Reality-BasedTM Political Numbers from Nicholas Beaudrot
Electoral Math
Reality-BasedTM Political Numbers from Nicholas Beaudrot
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Seattle City Councilman Peter Steinbruck recently suggested that the city add 250 more police officers to improve crime control. Based on the latest FBI crime survey, the city has very little violent crime, but more than its share of property crime—theft, burglary, and auto theft. So adding more cops is probably not a bad idea.
Steinbruck engages in a little slight of hand, though:
The hires would cost about $5 million a year, said Steinbrueck, who acknowledged he doesn't have a plan for raising taxes or cutting spending to cover that. But he thinks he can develop one.
One could interpret Steinbruck's statement to mean that he would have to find $5 million in tax increases and spending cuts to fund new cops. But the $5 million figure reflects the per year increase, meaning that Steinbruck will have to find $25 million to add the police force he wants, or roughly $55 per resident. That would represent a 13% increase in the department's workforce and a similar increase in its budget.
Perhaps that's a good idea. $25M is roughly 2.8% of the city's general fund revenues, so it's possible a reasonable package of small tax increases and spending shifts could fund the department. In addition, rather than strictly adding 250 cops, the city might figure out how to put more sworn officers out on the street rather than sitting behind desks. But either way we should be more upfront about the costs.
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updated by Nicholas Beaudrot on 08:12 10 October 2006
