is different than yours or used words you dont llike and therefore am certainly not a journalist. I am finished with it because I believe it is a non issue. If someone has some hard information about abuse of personal mileage by the police, excessive usage of the vehicles for personal and non local travel, or anything else besides a rigid all employees are the same in the russian collective mentality- I might be the first to change my mind.
Anon 7:21 If all the money wasted by Peru government on excessive department head and salaried supervsors wages, unfinished projects and getting involved in non governmental issues, no bid contracts and prior and present poor management practices, favortism,NEPOTISM, and making hiring within a must for promotional purposes were eliminated Peru could have two pools and paid for.
8:20 That is an excellent question and a matter of debate in cities all across the USA. As the requirements for the job of Police Officer have become more and more difficult and the position more dangerous over the years, the quant concept of beat officer who lived in his the neighborhood of his beat has become more and more difficult to make a reality.
In rural areas it has become more and more difficult to make it happen, so requiring reasonable radius rules seems to make the most sense.
A good article on it is http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-10-02-residency-rules_x.htm
I assume you have a strong opinion on it and may even have a case in point regarding Peru officers? Please share if you can and tell us why you have issues with it, if you do.
If the justification in taking a squad car home is that it affords immediate response than it is only common sense that a police officer with that vehicle lives in the immediate area. The more police that live in Peru the higher is the per centage of immediate response. Also a city employee should be interested in paying taxes in the city that employs him. Similar to supporting the hand that feeds you. Plus he/she will have more pride in their community and a larger responsibility to that city if they live there. Before this is taken any further I understand that one of the first requirements made of the Chicago Police Force is that its membership live in the boarders of Chicago. Responsible party making this requirement-Robb Emanuel, Mayor of Chicago.
11:47 That is why I have said it is a topic of debate and discussion. Major metropolitan areas generally are able to draw from a larger pool of potential candidates. It is the same with doctors, engineers etc. Pay Scale and other amenities make the cities a bigger draw. Taxes are certainly a valid point, but I think the main reason was to keep the officers in touch with their communities with such a diverse grouping of neighbors and neighborhoods. Not as big of an issue if someone lives in the Valley .
I do not think that Chicago is a valid comparison, since traveling 20 miles and over an hour would easily be possible for an officer to go from home to their precinct while still living within the city limits. . And the 24 hour patrol schedules generally have enough emergency response capability without resorting to on call systems.
The time lag for response in a small town is generally due to the requirement that an officer would need to drive in to the station, punch or tag in, jump in their car and head out. Depending on where the call would be, they might need to actually drive PAST the incident to get to their cars, cars that contain armament, computer connections for downloading on site instructions, hazmat info, etc. They are more like mobile command stations, and the sooner an officer is in them the better. They often can control lights, maneuver at higher speeds more safely, and are what officers train in for high speed maneuvers and response. Making them drive their own car might save some money but I don't consider it the same as the issues with other city vehicles. I firmly support pulling away almost all other city vehicles used and parked offsite as a perc . I have been on ride alongs and encourage other citizens and journalists to do it as well if allowed by your police department. It can be an eye opener. You make an assumption that they will take more pride in their city if they live there. That is just that an assumption. I only want them to do their jobs. Harl, Alderman A, Chamlin, Test, all live in the city and I rarely think pride in Peru motivates them. But that is editorializing. Thanks for changing the tone of the debate by the way. I may rub you the wrong way, but you will find I respect logical analysis and alternate points of view.
21 comments:
Regretfully the blatant difference between the Peru airport and the Bolingbrook airport is that LaSalle County and Peru City officials confiscated $500,000 and everyone left Peru with the idea that a price had been set to break the law and still be free. In Bolingbrook charges have been made against involved parties.
None of us will ever see the day that that $500,000 will ever do us any good, but those who live in Bolingbrook will see a decrease of crime if laws are enforced in their area.
Why is the law not being enforced in Peru? What is the present program of law enforcement at the Peru Airport?
After reading the similarities of the two airport occurences Bolingbrooks legal action makes an old fishermen think we let one get away. Shame on all involved at the legal end.
How much cash was REALLY FOUND that day in Peru when they reported their amount? How many people benefitted personally we will never know.
How long had or has this been going on and how often has it occurred? It is becoming more and more evident that two factors that icrease multifold in communities on the downward trend are illegal gambling and illegal drugs. The Peru Police Force best utilization appears to be policing Peru and allow the State Troopers to patrol Interstae Eighty.
I agree with you very much but the draw on 80 is making a big catch worth big bucks. The article was interesting because of the quick in and out quick stops into small towns with small planes.
If the draw on 80 is making a big catch worth big bucks,where is the big catch ending up? Plus deduct the cost of placing a fully equipped police car and officer on 80 times the number of hours Peru officers are there. Does Peru have any policemen living outside the city limits who drive a squad car home and back to work every day? What is the reason that any emplouyee of Peru drives a city bought vehicle home rather than parking it in a city location and drives their own vehicle? Mileage, maintenance, gas, insurance on and on and on you know you have to pay your own plus these in taxes.
