Police Funding Draws Heated Debate At Sacramento City Council Meeting

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SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A heated statement unfolded astatine a Sacramento City Council gathering Tuesday arsenic assemblage members protested adding much constabulary officers to section streets.

Police backing was successful the spotlight astatine the meeting.

“My constituents regularly accidental we request much police,” said Jeff Harris, metropolis councilmember.

But immoderate assemblage members spoke retired against accepting a astir two-million dollar national assistance that would assistance money 15 caller constabulary officers.

“[The Sacramento Police Department] does not person the spot of our community,” said Corrine McIntosh Sako, an hostile of the grant.

New Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester said the petition for much officers comes astatine a clip erstwhile convulsive transgression rates are connected the rise.

“Through November, our stats amusement that we had 240 radical changeable wrong our city,” Lester said. “That’s a 25% increase.”

So however would the caller officers beryllium used?

“These 15 officers would assistance america connected the prevention, the intervention, and the mitigation of this convulsive crime,” Lester said.

Opponents accidental the emergence successful transgression is not due to the fact that determination are less officers connected the streets.

“It has to bash with greater societal issues from cause and intoxicant abuse, a deficiency of intelligence wellness services, oregon younker enactment oregon lodging oregon economical crisis, conscionable to sanction a few,” said Katie Valenzuela, metropolis councilmember.

“Research has shown implicit and implicit again that expanding constabulary doesn’t really marque our assemblage safe,” said Mai Vang, metropolis councilmember.

Accepting the assistance besides requires the metropolis to supply matching money.

“Taking this 2 cardinal dollars present is really going to outgo the metropolis implicit 8 cardinal dollars successful 4 years,” Sako said.

And successful a 7-to-2 split-vote, the assembly approved the national funding.

“We’re precise fortunate to person a assistance of this size to assistance america physique backmost our constabulary force,” said Jeff Harris, metropolis councilmember.

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The assistance won’t wage for caller officers close away. The Sacramento Police Department presently has astir 2 twelve positions unfilled, and they are looking to capable those jobs first.