Last night at the Provo Police Citizen’s Academy we had a fantastic discussion on Drug Enforcement. Officer Powell was very knowledgeable about the incredibly difficult and impressively dedicated job our officers undergo as they seek to protect the public.

Drug Enforcement

It seems to me that it could be a very, very discouraging job with having to make due as our Provo officers have had to do for a very long time. They are critically understaffed for the sweeping epidemic that the drug traffic trade has created in our country. Yet with scarce resources, they put themselves in the line of danger to serve and protect.

It became very clear to me that meth is an epidemic and if we are to fight it effectively we need the tools and the manpower. We ask these officers to enter contaminate scenes, with dangerous environmental  issues, and often dangerous and unstable criminals. They willingly put their lives on the line, they put their health on the line, and they put their safety on the line to do a job.

But as I sat there for hours listening, my mind was asking, “How do we create a sustainable budget that supports the needs of this community and the level of service and protection and training that we want from our police force.”

A Real Need for Tools

I learned that the TASERs our officers use, only when the need for a higher level of control is warranted by the situation, are soon going to need to be replaced. Let me tell you…they aren’t cheap. And the individual cartridges are not cheap. And each officer has to certify annually. That’s just one item. They need a K-9 unit. They need equipment and additional officers.

We have some real needs in our public safety departments (and I also know of needs in other departments in the city) that are becoming critical. Let’s not be afraid of the real conversations that need to happen.

Municipal Council Budget Retreat

The Municipal Council will be holding a budget retreat on Thursday, April 7 from 9 a.m. to 2 pm in the City Conference Room. The purpose for that meeting is to address public safety in order to provide a multifaceted strategy to reduce future budget deficits.

9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.   |   Review of Police Department audit   |   David Bolda

9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.   |   Review of the current Police Department funding  |   Denise Roy

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.   |   Discussion on challenges of the Police Department | David Bolda

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.   |   Discussion regarding the desired service levels for the Police Department David Bolda and Wayne Parker

12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.  |   Lunch break

12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.    |   Discussion on possible funding sources  |  Council discussion

1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.  |  Discussion on Council Intents for next steps  |  Council discussion

The public is welcome to come and observe. I’d love to hear your opinions, your ideas, your suggestions. You can use my comment form.

Now on to the TASER…

To conclude our night at the Citizen’s Academy, we all had a chance to be TASERed. I admit it, I was very reticent. Officer Patrick actually talked me into it. And I’m glad he did. It is an effective tool and one that I think prevents the use of deadly force in difficult situations.

Check out the pictures of the TASER Experience: