As Mayor Debbie Sullivan has said in the past, it is all in the ask. She asked for them to ask, so they did. So, with Mayor Debbie Sullivan's reported, and unbelievably atrocious, $1.7 million cost overrun of the Trosper Rd Capitol Blvd roundabout, these are a few of my thoughts: 1) Without even asking weeks ago, the parked police SUV's appeared to be in rotation and prep status. If chase and apprehend efforts, county-wide, escalate due to growth related crime, it is obvious that they will be needed back in service sooner rather than later. Bumpers, cameras and pit maneuver training? You wanna be there? YEA! 2) Both the current crime talent and their determination, paired with our local well-funded harm reduction efforts, make it a reality that law enforcement volunteers should be paid, should be insured, and should have negotiated benefits. With new housing, a new hotel, and various other businesses - there are increasing risks to our current enforcement staff that need to be mitigated with equipment, pay, and staffing levels. 3) Not only do they need their K-9's, they need PENDAR X10's for, in the very least, fentanyl, meth and etc. detection from a distance. 4) Our community is in distress and it is obvious. Even with the amount of taxes that Fred Meyer contributes to our county-wide tax base, they have had to hire “armed licensed security officers” because of in-store incidents so that they can effectively protect their employees from customers. None of the people around me would have realistically predicted thirty years ago that there would be a visible jungle throughout Thurston County and the need for the Tumwater Police Department to be sidelined in their ask for more resources to protect themselves from harm and protect our citizens from harm. I have been this opinionated before and it won't stop. I see no $1.7 Million cost overrun in this law enforcement ask, and I seriously doubt that the No on the RFA group would say so either. What is that overpriced and blinker frustrating roundabout useful for anyway… Dare I say that it could have been accomplished differently? No, not yet.
Please explain the inappropriate content below.
