After years of decreased funding, East Lansing police said they have almost nothing left to eliminate, but state budget cuts mean the department will lose four positions by next June.
The department has faced budget cuts for eight years, leading to decreases in equipment purchases, overtime and extra training, East Lansing police Chief Tom Wibert said. After Gov. Jennifer Granholm finalized a state fiscal year 2009-10 budget that cut revenue sharing — which funds city services such as police and fire — by about 11.1 percent, the department will eliminate one administrative position, one patrol officer, one school resource officer and one officer in the detective bureau, Wibert said.
Wibert said rather than laying off employees, the department will leave the positions vacant after officers retire or move on.
“We spent quite a bit of time (in the past) talking about things we can build — how can we build the East Lansing Police Department,” Wibert said. “Now, it has turned into what we can save.”
Granholm signed Michigan’s final six budget bills Friday, cutting East Lansing’s revenue sharing funds to $5.04 million, a decrease of about $635,000, Finance Director Mary Haskell said.
City Manager Ted Staton said the police department was just one of all city departments to face cuts.
“There will be fewer police officers, fewer fire department officers, fewer streets paved, fewer sidewalks paved, fewer library hours,” he said. “You name an area of municipal services and it will be affected.”
Staton said during the past eight years of reductions, the police department has lost 10 officer positions, representing 15 percent of the police force. The department currently has 59 sworn officers, Wibert said.
Despite the loss of four additional officers next year, Wibert said he doesn’t expect the change to affect services enough for the community to notice a change. But further cuts could have a noticeable impact, he said.
“We are still doing all the things we have been doing,” he said. “If you dial 911, we still get there and it’s still pretty quick. The question is, how much longer can we keep cutting and be able to do all the things we’re doing?”
Staton said fewer police officers could result in slower crime investigations, which could leave some unsolved. Losing the school patrol officer will create another void where students always have felt a police presence, he said. The changes the city has been forced to make are not minor, Staton said.
“I guess as long as one police officer is on the street, we can still cut, if that’s what people want,” he said.
Wibert said the ongoing cuts will help the department save some money as it anticipates larger cuts in coming years. He said he expects deeper cuts in next year’s budget.
“That chunk of money (saved) is kind of like a sandbag on the beach, so when the big wave hits, we may be able to get through it,” he said.
And Bill Ballenger, editor and publisher of Inside Michigan Politics, said it’s likely the wave will hit. The state’s financial situation next year will be as bad, if not worse, he said.
“The challenge will be just as great,” he said. “The question is, how do they resolve it and when?”
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