We can only hope that members of the Memphis Police union are more accurate on the shooting range than they are in their lobbying.
Once again this year, the union is passing out pamphlets criticizing the City of Memphis budget before it’s even been completed. It’s one thing to make your case for why your deserve more money, but the union’s tendency to mangle the most basic facts paint a frightening portrait of its lack of understanding about city finances.
For example, the union’s pamphlet conflates various kinds of funding sources and projects into a mishmash of grievances with only passing acquaintance with the facts.
For example, the brochure implies that the $215 million spent on “Bass Pro Shop/Pinch District” could just as easily be spent on police officers. Besides the fact that the actual amount is $197, and that the amount wasn’t just for the Pyramid adaptive reuse project but for the city to also take sole control over the future of the Memphis Cook Convention Center and that there isn’t any money in the amount for the Pinch District retail district, the main point is that if The Pyramid project didn’t exist, it still would not free up one cent to be spent on police.
Victimized Facts
That’s because the project is being financed by a Tourism Development Zone, and in the zone, the state sales taxes are being collected and rebated to pay for the project, or put another way, the TDZ funds can only be spent on tourism magnet projects. More to the point, if those sales taxes weren’t spent here, they would simply go to Nashville and be spent all across Tennessee.
But that factual mishap is only the beginning. The pamphlet suggests that the price of Beale Street Landing, the funding for the American Queen headquarters to move to Memphis, the so-called Madison-Cooper garage (which is actually more of a flood detention basin than a garage), Electrolux, and Mitsubishi could also just as easily be spent for police. They are right that debt service payments for the projects supported by city bonds could be spent on other services, but if the police union were committed to accuracy, it would not mix capital funding and operating funding on its brochure as if they are somehow the same thing.
For example, the union complains that the city is investing $10 million in Pink Palace improvements and that this money should be spent instead of its members. Of course, it’s not $10 million that could be reallocated. It is actually $600,000 because that’s the debt service payment on the $10 million in bonds. We hope we are wrong, but it comes off as an intentional ploy by the union to confuse the public and to paint city government – which is per capita the most efficient government in Shelby County – as cash rich and ungrateful for the fine services of police officers.
The union even begrudges the fact that City of Memphis has a fund balance, apparently unaware that it has to maintain a fund balance to keep its bond rating low and to have a “rainy day” fund in case of emergencies. While we believe the fund balance is $10 million less than the union pamphlet asserts, the point is how cavalierly the union treats the facts.
Questions
Meanwhile, the union also complains that the city is spending too much on “community redevelopment programs” although in truth, it is spending way too little. The amount spent on the programs of the Housing and Community Development Division amounts to a grand total of $4.6 million which triggers federal funding in eight figures.
“Billions of dollars are spent on redevelopment and improvement programs to benefit the business community,’ the pamphlet says. We can’t even figure out how they get there from here. If they are talking about tax freezes, that amounts to $45 million or so a year and even if you add in the city debt service for the economic development projects on its list, that’s about $3 million. That’s a long way from “billions of dollars.”
Ultimately, it raises the question of how we can be expected to believe what the police union says about the crime rate when we can’t even believe what it says about its own government’s budget. In the end, the pamphlet even raises unintended questions.
The union statement, “like you, we pay city taxes and want to see our dollars put to good use” makes us wonder exactly what percentage of police union members live outside Memphis and really don’t pay city taxes. The pamphlet also says that the union supports “our city’s growth through economic development” which begs the question of why it opposes all the investments aimed at creating new jobs. The union writes that “your MPA members want you to have the facts about your taxpayer dollars,” and then delivers more fiction than fact.
Fair Play
We don’t have any problem with union members having and acting on their opinions, but we do think it’s a problem when they pretend to the public they are providing the facts and those “facts” enflame anti-government attitudes among taxpayers at the same time that the union wants more money for higher salaries and benefits from that same government.
All in all, the Memphis Police Union cheapens the value and importance of city law officers by positioning itself largely as a special interest group rather than an organization representing dedicated public servants.
We do agree with union officials when they say that City of Memphis has “money management problems” and the wrong priorities. For us, the evidence for those conclusions is the tendency to treat police and fire divisions as if they are sacrosanct and that every proposed change to their budget is a threat to Western civilization.
