The reason that the police, firefighers and public works employees are getting lower pay is not because of decreased revenue. Rather the reason is that the people charged with the public trust are not acting as good stewards of the public's money.

How much did they pay to re-gravel a parking lot? How about to replace or repair restrooms at a public park? What about the golf cart bridges? While these may be worthwhile projects, what disturbs me is the timing of it all. Why does this have to be done now at the expense of those that serve the City?

Don't raise taxes. Use what is there wisely!

"The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money."

This is the most patronizing thing, and embarrassing thing, you could do. (here, here you poor thing, let me buy you some food, or maybe just a coffee).
This is the same crap as those "support our troops" stickers, when THAT is all the do for the guys. Get on someone's ass about Walter Reed, Raise hell about the lack of personal armor for the troops after FIVE years of this stuff!And, give the cops a raise, a big one, and expect more from them. Maybe they can buy their own food if they don't want to carry a sandwich.

My sentiments exactly. My opinion is that most of the residents of PTC feel the same way. It is time for them to speak up and let those in charge hear the voices of the people.

"The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money."

Thank you Mr. Russell, my thoughts exactly.

That was from In Living Color, Men on film, remember? PTCPD is absolutely outstanding. And they certainly are, as most law enforcement officers, underpaid. Hopefully when you see them out and about, you buy them a cup of coffee, lunch, or breakfast. They will try to refuse, but don't let them! I usually give them the option of accepting the coffee/breakfast, or taking me to jail for persistence. So far, no jail time. Hats off to PTC's finest! even if they did give me the only traffic citation ever to stain my driving record in 25 years of driving

Cheers to you PTCFD, PTCPD

Kevin "Hack" King

My understanding about Hawk 1 is it has regular patrols where it's up in the air. Obviously it's not up 24/7 but I'm pretty sure the sheriff's drug task force doesn't do any local busts without it nearby and ready to fly ASAP. (Them drug perps LOVE to run).

From the scanner traffic I followed in this particular incident I recall Hawk 1 seemed to be there pretty quickly so I'd imagine it was already up in the air at the time.

Now John you don't know squat about how many crooks the copter is responsible for catching or locating first. Because there hasn't been any to that description.
Where does all of this fuel and pilots and helpers come from to patrol regularly? I hear the thing about once every other day going to or from the airport in PTC.As you say bone up, not suck up!
They aren't doing much good in Afghanistan or Iraq either. Like Cheney shooting old men in the face. They shoot down easily. Their day is done.

There have been several cases where Hawk 1 helped catch the bad guys, the pilots spot them by air and relay information to officers on the street. Most of those stories have all been reported here. The drug deal at wally-treat-our-employees-like-dirt, then there was the armed bank robbery, several high speed chases, then this case from yesterday.

The helicopter you hear everyday could be Hawk1, or it could be the lifeflight helicopter based a Falcon Field.

To answer your other question, offering to buy a cop coffee or a meal is not patronizing, it is a ramdon act of kindness, or paying it forward.
Try it sometime you might like it.
It's saying thanks for everything you do. It's saying I'm sorry that we as citizens can't seem to make our city council do the right thing and pay you what you are worth.

dollar for lent why don't you try to commit a random act of kindness everyday. I doesn't have to be elaborate even holding open a door for someone....anything at all no matter how small.....try it you will like.

To "dollar-----", from my home in PTC and at work, and knowing what Hawk 1 and Rescue Air 1 both look like, I see a lot more of Rescue Air 1 flying over Peachtree City. Would make sense since Rescue Air 1 is based at Falcon Field, and makes frequent trips to Piedmont Fayette for downtown transports, as well as responses to our east. I do see Hawk 1 usually hovering over our shopping areas, no brain science as to why they might be doing that. And I'm glad they are, since my wife and children shop and work in these area's. Hawk 1 is more than worth the expense in fuel and pilots to bolster our security and safety.

Ok, since you know all about the copter, tell me where it is stored at night. How much is the fuel and maintenance bill per month? What is the annual expense? How many deputy hours and hired pilots are used to fly it? What does the insurance cost? Do they still have the second one?
You don't know and don't care. You just want it.
Apparently, due to the high number of comments for the copter, a lot of enforcement types comment here.
It is this kind of reasoning that causes us to not have enough qualified personnel we can pay well and keep them as long as they are worth keeping.

