City manager responds to Safe Streets criticism

Kris Hill

Friday, March 23, 2001 | 10:37 a.m.

North Las Vegas City Manager Kurt Fritsch released a four-page report Thursday responding to criticisms of the Safe Streets 2000 program.

The North Las Vegas Police Officers Association accuses the City Council of abandoning the program to add more police officers and specifically blames council members John Rhodes and Stephanie Smith.

Rhodes has in turn blamed the the North Las Vegas Police Department for mismanaging the funds.

Safe Streets 2000 was funded in 1996 by a voter-approved bond issue that promised to add 68 officers and 36 civilian positions to the North Las Vegas Police Department.

Five years after the voters approved the bond issue based on the staffing projections, a total of 56 positions -- including police officers and civilians -- have been added.

The police department currently has 285 employees, of which 186 are officers and 81 are civilians, Lt. Art Redcay said. In addition, there are a number of part-time staffers whose total on the payroll equals 18 full-time employees.

Fritsch said the finger-pointing has clouded the reality of the program's funding.

"It was initially brought to the City Council in 1995 and the POA presented the 20 cent (tax) override to fund the cost of hiring an additional 104 positions over four years," Fritsch said.

"The reality is that the revenue (generated by property tax) wasn't sufficient to cover that expense and other resources had to supplement the cost of the program."

Rhodes said information included in the city manager's response has supported his claims that the City Council has done its job and that it bears no fault in the problems with the program.

"The council has met its obligation ... by putting those dollars in the police coffers ... for Safe Streets 2000," he said.

John West, director of the officers association, had a different reaction to Fritsch's response. He said the city manager seems to be blaming the officers when it is the city management that is to blame.

"Our main issue is ... that we don't have all of the personnel for Safe Streets," West said.

West said he wants to see the department receive the money it needs to provide officers to fill the promised Safe Streets positions as well as officers to compensate for the city's growth.

The funding shortfall, however, hasn't stopped the police department from trying to hire more people, city spokeswoman Brenda Johnson said. It just hasn't been able to bring in as many employees as the police department was aiming to hire.

"Eventually all 104 positions--even more--will be funded," Fritsch said.