The Chronicle‘s Matt Stiles checks in on HPD’s efforts to boost its manpower.
Unsurprisingly, he finds that Mayor White’s political rhetoric during the last campaign season doesn’t match reality:
Mayor Bill White’s sales pitch to voters for his city ballot propositions this fall came in part with a simple pledge: Vote yes, and “put more police on patrol.”
“Criminals, get packing,” he warned in one television spot, complete with moving police cruisers and flashing lights. “We’re coming at you with more.”
The reality, though, is more complex.
[snip]
White and Chief Harold Hurtt say they are aware of the challenges, and they are trying to accelerate recruiting while spending hefty sums on police overtime to keep the streets safe.
That effort, however, won’t directly be funded by voters’ approval of White’s propositions.
It’s true that a large portion of the bond money authorized Nov. 7 is devoted to public safety, among other city purposes, but it will go toward capital improvements, not hiring. That’s a distinction lost in White’s campaign commercials, though he’s been clear with the City Council.
This is nice reporting, but it might have had more impact had voters seen it on October 17 instead of December 17.
