Dearborn, Mi. voters approved a proposal that mandates a specific number of police officers for the city, reports the Detroit News. The ballot plan, introduced by the Dearborn police union, calls for the city to employ 2.1 officers for every 1,000 residents. Dearborn's population is about 90,000. The proposal passed overwhelmly, 20,065 to 15,207.
The police union is concerned with a recent decrease in officers. City officials argued the proposal was a way of circumventing the budget process, which mandates that the council and mayor decide the tough decisions that need to be made. The ballot proposal was introduced a few months after the city eliminated six full-time police officers. Eight civilian positions also were cut from the budget. Finance Director Jim O’Connor called the vote “a very bad decision for the police to pursue because it is very short-term oriented. It doesn't have the long-term perspective in mind. It's not in (the) best interest for the police and the community at large.”
Link: http://www.detnews.com/2004/politics/0411/03/a08-324301.htm