In an era when budget cuts have crippled police protection in some cities, the tiny village of Woodmere, Ohio, which employs nine officers to serve and protect only 884 residents (one of the highest ratios in the country) is on the verge of eliminating its police force altogether. With a low crime rate consisting mainly of shoplifting and traffic violations, Woodmere Mayor Charles E. Smith explains that “We're all trying to save money and there are things that just make sense doing on a regional basis.”

 

If the city council approves the proposal, Woodmere will pay the surrounding Cleveland suburb of Orange to police Woodmere for $500,000 a year, less than half the current Woodmere police budget. In contrast, crime-ridden cities are being forced to endanger public safety in order to save money. In Oakland, California, for example, police chief Anthony Batts last year threatened to stop responding to a list of 44 crimes, including grand theft, burglary, car wrecks, identity theft and vandalism, Batts has since resigned. East St. Louis, Illinois, shrank its police force by nearly one-third in 2010; Newark, New Jersey, police no longer respond to motor vehicle accidents without injuries; Paterson, New Jersey’s Narcotics Squad was cut by half; and Camden, New Jersey, lost half its police force.

-Matt Bewig

 

Woodmere May Shut Police Department and Hire Orange for Protection (by Michael Sangiacomo, Cleveland Plain Dealer)