Tomorrow night (August 7, 7:00 p.m. at City Hall) the City Council’s Public Safety Committee will have two issues on its agenda that deserve close public scrutiny.

The first is the long-awaited “Linkage Agreement” [pdf] proposed by that homeless shelter franchise known as PADS.  All we can say is: What a joke!  We can’t remember the last time we saw such a collection of warm-and-fuzzy nonsense masquerading as a legally binding contract.  That the PADS operators can even present such a document to the City displays a level of chutzpah that we have come to expect from folks like Bill Napleton and those shameless real estate speculators and developers who think they are entitled to taxpayer handouts.

We can’t wait to see whether any of Mayor Howard “Let’s Make A Deal” Frimark’s alderpuppets have the nerve and/or the brass to step up and cheerlead for this meaningless piece of paper.  We also hope the Park Ridge Ministerial Association and Fr. Carl Morello show up to give us their “Who Would Jesus Indemnify” viewpoint, especially now that the reports about violent attacks by homeless people seem to be increasing. 

But that may only be the undercard.  The more meaty discussion could involve the City’s ongoing pursuit of a big new cop shop.  To that end, Public Safety Chairman Ald. Frank Wsol (7th Ward) has drafted a memorandum [pdf] setting forth a process for further exploration of this project.  While it’s not a bad way to start, it does have a few shortcomings that should be dealt with sooner rather than later:

·         “(1)  Build a portfolio…”  When discussing what our community can afford, we would like to see “hard” conservative numbers, not the kind of pie-in-the-sky, funny money projections that former City Mgr. Tim Schuenke was infamous for producing out of thin air when the previous (pre-reduction) City Council’s Public Safety Committee considered this issue in the spring of 2007.  We would also like to hear an informed and detailed discussion of the effect financing of a big new cop shop will have on the rest of City operations and taxes for at least as many years as any bond issue will extend.

And because of how uncertain and speculative such projections become even 10 years out, we strongly suggest that the Public Safety Committee seriously consider a 10 year bond issue rather than the more common 20 year issue.  Locking in long-term fixed and certain bonded debt obligations becomes increasingly dangerous when our ability to pay those obligations remains dependent upon sometimes wildly fluctuating economic conditions – including a potential property tax dilemma that could result from a combination of declining property values and the differing abilities of a home-rule taxing body like the City versus the non home-rule bodies like our school district and Park District to levy and collect more taxes.

·         “(2)  List all potential PD facility sites considered.”  That’s fine, as far as it goes.  But if we are looking at building a brand new building, why hasn’t anybody within City government – or even any of those high-priced consultants the City loves to hire – attempted to identify the optimal location in Park Ridge for that purpose?  After all, a new cop shop is going to cost a lot of money and is intended to last us for the next 40 years.  There has to be one spot in all of Park Ridge that would be the ideal location, based on: railroad track issues; access, distance and travel time to every area of the City; and whatever other factors the PRPD can identify as relevant to how it performs its services. 

Until now, the City has spent all of its land acquisition efforts on what sites are “available” – which seems to mean which ones are on the market and just how well-connected (wink, wink)  the owner(s) are.  It’s time to identify the absolute best location for whatever new cop shop might be built rather than waste more time and effort looking at whatever site may be available and owned by somebody’s friend or political contributor. 

·         “(3)…It may be equally beneficial to re-visit a sampling of the previously discussed numerous weaknesses of the existing facilities….”  That is exactly correct, but those “weaknesses” need to all be re-visited from the perspective of (a) space, and (b) how the proposed alternatives would substantively and practically affect crime prevention, crime investigation, crime prosecution, and overall community safety/security.  Can anybody in City government, including the PRPD, answer this 4-part question: “If the PRPD had an additional 30,000 square feet of space like the ‘experts’ are recommending…

      (a) what crime(s) that have occurred could have been prevented?

      (b) what crime(s) could have been better/more successfully investigated?

      (c) what crime(s) could have been better/more successfully prosecuted?

      (d) how much safer and more secure would the average Park Ridge citizen be?

Until those questions can be meaningfully answered, further exploration of a big new cop shop, or even a major renovation/addition to the existing one, is a waste of time and money.

And before making yet another commitment to brick and mortar, how about figuring out what the human factors – the police officers and staff – still need and deserve in the way of salary, benefits, training and equipment.  It’s those people – not a big building with a bronze plaque bearing the names of a lot of public officials – that keep us safe and secure on our streets and in our homes.