We’ve decided to end the week with one more post about the $1 million-plus police station plan, primarily because this week’s Park Ridge Herald-Advocate carries a letter by cop shop guru Frank Gruba-McCallister that seems so disingenuous as to require comment. 

For the sake of brevity and clarity, we’ve interlineated our comments in bracketed bold type.

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Urge officials to fund Police Station plan

Over the past several months, the Police Chief’s Advisory Task Force has sought a solution to correct “the urgent deficiencies in the Park Ridge police station” [How “urgent” can these “deficiencies” be, considering that many/most of them are “structural” and have been part of the police station since it was opened? And which, by the way, houses a police department that continually receives high marks from the agency(ies) that rate police departments.] in a cost-effective way. The resulting plan was presented to the mayor and the City Council, and the aldermen have studied ways to fund it. I am one of the many volunteers who helped develop this plan and I am a longtime resident of Park Ridge. As such, I strongly encourage every citizen to study this plan (it can be found on the Police Department website, www.parkridge.us/police). It explicitly presents the deficiencies of our current police station, explains the hazards they create [Like mold infestation, which is being ignored for the first two years of the plan’s three-year duration?] and outlines a solution for a cost well under that of constructing a new station. [Does that mean, Mr. G-M, that you consider “cost effective” to be anything less than the cost of a brand new police station?] If you agree with its conclusions, I ask that you encourage the mayor and the City Council to fund it.

Among the many obligations of the city government to the citizens of Park Ridge, one of the greatest is public safety. [On that, we agree wholeheartedly with Mr. G-M. And that’s one of the reasons why we object to plans that, on their face, seem knee-jerk, half-baked and bass-ackwards.]  We enjoy living in a generally safe and secure community. Part of the reason for this is the investment made in our police and fire departments. However, our sense of safety should not lull us into complacency. Communities just as small as ours, and just as generally safe, have suffered from crime outbreaks [What kind of “crime outbreaks” are you talking about, Mr. G-M? And what communities like ours have suffered from them?] and natural disasters [What kind of “natural disasters”? Did we miss a recent earthquake in Elmhurst, or a tsunami engulfing Wilmette?] that would severely tax our present police facilities. The fact that the recent murder investigation had to be [“Had to be,” as in somebody of authority requiring that it be?] relocated to Rolling Meadows because our station was too small to accommodate outside personnel highlights its shortcomings. [Did running the investigation out of Rolling Meadows compromise it in any way, Mr. G-M? If so, how?] 

Recent fire and police budgets have been cut. As a result, both departments have fewer personnel and resources. Any time a department is asked to do more with less, no matter how conscientious and creative its employees may be in performing their duties, the risk of not being able to meet a need increases. [How much has the “risk” actually increased? What if the department had previously been over-staffed?] 

In some enterprises it may make sense to operate with a narrow allowance for the unexpected. But in regards to police and fire services, such an approach does not pay off. [Why not? What serious and/or dangerous lapses in police and fire services have occurred as a direct result of the police and fire personnel layoffs in the past few years, or from the budget cuts?] By their very nature, they are emergency services and to prepare for emergencies a community must be proactive. Being proactive means taking steps to minimize the impact of a disaster [What kind of “disaster,” Mr. G-M? Plane crash? Tornado? Carrot Top performing at the Pickwick?]; that is, not waiting until a problem crops up and then fashioning an expensive, patchwork solution. Recent economic conditions and imprudent financial decisions made in the past (e.g. the Uptown TIF) have clearly placed strains on the city budget. However, the cost incurred by just one serious incident for which we are unprepared could dwarf our present money woes. [What kind of “serious incident” are you concerned about, and what kind of costs? If you’re truly concerned about health and safety, why does your plan put off until at least its third year the remediation of what appears to be the only concrete health hazard identified in the current cop shop – mold infestation – even though Chief Kaminski himself recognizes there may not be funding available by year three?]

We all pay for insurance for our home, life and automobiles knowing that it is prudent and responsible to do so, but also hoping that a tragic event does not require our using it. An investment in our safety and well-being [Mr. G-M, are you saying that every element of your cop shop plan “insures” that no problem will arise with that element once it is implemented?] is a sound investment even if it may come at some cost. [What’s the dollar-for-dollar return on this particular “investment”] The need for a better facility for our police department is the proverbial tip of the iceberg of a need to invest more fully in those who have committed themselves to protect and serve members of our community.

Frank Gruba-McCallister

Park Ridge Police Chief’s Advisory Task Force

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