Here’s the thing: every service of city government – no matter what it is – should be scrutinized in detail and every employee should be justified with specific performance measurements. The resistance to change in MPD is legendary, as shown by the death by ten thousand pin pricks campaign against the current police director and the scorched earth rhetoric aimed at forcing elected officials to cower in the corner rather than ask the tough questions that need to be answered during budget hearings.
But the kicker to the union’s saber-rattling is this: there’s no grand plan to lay off police officers. The number of authorized positions in this year’s budget is a few more than last year although the union would have us believe that city officials have taken a meat cleaver to the police division’s budget. In the end, what’s left is the feeling that the lobbying is all about manipulating emotions, ignoring the facts, and creating the kind of fear in Memphis that the police – and every city employee – should be working hard to eliminate.
so glad to see the facts – i suspected some of this like the TDZ funds and wondered about the rest. Talked to some of the union members rallying along Poplar last Saturday and was buying what they were selling until i read the brochure they were distributing.
Nice spin piece. Straight from the lying baboons at city hall. The bottom line is the worthless turfs running memphis are spending money on private business and pet projects while they neglect essential city services. So you can spout ACs propaganda all want. You’re all about to get the protection you deserve. None.
Memphis5-0, what, exactly, was a lie in the post? Please enlighten us.
Memphis5-0:
Apparently you show the same disregard for the facts as the pamphlet does. Just last week, we were writing about how underfunded city services are. That said, police services are not underfunded and when compared to peer cities, we have more police officer and pay them more. More to the point, there is no direct correlation between the size of the police force and the crime rate.
We’re for a balanced budget – one that balances services besides police and fire to provide all services that are the quality ones Memphians need.
And for your second sentence, how about the data for such a statement?
You have massive crime in Memphis so what do you do? You have to have a large force. You have to pay them well to serve in this cespool. You think it’s ok for the city to violate contracts and cut pay when they have plenty of money? Ungrateful and apathetic. You deserve decreased services.
Nope, that’s the fallacy. Research shows that there is no definitive correlation between size of police force and crime. In fact, New York City reduced its police force substantially and crime fell dramatically. NYC broadened its crime-fighting to include more interventions.
If they aren’t willing to do their best because they think this is a cesspool, they simply should move. That’s exactly the kind of attitude we don’t need on the police force.
The city doesn’t have plenty of money. That’s why we’ve been saying that it needs more revenues.
Is it really decreasing services for police officers to no longer answer calls about barking dogs? Or take reports about traffic accidents that are minor? You can have fewer commissioned officers in MPD and still have the same number of patrol cars responding to crimes.
5-0,
Please cite those expenditures and projects that absorbed funding that you believe would have been better spent on police protection.
5-0,
Also, please cite your source for “plenty of money” in light of the fact the overall value of property within Memphis and Shelby County has declined over the past 10 years.
If your pay and benefits were constantly being threatened would you stay?? Would you not leave to have a more stable pay and benefits and a lot less to put up with daily? The folks who dont work in the streets have NO CLUE what the folks from MPD and MFD put up with daily. Its all fun and games until such a reduction in force is either forced upon by city hall or volunteered by many people leaving. By thens , when the citizens start complaining over it took too long for you to get here ( and threaten harm to those responders) its too late. If you dont think this city is headed toward the next detroit, I challange you to come to the paradiso next monday or tues night and watch the documentary about detroit fire. Open your eyes folks, its coming!
Every employee, no matter where they work, has the option to leave to have more stable pay and benefits and less stress, however, there is not unusual turnover rate at MPD.
All other services have been cut to pour more money into police and fire, but other cities are proving this isn’t THE answer. There’s much more to reducing the crime rate than putting more cops on the streets.
For the record, this city is not headed to become the next Detroit, and we’ve written several times about why this will us not the case.
By the way, you didn’t answer any of the questions we asked either. How about it? Is it really decreasing services for police officers to no longer answer calls about barking dogs? Or take reports about traffic accidents that are minor? You can have fewer commissioned officers in MPD and still have the same number of patrol cars responding to crimes.
Finally, regardless of what your opinion in, should the police union be engaged in fear-mongering and propaganda-oriented campaign to win the public’s support? As we said, it’s degrading to see our police officers become another special interest group.
Being a City employee is like dating. She has to be attractive or have a good personality. Both is a bonus. If she’s neither then you’re gonna look for another. And if you can’t, then you’ll just stick around and be miserable.
