Poll: Thoughts On Flordell Hills Police, Pop 822, Starting Its Own Police Force On Oct 1st
Starting October 1st St. Louis County will have another police force:
Flordell Hills has decided to form its own police department even though the city only has 822 residents.
The city said the move has been in works for months. The department will feature six full time officers, and it will cost more than what the city paid to have County Club Hills patrol the municipality. The city will have one officer for every few square blocks. (KMOV)
There are different ways one might view this change, so I thought this would be a good poll topic this week. The exact poll question is “Starting Oct 1st the north county suburb of Flordell Hills, pop 822, will have its own police force again. Thoughts:” I’ve provided a few answers but you can also type in your own if you don’t like mine. The poll is in the right sidebar. Mobile users need to switch to the desktop layout.
— Steve Patterson
Absurd. We need to be going in the opposite direction. We can’t support all these little fiefdoms.
The fact that they approved such a dumb idea, tell you that someone in
that city is just not too bright, I can’t believe they would do
something like that, except that it may be another municipality out to
get money for traffic tickets. There are just too any small police forces in North County, and too many of them are poorly trained. You get what you pay for, and a town that size will not get quality police, or be able to afford the ongoing training that is required to be effective. With everything that has happened in Ferguson,these small cities need to just turn their forces over to the county,like Jennings and Dellwood.
For everyone who believes the county and city should unite, it is time to unite the county with itself and get rid of all of the various muni’s who it turns out are little more than mafia extortion schemes.
Here is a link to a Washington Post article that all St Louisans should read. The link only tells part of the story
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2014/09/03/how-st-louis-county-missouri-profits-from-poverty/
I find it interesting that even though the St. Louis Post Dispatch has covered some of these issues separately there has never been a comprehensive article.
Mass transit and urban planning is a disaster beyond belief and anyone reading the Wash Post article will understand why .
It is time to retire the East West Gateway Council also.
Congrats to the Archcity defenders for their good work. http://www.archcitydefenders.org/
I grew up in a 600-person Illinois town. We had two cops — then one when the eldest passed. No “Police Department” to speak of — just a standard cop car accessories and authorities. I assume they answered to the village (yes, its official designation was “village”) council. We got along fine and they/he did a stand-up job.
Was this a post-war suburb or an old farm town? And, did the village operate a speed trap as a revenue source? No one is arguing for no police, people are arguing that having multiple, adjoining, small departments, all trying to survive on the revenue they generate from fines and court fees, is not very effective or “fair”. And compare your example – 1 or 2 officers for a village of 800 – to Flordell Hills – 6 full-time officers, plus part-time and reserve officers, and several vehicles, for a “city” of 822!
Oh, I know all that. I’m right there with you that Flordell doesn’t need a police department…or, at least, the traditional understanding of a police department as we know it.
I think these sub-1200 towns probably need a sheriff, a deputy and an office administrator. And that’s it. The role is less for a police presence than as a mediator. For larger issues, cede to the County police or, as they previously did, contract with a larger municipality or district.
Flordell Hills doesn’t need it’s own police dept. Flordell Hills shouldn’t even be a city. Flordell hills should be a subdivision within Jennings. How can there be a city within a city?
I’ve learned that Flordell Hills was incorporated a couple of years before Jennings.