Lynn Walsh

A safe city is at the top of most citizens’ lists; and to keep a city safe a strong police force is needed. According to the Division of Police 2008 Annual Report there are 1,876 sworn personnel officers and 335 civilian personnel officers. That is equivalent to 2.4 officers for every 1,000 people in Columbus. That is greater than the national average of two officers per 1,000 people.

Not only is Columbus higher than the national average the Capital City also sits above some of the larger cities. Based on 2005 numbers, Columbus had 2.5 officers per 1,000 people. That is greater than Los Angeles and Dallas, Texas.

Is lowering the number of officers per 1,000 people from 2.4 to the national average of two an option? Of course it could be, whether it is a solution is debatable. What is not debatable is whether or not it would save the city money.

Dropping the police force to the equivalent of two officers per 1,000 people in Columbus would mean the loss of about 440 officers. If the average police officer salary in 2008 for a police officer was $75,208, the city of Columbus would have seen more than $33.1 million in personnel savings last year in police officer salaries alone.