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twitterHenderson police chief asks to up sales tax for more officers
Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009 | 6:30 p.m.
Jutta Chambers
Henderson Police Chief Jutta Chambers made her case Tuesday for a quarter-percent sales tax increase that would be used to hire and equip additional officers.
Speaking to nine state legislators who met with Henderson officials for a pre-legislative session briefing, Chambers said the quarter-cent tax the Legislature approved for Clark County in 2005 has allowed Henderson to hire 102 additional officers. Countywide, Chambers said, the number of new police officers on the street is 760.
The Legislature OK'd the sales tax increase after voters approved a ballot question authorizing a one-half cent boost in the sales tax to pay for police officers. At the time, the Legislature said it would consider approving the additional quarter-cent in the 2009 session if the police agencies that had requested the increase could show that the first quarter-cent had a positive impact and that the second quarter-cent was needed.
The 102 additional officers have increased the city's police officer ratio to 1.5 officers per 1,000 residents, Chambers said, adding that is still below the national average of 2.5 officers per 1,000 residents.
Henderson has seen reductions in nearly every type of crime, she said, but she cautioned that the city risks losing the gains if a population increase drives that ratio back down.
"There are some pretty significant consequences that could occur if we don't find a way to maintain those staffing levels and the officer ratios we have," Chambers said.
The additional officers, Chambers said, have allowed the department to increase patrols. She referred to a Saturday incident in which a Henderson patrol officer was able to foil a possible kidnapping and sexual assault by stopping a suspicious vehicle in which the driver was allegedly holding the woman at knife point.
"Those kind of things wouldn't have happened two or three years ago, because our officers were so busy," Chambers said. "They didn't have time to do that kind of patrol."
State Sen. Warren Hardy, who represents a portion of Henderson in Senate District 12, said he has been and remains in favor of the tax increase, but fears putting more police on the street without beefing up the courts and jails. If criminals are not held, he said, it will lead to a "revolving door" justice system.
Henderson has hired additional court personnel to handle the workload that comes with more officers making more arrests, Chambers said, but Hardy said the request for an additional quarter-cent increase may be subject to some scrutiny to ensure that other jurisdictions are doing the same.
"I'm wholeheartedly in support of this," Hardy said. "I just want to make sure that it's doing everything we need it to do to keep bad guys off the streets."
A bill that would grant the additional increase had not been filed or requested at the Legislature as of Jan. 7, though another bill, which would allow counties to increase property taxes by up to 10 cents per $100 of a property's assessed value to fund public safety, health and welfare services, has been filed by the Nevada Association of Counties.
Jeremy Twitchell can be reached at 990-8928 or jeremy.twitchell@hbcpub.com.
Discussion: 18 comments so far…
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Henderson, that crime-ridden hell hole. Not. Didn't I read we have 306 cops in a relatively docile town? Have you ever NOT seen at least 2 cruisers, usually Tahoes, at every roadside stop? So they need more well paid under worked employees sucking up huge pension benefits at our expense. More Luke Morrison Ice Cream killers on the loose? I'd say the chief has big cajones, but I'm not sure of the gender version. What a disgrace....
More taxes? Are these people nuts? We are in the beginning of a "depression" and these people want more. What is going to happen over the next two to three years will be horrible. Maybe they are getting out ahead of all the crime thats bound to take place when unemployment hits 25% or more. They should be finding ways to cut the payroll.
Do you ever seem to notice while watching the news, if they do a story on any crime scene or traffic stop, that there seems to be about 12 -15 officers just chatting on camera.
Do you also ever seem to notice any traffic stop there are multiple cars with multiple officers each?
Do you ever seem to notice any fire, that there are a dozen fire engines and 4-5 dozen firefighters (and only one spraying water)?
Just wondering!
"Henderson has seen reductions in nearly every type of crime, she said, but she cautioned that the city risks losing the gains if a population increase drives that ratio back down".
Henderson is one of the safest places to live in Nevada because of the quality of our police officers. However, now is not the time to ask for a tax increase to increase the number of officers on the street as the population growth is nothing like it was over the last 20 years.
Is she nuts?
Does she not know that the population in Clark county is decreasing not increasing?
Does she not know that almost everytime there is a car accident like 3 or more of her squad cars show up?
Is she clueless about the economy?
It's merely an attempt to raise tax revenue via the guise of "public safety." It's one of the oldest political tools around and has proved popular with the American public for the last few years.
Perhaps the city should look into reducing waste and inefficiency, then divert the savings into the police force, if it's that important.
"It's been my experience, for the last 16 years, that Henderson Cops are the worst of the bunch."
Not surprising you see them that way. Given your posts on this board, it makes perfect sense.
Do you ever notice how many of your posts are removed? I imagine your outer life is the same, and that the police take issue with your behavior there as well. Of course then, you would see them in a bad light.
Henderson cops are the worst bunch of criminals in the bunch. They don't need more money to commit the type of crimes the are supposed to protect its citizens from.
Stop giving a tank (i.e., Chevy Tahoe) to every last Henderson patrol officer, Chief Chambers, and this Henderson resident MIGHT consider it.
Otherwise, looks to me like you're frittering away the cash we're already giving you.
Let's remember too that once you get a sales tax increase, it is almost always, and I mean always in place forever. As our economy tanks and tanks, you can be sure that your 1/4% increase will stay in effect. Forever. And despite the extreme economic downturn, you can be sure that you will also see cruisers parked in the back of PT's. Daily, nightly. Welcome to Redneck Hell...
Henderson has too many cops as it is. They have become a revenue generating department for the city by issuing so many BS traffic tickets. I see Henderson cops frequently on the 215 on ramps pointing their radar guns at freeway traffic! Is that not the jursidiction of the NHP? Every traffic stop I see has at least two patrol SUVs and four officers. The population is not increasing and Henderson is hardly a crime-ridden community. We have some of the highest household income zip codes in the western US. This is a joke. People are losing their jobs and homes and Henderson is already well staffed in law enforcement.
I have never flagged one of your posts, or anyone else for that matter. Just thought you might want to be heard, instead of just being hateful. My bad.
"The day I start trying to fit in with you and your little "blog buddies" is they day I will be all for Gay Marriage."
Is there anyone you do not hate? By the way, by default you are one of my blog buddies. Haha!
Reminds me of that excellent recent movie "V for Vendetta" -- "for your safety"
I have a better idea.
Let's take all our money, put it in a pile, and light it on fire.
I got pulled over for a minor traffic infraction ( must have been a slow day ) and THREE cars showed up.
Any reduction in crime is NOT because of these cops. It's because there's been a HUGE population loss in the Las Vegas area.
Remember...for every ONE "documented" resident, there are 5 more "here on vacation for 4 months, but i have a job" resident.
So, when they say 10,000 people have left, that means probably 40,000 people have left. That's why there's been a decrease in crime. Less cars = less cars to break into. More vacant homes = less homes to break into.
More money for cops would be like advertising in the Review-Journal. A total waste of money.
Nougat I agree - just the other day there were 5 (count em 5 ) 4 blazers and 1 auto - all driving down Green Valley Parkway in the middle of the day - all headed in the same direction - not in any particular hurry (so I doubt they were headed to a crime scene). So I have to ask myself - just WHERE were they all headed? And why drive the gas guzzlers? And why are 2 cop cars parked near the HS on Warm Springs at 4:30am when I go past there every morning on my way to work? Coffee Break perhaps? The LAST thing they need is to raise taxes for MORE waste.
Nothing more than empire building by the Chief ...they will keep requesting increases from now til doomsday no matter how much they get.
Previous poster was right when they show up they show up in multiples everything is a swat response to them