There is huge turnover at MPD right now. You are delusional or simply a liar. Memphis is already well on its way to being a wasteland like Detroit. Pretty soon you’ll have the public services you’re paying for. Substandard. The union is making sure the citizens see what their corrupt politicians are doing with their money. That’s their job. And there are plenty of things that can be cut from all over the city to save money. Police and Fire salaries are not one of them. But as long as they have lying sheep on their side to spread their propaganda, they’ll continue to run this shithole further into the ground. Good work.
5-0,
Please point out the fallacies in the information provided.
We don’t believe that the turnover at MPD is different than city government at large. Governments generally have significant turnover for a variety of reasons.
If you think the politicians are corrupt, call the FBI and give them your information. Otherwise, how about some facts rather than the talking points. And have there been as many corrupt politicians as corrupt policemen? In neither place do they typify the others in their group.
You still haven’t answered these questions:
Is it really decreasing services for police officers to no longer answer calls about barking dogs? Or take reports about traffic accidents that are minor? You can have fewer commissioned officers in MPD and still have the same number of patrol cars responding to crimes.
Finally, regardless of what your opinion in, should the police union be engaged in fear-mongering and propaganda-oriented campaign to win the public’s support? As we said, it’s degrading to see our police officers become another special interest group.
They need to get people like 5-0 out of speaking roles for issues like this… all rhetoric and inflammatory statements and no facts. oh and threats. those are always great ways to plead your case. you are exactly why this propaganda campaign is unsuccessful. show us facts or stop talking because you’re only making your group look worse.
Question. Where did the MPA get their numbers from? They didn’t just snatch some random numbers out of the air. They got them from our local government who documented the projected “totals” of the expenditures. They didn’t give them (MPA) the “dreak-downs”or actual numbers. Nor, does local government inform the citizenry of such. Government doesn’t need help from the MPA to enflame anti-government attitudes among taxpayers. It’s done a good job all on its own. So, to suggest that the MPA is lying, fear mongering and posturing itself as “special interest group” is not consistent with the “Fair Play” you tout.
I notice that you chide the MPA for not having the numbers right, but you agree that the ” . . . City of Memphis has “money management problems” and the wrong priorities.” But, you say that those misplaced priorities lay within the budgets of police and fire services. I ask you to produce the evidence of such. You even stoop to suggesting that the MPA ” . . . cheapens the value and importance of city law officers by positioning itself largely as a special interest group rather than an organization representing dedicated public servants.” This is the height of hypocrisy for media outlet Smart City Memphis.
Media outlets that are beholden to monied interests have done just as much if not more to enflame anti-government attitudes among taxpayers than any other institution in America. Our so-called “Fourth Estate” is complicit in hiding the truth and misleading taxpayers on money and political issues. The institution is DOA.
Additionally, to say that city government is per capita the most efficient government in Shelby County and in the same breath say you agree with union officials when they say that City of Memphis has “money management problems” and the wrong priorities, and you see the evidence for those conclusions in the City’s tendency to treat police and fire divisions as if they are sacrosanct is double-talk. You’re trying to have it both ways while scapegoating police and fire personnel. The populations of the other six cities in Shelby County combined are still just a fraction of Memphis’ population. What percentage of the time do you tune in to local news reports of police involved incidences and police cars other than MPD on the scene?
The bottom line is taking money from the pockets of MPD, MFD and city employees in general is a lot less risky politically than asking for crumbs from the real special interest groups and economic power brokers in this city. These are the people, not the MPA, who cause elected officials to cower in the corner for fear of not getting political favors and/or support rather than ask the tough questions about the disparity between how they benefit from these investments versus how the citizens benefit.
Who’s interests are you representing and protecting Smart City Memphis?
Just Sharing.
The city’s money management problems are part and parcel of spending too much on police and fire services. It creates a squeeze play in which neighborhood services are sacrificed in pursuit of more police officers to reduce crime, because it’s a good political talking point but not necessarily smart policy, which needs the fight against crime to be about more than just locking up more people.
Some of the numbers provided by MPA are wrong, but event if they are all correct, context matters and that’s the primary point of our post. The MPA intentionally warps the facts to fit a preconceived point of view that’s all about union activism and nothing about public servanthood.
Here’s the factoid: Every penny of property tax collected in Memphis is not enough to fund the police and fire department budgets. It’s an indication of how out of balance the budgets are in terms of balanced responsibilities to all public services.
Thanks for the comment.