Mayor Sam Adams came out with his final budget today, after his initial budget released a couple weeks ago touched off unexpected protests from the police department and an angry Facebook group committed to saving the mounted patrol units Adams planned to cut.
- Jon Sperry
- This amazing illustration is no longer relevant.
Well, the final budget puts the mounted patrol back in action. Part of what will save the mounted patrol is a $100,000 private donation from Friends of Mounted Patrol, a group with the backing of downtown developer/former Adams-challenger and Breedlove scandalmonger Bob Ball.
Instead of cutting the 25 uniformed officers ex-Chief Sizer threatened to hack, Adams’ and Chief Reese’s new budget will cut 35 “non-sworn” officers, like desk clerks and records specialists. Also getting the cut, sadly, is $300,000 Adams originally directed toward homeless and housing funding in his first budget.
“You don’t cut budgets and not have an impact,” says Adams. “The money for housing and homeless, we’re able to stay within the ballpark of what we had last year, while having to make deep cuts citywide.”
Though the housing bureau is still getting $1 million in one-time funding they weren’t guaranteed and the mayor did not cut any money from the plans to rebuild Hooper Detox and a new mental health crisis center, the housing bureau will be getting $800,000 less overall this coming year than it did last year. Housing Commissioner Nick Fish’s Chief of Staff Betsy Ames was just glad the cuts weren’t deeper. “We don’t see it as a cut. The overall balancing of the budget has been a challenge for the mayor,” says Ames.
But to me it looks like the mayor is prioritizing horsies over homeless people. The city could save $150,000 by switching the mounted patrol to bikes, says Adams. Added bonus: bikes don’t shit on the streets.
That was a pretty stupid decision, I must say. I thought ridding the PPB of the mounted patrol was a good thing.
Me too. Sounds like he’s still bending to Rosie.
I also happen to believe that mounted patrol in an entirely urban city is ridiculous. As stated in the article, converting that to bikes would save boatloads, and it would also probably be much more effective in apprehending criminals. Bikes tend to be a bit more nimble than horses. Plus, you can pick it up and run with it over obstacles, through mud, etc. Not so with a horse.
Horsies = intimidating.
Have for centuries. I’m not so sure it’s worth keeping them but they can provide more effective crowd control than some cops on bikes in short shorts can.
@ Bronch –
Don’t be so sure of your last sentence. I’m a pretty accomplished horse rider and can just about guarantee I could get a horse to go through a lot more crap than a guy on a bike. They’re incredible animals. I’d take a horse over a bike any day, and I like cycling.
But I agree with everything else. 😉
What the cops really need is more help with intimidating.
Back in the day Nixon’s flaks would have said, “inoperative.”
I think Adams is onto something here. Say you’re going to cut something, let a private person / group provide the money to keep it going, and then reinstate it. Services without us having to pay for it… Can we try that with schools next? Or maybe filling the tiny and harmless potholes that some people seem to get insanely passionate about?
andres for Comment of the Week.
I think the Mounted Patrol is good outreach. I work downtown and I’m always surprised at the amount of normals, homeless, weirdos, tourists, etc. that actually end up talking to an officer just because they want to get a better look at their horse. Bikes are cheaper, but the PPB can really use that kind of goodwill.
Also, I actually saw two cops on horseback responded to a call and apprehend a guy; those horses can fucking move.
My dog loves watching the horses when we’re out walking. That’s worth a million bucks to me!
I agree with Khris. They are good for police – citizen relations. And aren’t they still cheaper than patrol cars?
“Added bonus: bikes don’t shit on the streets.”
I wouldn’t mind the mounties shitting on the streets/sidewalks if someone cleaned it up. I’ve passed horseshit on the same stretch of Yamhill sidewalk outside Pioneer Place at least twice lately.
I should add I agree with the mounted patrol being a good outreach for the Police. When I worked downtown those guys were always great. The horses are intimidating to people who are doing something they shouldn’t be doing and that’s not bad. The cute little girl who wants to pet the horsies gets to pet the horsies and the nice Police officer tells her all about them and they aren’t intimidating.
Nope, screw that. Police Officers can do just as much outreach on a bike. In fact, probably more since we live in Portland.
If these budget cuts on the mentally ill lead to more street people and thus more crime (which then raises even more costs), this choice will be a huge, unsurprising failure.
And even if it’s not a failure, our cops on horse better have the guts to look each mentally ill street people in the eye and say sorry.
@ paul cone – we should replace most of the cars with horses. if they’re so great lets expand the program citywide.
Don’t you guys watch movies? If we get rid of the mounted patrol, the city is going to be overrun with banditos. And then who will rescue us? We’ll just have to hope for some passing hero to ride through town and save the day.
Horse patrol is very hard to beat, I am an avid horseman and their is something about animals that really make a child smile and the bad guys run…
I am an avid horseman and animals are hard to beat when they make a child smile and a bad guy run,let alone crowd control as we have witnessed before, despite the anarchists that throw things at these fine animals..