Anon 8:49 Good questions these are all questions which should be and haven't been answered in a cost analysis. If it is not the responsibility of the treasurer whose responsibility is it in the framework of Peru's management structure.
Take politics out of the equation, hire a out of town city manager and you would will have a answer to questions such as this in a short period of time.
A professional city manager will start at the most expensive bad prior business practices such as no bidding on water treatment operations (always over $650,000/year), not reaching out to compettitive engineering establishments and staying to the same one for consultation for sixty some years (over $700,000 per year). A city manger would professionally overlook the entire establisment and question why a government entity would be conducted as Peru has been without a bidding process but has the same city attorney for over thirty five years.
8:49 I could be wrong, but I believe almost all cities allow their officers to use their squad cars, kind of like companies allow their sales reps to have the benefit of a company car. Personal mileage may need to be reimbursed on expense forms. Only difference is the sales reps don't usually lay their lives on the line everyday for our sorry rear ends.
There is plenty of waste and graft in this city, you do not need to focus on police use of their cars.
AMEN 8:49 I totally agree. There is no reason why a city employee of any nature needs to take a city vehicle home with them. It's an expense to the city and the taxpayers that could easily be eliminated. I wonder how each mayoral candidate feels on this subject. Would like to hear their opinions.
Anon 10:40 No doubt that you have a horse in this race as you, from your comment have knowledge of "plenty of waste and graft in this city".
Please inform the rest of us on your inside knowledege.
You could start by telling us if a policeman has to report to the station at the end of his shift as a safety precaution?
You state what you believe is the only difference between a salesman and a policeman. I had always thought that one was a private employee and one was a public employee. I didn't know my taxes were paying for a paint, furniture, clothing salesman etc. I do know that they are paying for all government employees such as policeman, fireman, street department. now would you please reply back and maybe later you would care to discuss the issue of a timeclock, or lack of a timeclock.
11:40 I will gladly reply back. I do have a horse in this race and is not Harl, nor do I support the chief of police. I do however respect those police officers and value their jobs differently than other city workers. They are my taxes too, and I just have a different opinion about the ranks of peace officers than you do.
I have started to check, and it seems so far that a vast majority of municipalities offer the personal use of police cars to officers, some with mileage restrictions, some required gas payments for personal use. I would be interested in the practices of other similar cities, and the estimated value of the non reimbursed personal miles if any. Then I could make a better judgement on the relative waste vs the value of the perc in attracting quality law enforcement officers. Also would value the mayoral positions on this issue, but far down the list of issues in the city.
Maybe I am alone in this view, but I can live with it. If anyone else values the risks that police personnel take daily and wants them compensated in a similar manner to other cities, salary, benefits, etc I would hope to hear from them. If not, I will be glad to criticize the other wasteful practices and lack of vision, while simultaneously stating police vehicle mileage is a minor issue. I see no conflict in that. I believe that time clocks should be required where practical, but I believe many police personnel are on call 24/7, for emergency response, and as such having their vehicles ready at home, I would prefer they get in them and drive to the emergency rather than head over to punch in first. I see it a little different than mowing the grass at Baker Lake, you don't.
Anon 12:37 You must be involved in some form of politics. you have the knack of going on forever without saying anything. You did not directly answer any of the questions or comments that 11:40 Am stated, and your only justifications for a police officer to drive a fully equipped squad car home and park it until his next shift is that other locations do it. Before I would make a effort to get the PPD compensated as others around them you should inquire. They are already the highest paid and compensated in this area.
I as 12:37 realize that the PPD is within a fraction of being 25% of the city budget which will always make them a cost which is to be watched carefully and feel all unnecessary costs shoiuld be eliminated.
As for the comparison of a police department and a city employee cutting grass at Baker Lake it is yours and only yours.
2:40 I am not a politician. I stated I disagreed with you. I stated that allowing police officers to use the cars in a limited manner and station them outside their house is common practice in many cities. I stated that you are focusing on a minor issue, both in cost and practice.
Maybe it seems as if I go on and on because you do not want to hear any rational for why someone might disagree with you. You have made your decision. It sounds as if we should be focusing on eliminated some police positions or hiring a city manager to prepare to bargain a more favorable contract with them. I still would support them having their units at their homes.
It seems as if you cannot argue a point without projecting some characteristic or analysis of the person you are arguing with. That is both irrelevant and illogical.
I stand by what I said. I support the officers we have on staff. I said what I meant and meant what I said.
policeman-street department worker, electrical worker they all put their lives on the line everyday-that street employee could be struck by another vehicle that electrician could be electricuted-need i go on? why don't all the city employees get to take their vehicle home? do we really have that many police cars that they can stay in someone's driveway for 8 hours? if so perhaps we need to sell a few and donate that money to the pool fund
Anon 4:15 . Good for you, you support the officers and where do you find anyone who said they don"t. The next time you go to purchase a car remember that you stated it is is a minor issue in cost. To most, besides their home, it is their second biggest investment.
