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More Manteca Police officers hinge on revenue
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By DENNIS WYATT

Manteca (Calif.) Bulletin

Councilman Vince Hernandez would hire additional police officers in a heartbeat - if he could.

Hernandez related how a Manteca couple told him they came within seconds of being T-boned on Louise Avenue when two cars of apparent gang members trading signs sped down the street. It was the same night that a drive-by shooter fired two rounds into a crowded restaurant on West Yosemite Avenue with bullets narrowly missing patrons while three guests were injured by flying glass.

“It’s getting out of hand,” Hernandez said.

No one on the City Council believes Manteca has enough officers given the resilience of gangs.

The council has made it clear on two occasions that they want police officer positions restored first and foremost when revenue allows it.

After trimming city operations back significantly as well as securing $6 million in compensation concessions from custodians and police officers to the city manager to balance the budget, the only way to add positions is more tax dollars from rebounding sales tax, property tax, and the Measure M half cent public safety tax.

Cutting spending elsewhere isn’t seen as an alternative due to the how far back service levels have already been scaled.  And slicing into a thin reserve is dangerous as it would undo actions put in place designed to get Manteca out from under the city’s structured deficit and no longer spending more than they take in during a given year.

City Manager Karen McLaughlin is currently working on the 2012-13 fiscal year budget due to go before the council on June 28. After the city financial staff collects revenue data and makes conservative projections based on trends plus all essential expenses are identified, McLaughlin said the city will have an answer to whether they can afford more police officers in the coming fiscal year.

McLaughlin noted the council has made it clear they want more police officers as soon as the city can afford it followed by additional firefighters “where feasible.”

The city manager pointed out adding additional firefighters is a bit more problematic because to effectively expand coverage due to engine staffing requirements they must add more than one firefighter to be effective.

“You can’t afford to put a police officer on every corner,” McLaughlin noted, in emphasizing city management is keenly aware of the public’s concern about random gang violence.

She lauded the police department for redirecting resources to make sure that their presence on the streets is kept as strong as possible. That was done by reducing the ranks of specialty units such as traffic enforcement.

The loss of general fund revenue forced the layoff of 12 police officers in October 2009. Manteca had peaked at 72 officers and is now down to 59 sworn officers. There would have been four more layoffs but a federal grant allowed Manteca to fund those four positions. The plan is to use Measure M revenues when that grant money runs out to avoid eliminating the positions. The city has been building up a reserve in the Measure M accounts preparing for that day.

City leaders have reassured that Manteca Police staffing will not drop below current levels.

The Measure M tax passed by voters five years ago is funding 11 police officers while the interest from an endowment fund set aside for public safety hiring with growth fees paid by developers pays the salaries of another two officers. Without those two sources of income, Manteca would have 46 officers instead of 59.

Overall, Manteca has reduced its municipal workforce by 21 percent over the past four years through early retirements, retirements, employers leaving for other jobs, and layoffs.