Chief defends need for force

SALEM - Police Chief Robert Floor reacted before City Council Tuesday to recent attempts by city Auditor James Armeni to convince council to contract police services from the county sheriff.

In a memo he read, which was addressed to council, the mayor's office and the director of service and safety, Floor talked about how much the police department has meant to the city and how vital it has been since it was created in the late 1800s.

"I am proud to continue that long tradition as the 12th chief of police of the City of Salem," Floor said of the city's long history of service. "I am not proud of the decimation my department has suffered in the past couple years. We should not be considering outsourcing our police services to others. Instead we should be looking at how we can maintain the proud tradition we have all enjoyed for so many years of supporting our very fine safety forces and keeping them as a proud symbol of the City of Salem."

Floor pointed out that until recent financial difficulties, Salem police jobs attracted the "best of the best" to apply and were considered a high goal for those entering the field. Police officers in Salem maintained high levels of training and professionalism, Floor said. They received a "decent wage package" along with job security. Now Floor said the best applicants would fear the lack of job security in light of recent layoffs and the city's financial stress.

"The fact is if you want the best applicants you must be prepared to pay a fair wage to attract them," Floor said. "If you don't, you will get what you have paid for."

Floor suggested a first step of repealing the reciprocity benefit that allows Salem residents paying income taxes in other towns where they work not to pay the 1 percent to Salem. He also said Salem may have to ask voters to increase income taxes.

Instead of legislating changes to the safety forces, Floor suggested city leaders should be looking at what funding is needed to keep the city healthy and ask residents to decide the future.

"Although nobody ever wants additional taxes, I believe the citizens of Salem will understand the value and need to keep our own police department and will support us," Floor said.

In return, Floor said city leaders need to show they can work together and are good stewards of the residents' money. He promised every dollar of which he has control will be used frugally.

Although one of the three laid-off police officers has been called back, that was only after one police officer resigned to take a job in another town, so the department remains at lower staffing numbers, mostly with only three men per shift. Floor said May numbers show 2,804 telephone calls to the police station and 6,570 radio calls, including 1,034 calls that required police officer response. Official complaints were investigated and filed for 701 of those calls. That was 7.5 percent higher than April, and Floor pointed out historically June, July and August are always even higher.

Floor was not the only one to address council on the issue. Among many of her points, Aveyah Beiling Cline of the Veteran's and Citizen's Group Watch said they also do not agree with the idea of the sheriff's department taking over the police services for Salem. She added the sheriff's department has laid off often in the past, and she also believes the city's department benefits from DEA money and the backup it receives from the DEA in drug-related crimes.

In other matters before council:

- Mayor Jerry Wolford announced he has met with the representatives of the unions and Morris Insurance, who has provided the city's health insurance in the past. There is a similar scheduled meeting with Acuri and Associates today. Wolford said he soon hopes to be able to present a proposal to council. The city's health insurance policy runs out July 1.

- Treasurer Robert Tullis reported the city's income tax collections are up 5.78 percent, although withholding is down 11.5 percent. The large increase is due to more business taxes and personal taxes filed, but also could be due to checks being processed more quickly than a year ago. Those interested in looking at the figures themselves can look on the city's Web site or contact the income tax office during office hours.

- Director of Service and Safety Steve Andres told council about recent work to the sidewalk in front of Wolford's business, which was damaged due to a semi truck. He also told council work done at the intersection of Lincoln and State Street was done after a utilities department water valve leak caused problems under the street.

Councilman David Nestic questioned whether the street department had ever billed the utilities department in such cases, but Andres said that has happened in the past only for projects like street extensions, not due to damages.

While repairing the street, it was determined that the bricks in the crosswalk, which used to be more than three inches thick have worn down at least an inch. To replace the 20,000 bricks in the crosswalk at $1.75 per brick is going to cost about $37,000.

Nestic asked if the city had considered instead using cement cut to look like bricks. Andres said it was possible.

- A finance committee meeting was set for 8 a.m. Thursday.

djohnson@mojonews.com