The philosophy that because many others do it makes it correct is equal to trying to fill a bucket with a hole in it full of water - and trying to reach the bottom of the hill from the peak with the bucket full.
Found your attempt at psychology amusing. Now everyone knows that you are not a politician and you have just proven you are not a psychologist or a financial student.
7:35 Why do you continue to make this about me? You continue to guess about my career and tell me what I am or am not. Your disdain for me is palpable. Let's stick to our basic argument or debate.
I believe that the issue is minor, likely a small small percentage of operating cost, and there are good reasons to have officers able to respond directly from their homes. I did not say that police cars were inexpensive.
You and others do not think it is a minor cost. I agreed I would like to know what comparable cities do and what the candidates felt about the issue.
7:21 That response barely deserves rebuttal , equating police officer risk with all other city positions. Check actuarial statistics if you need to know how dangerous the job is. I personally support effective review of salaries, numbers of officers, for review of excess spending. But I believe that the issue of where the cars are parked is not a big deal. I do want effective monitoring of hours, but of all jobs that require some respect and trust, it is a police officer.
Now I will leave you to make your next personal attack on me and say I cannot have an opinion that is different than yours or used words you dont llike and therefore am certainly not a journalist. I am finished with it because I believe it is a non issue. If someone has some hard information about abuse of personal mileage by the police, excessive usage of the vehicles for personal and non local travel, or anything else besides a rigid all employees are the same in the russian collective mentality- I might be the first to change my mind.
Anon 7:21 If all the money wasted by Peru government on excessive department head and salaried supervsors wages, unfinished projects and getting involved in non governmental issues, no bid contracts and prior and present poor management practices, favortism,NEPOTISM, and making hiring within a must for promotional purposes were eliminated Peru could have two pools and paid for.
Anon 8:33 Do you beleve that all police officers should be a citizen of the city in which are employed in and live within that city?
8:20
That is an excellent question and a matter of debate in cities all across the USA. As the requirements for the job of Police Officer have become more and more difficult and the position more dangerous over the years, the quant concept of beat officer who lived in his the neighborhood of his beat has become more and more difficult to make a reality.
In rural areas it has become more and more difficult to make it happen, so requiring reasonable radius rules seems to make the most sense.
A good article on it is
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-10-02-residency-rules_x.htm
I assume you have a strong opinion on it and may even have a case in point regarding Peru officers? Please share if you can and tell us why you have issues with it, if you do.
If the justification in taking a squad car home is that it affords immediate response than it is only common sense that a police officer with that vehicle lives in the immediate area. The more police that live in Peru the higher is the per centage of immediate response.
Also a city employee should be interested in paying taxes in the city that employs him. Similar to supporting the hand that feeds you. Plus he/she will have more pride in their community and a larger responsibility to that city if they live there.
Before this is taken any further I understand that one of the first requirements made of the Chicago Police Force is that its membership live in the boarders of Chicago. Responsible party making this requirement-Robb Emanuel, Mayor of Chicago.
11:47 That is why I have said it is a topic of debate and discussion. Major metropolitan areas generally are able to draw from a larger pool of potential candidates. It is the same with doctors, engineers etc. Pay Scale and other amenities make the cities a bigger draw. Taxes are certainly a valid point, but I think the main reason was to keep the officers in touch with their communities with such a diverse grouping of neighbors and neighborhoods. Not as big of an issue if someone lives in the Valley .
I do not think that Chicago is a valid comparison, since traveling 20 miles and over an hour would easily be possible for an officer to go from home to their precinct while still living within the city limits. .
And the 24 hour patrol schedules generally have enough emergency response capability without resorting to on call systems.
The time lag for response in a small town is generally due to the requirement that an officer would need to drive in to the station, punch or tag in, jump in their car and head out. Depending on where the call would be, they might need to actually drive PAST the incident to get to their cars, cars that contain armament, computer connections for downloading on site instructions, hazmat info, etc. They are more like mobile command stations, and the sooner an officer is in them the better.
They often can control lights, maneuver at higher speeds more safely, and are what officers train in for high speed maneuvers and response. Making them drive their own car might save some money but I don't consider it the same as the issues with other city vehicles. I firmly support pulling away almost all other city vehicles used and parked offsite as a perc . I have been on ride alongs and encourage other citizens and journalists to do it as well if allowed by your police department. It can be an eye opener.
You make an assumption that they will take more pride in their city if they live there. That is just that an assumption. I only want them to do their jobs. Harl, Alderman A, Chamlin, Test, all live in the city and I rarely think pride in Peru motivates them. But that is editorializing.
Thanks for changing the tone of the debate by the way. I may rub you the wrong way, but you will find I respect logical analysis and alternate points of view.
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