New Riot Buster?

[Cyclonepride]

Police are in the right 99.9% of the time. It's the 0.1% of the time they are in the wrong that everyone hears about. When's the last time an Iowa officer was in the wrong?

Well that DM cop wrecking his squad car while on meth...

Or the Pleasant Hill cop who rolled his SUV while on meth...

 

[Incyte]

I just rummaged around in my paperwork pile from being on city council for four years. I found the old sheriff contract, but unfortunately it dies not reference the Iowa Code chapter I'm looking for, and it appear I already tossed the letter from Fitzgerald that provided Code references.

In short - here were our choices as a small town -
1) Form our own police department that covers 24/7. <<Too expensive for a small town.>>
2) Contract with sheriff at his per capita charge, which I think is $50 or $52/person, and based on most recent census numbers. [NOTE - this is how Story County sets in up. In other counties they may choose to use an hourly rate for service, etc.] As per the letter the Sheriff Fitzgerald sent to us, and our insurance provider when we balked at his price and built-in increase of 4 or 5%/year, he said they were answer life threatening calls in our town if we did not sign the contract but not police reports would be filed. The aftershocks of this is that the city may no be secure insurance coverage NOR residents as a result.
-> The irony here, is that if your property is outside the city limits, the sheriff will continue to provide full service to you, and you are not subject to the per capita like your neighbor is inside the city limits.

So true, Iowa municipalities do not have to contract with the sheriff. They can form their own police department.

This was major topic of discussion all four years I was on council. As was what I call the library fiasco. State law also requires municipalities to provide a library. Our town of 300-ish shut the door on our tiny library. When the Ames library got wind of it they sent a letter saying that unless we struck an agreement with a neighboring municipality to provide library services to our resident, our residents were banned form using the Ames library. Ultimately we signed an agreement and cut an annual check to a neighboring town for joint services. I think it's BS but what do you do?

People live in small towns because the cost of living is lower. But after my council experience, I was so tired of being hamstrung by people who want the lower cost of living but expect the same services as they'd receive in a larger municipality AND trying to make our small stream of tax revenue do everything from fix streets to meet the EPA/DNR's sewage treatment standards, remove snow, maintain a city park, provide safe drinking water, etc., etc. AND meet what seems like an inordinate amount of state and federal requirements that you don't think of, like libraries and whatnot.

I think small towns that don't want to provide City services should un-incorporate and fold back into the County.

 

[bugs4cy]

I think small towns that don't want to provide City services should un-incorporate and fold back into the County.

That would be nice … but then no one pays for the streets, it's a public water supply with all those regulations, as well as most everyone is somewhere in the midst of a 20-year bond on waste water lagoons - and those come with regulations that must be followed.

It's not that small towns don't want to provide services, it's very difficult with the small tax based.

 

[sadam]

I think its ridiculous these damn things were ever made. People should be completely outraged the federal government ever blew this money in the first place to go around policing the word. Our local police force recently acquired one as well and the price tag for it was $733,000 dollars. Its the bae caimen 6 wheel. I'm not mad at the police force for acquiring it I'm mad that we went to Iraq and Afghanistan wasted a ton of money fighting a war that will absolutely do nothing but cause more hatred world wide for the US and now that were pulling out a lot if these mraps are just being scrapped in Afghanistan. Ones that are being brought home are being given away! Good job blowing money Federal government! I'm not even going to say its my money because because its not, this is printed or borrowed money. All our tax money was was blown long ago, we are now $17 trillion in debt people. Pull your heads out ta your ***** and be mad at the federal government for ruining the dollar not at the local police for taking free half million dollar pieces of equipment.

 

[sadam]

So then are you an advocate for general public being armed and trained in the use of firearms so that they can defend themselves during the average wait times for police response?

I think most law enforcement is all for mentally stable and responsible people being well trained and armed to be able to protect themselves. I think most are also very against these stupid gun free zones.

 

[Dreamyfred]

Police are in the right 99.9% of the time. It's the 0.1% of the time they are in the wrong that everyone hears about. When's the last time an Iowa officer was in the wrong?

Id say chasing a mentally unstable kid through campus when his boss told him to lay off, then putting a few bullets in his head.

 

[Freebird]

Thanks for the info. I do not envy you.

I just rummaged around in my paperwork pile from being on city council for four years. I found the old sheriff contract, but unfortunately it dies not reference the Iowa Code chapter I'm looking for, and it appear I already tossed the letter from Fitzgerald that provided Code references.

In short - here were our choices as a small town -
1) Form our own police department that covers 24/7. <<Too expensive for a small town.>>
2) Contract with sheriff at his per capita charge, which I think is $50 or $52/person, and based on most recent census numbers. [NOTE - this is how Story County sets in up. In other counties they may choose to use an hourly rate for service, etc.] As per the letter the Sheriff Fitzgerald sent to us, and our insurance provider when we balked at his price and built-in increase of 4 or 5%/year, he said they were answer life threatening calls in our town if we did not sign the contract but not police reports would be filed. The aftershocks of this is that the city may no be secure insurance coverage NOR residents as a result.
-> The irony here, is that if your property is outside the city limits, the sheriff will continue to provide full service to you, and you are not subject to the per capita like your neighbor is inside the city limits.

So true, Iowa municipalities do not have to contract with the sheriff. They can form their own police department.

This was major topic of discussion all four years I was on council. As was what I call the library fiasco. State law also requires municipalities to provide a library. Our town of 300-ish shut the door on our tiny library. When the Ames library got wind of it they sent a letter saying that unless we struck an agreement with a neighboring municipality to provide library services to our resident, our residents were banned form using the Ames library. Ultimately we signed an agreement and cut an annual check to a neighboring town for joint services. I think it's BS but what do you do?

People live in small towns because the cost of living is lower. But after my council experience, I was so tired of being hamstrung by people who want the lower cost of living but expect the same services as they'd receive in a larger municipality AND trying to make our small stream of tax revenue do everything from fix streets to meet the EPA/DNR's sewage treatment standards, remove snow, maintain a city park, provide safe drinking water, etc., etc. AND meet what seems like an inordinate amount of state and federal requirements that you don't think of, like libraries and whatnot.