Well said, you're right, and I agree!

Every village needs one - and after reading so many of his/her blogs for us it's "dolaradayandfound"

Say again, please in English. Is it an idiot or a helicopter? Who reads the blogs for us? Who is dolar? Isn't that a Scandanavian unit of money?

You can't pay salaries with seized drug funds. There are strict regulations on how that money can be spent, and this is one of the prohibited uses. On a different note, it takes a lot less time to get to Peachtree City from Fayetteville in a helicopter than by car - in case you didn't understand that. Obviously it went on long enough for this to happen. By the way, I think that's a check on the Copter scoreboard...

I have it as COPter 2 / Perps 7.

I guess acording to the story the guy took off his clothes and ran into a drainage ditch because the COPter was up. I think that the Wally Mart drug suspects were apprendended more by the hounds.
The bottom line is that Fayette is one of the smallest of the 152 counties and this is quite the luxuary item. I would propose a more regional approach of a shared COPter w/ several counties participating.
The point of the lawsuit was valid.....Why is this not "housed" @ Falcon Field? Rescue whatever, seems to find it comfy over there. It's a VANITY PLATE.

Bladderq, you said that the bottom line was that Fayette is one of the smallest of the 152 counties. The fact of the matter is that Fayette County is ranked #19 in terms of population. Of Georgia's 159 counties (not 152), #19 is far from the "smallest".

You also mentioned a regional approach. Would you propose a regional approach with Coweta? Clayton? Spalding? Fulton? They already have aviation support, you need to do your research.

Do you actually think before you type?

Sorry, there are 159 counties, I forgot my 8th grade GA History. Fayette ranks #142 w/ 199 s/m while the smallest Clarke is last w/ only 121. I don't know that population has much to do with it. Your reasoning would mean Fulton Co. Sheriff's Dept should put 10 COPters up.

Bladderq, police protect PEOPLE, not AREA. If we went with your "reasoning", the Atlanta Police Department needs to send 2/3 of thier officers to Ware County becuase they are so much bigger (area) but only have 1/3 the population. You lack common sense.

The need for a COPTER has nothing to do with how large a county is. It has everything to do with crime and crime prevention, and the ability to AFFORD every means available for crime prevention.

We can afford to prevent crime....it's that simple. If you can afford an expensive security system you have one with installed, along with security cameras and radio contact with the 911 operator so you can describe the intruder. Some people can afford off-duty officers, some can't.

By the way bumped into the sheriff at Starbucks, he said they are ordering a Hawk2 just to keep track of you and dollar,........they really are out to get you.....I can see why you hate cops so much. They might just hover over your house alllllll niiiggghttt looooonnnng, just to catch you doing something wrong. Don't you just hate it when you don't know what they are up too???

It's not your wild imagination playing games with you.....they really are out to get you(and dollar) if you keep complaining about them here on this blog site read by all of 2 maybe 3 people maybe they will lay off.

Didn't one of the Watson children complain that the COPter was used to peer into her windows? I guess maybe it wasn't Lt. Col. Bruce but it was (is a sheriff a Brig, Lt, or Maj Gen; I can't count the stars) but the sheriff was the one peering.
So, if it has everything to do with crime and ATL is 10x big and 100x more crime ridden; they need 180 COPters.
I have none of the above. I don't have a security system. There are no cameras. ETC. You live in a very scarrrrry place & I suggest you move to LA (Lower ALA).

We aren't that far away from Atlanta crime stats, this isn't the nice place it used to be.

Also who cares if the Watson kids complained their dad killed their mom and almost got away with it.

I was being sarcastic about bumping into the sheriff at starbucks, just trying to feed your paranoia.

Bladderq crawl back in your spider hole as no one care what you think. You are like a dead stinking mouse on the floor that needs to be put in the trash can. I know, why don't you go to those new internet classes they are giving.

PS: Take dollaradayandfound with you as the pair of you will beat a full house any day of the week.

Still trying to be the hall monitor, aren'tcha, big man?

Say....whatever happened to your threat to turn me into the Fayette County Sheriff's dept for making comments about their inept leadership? Hmmmm? I haven't heard a peep from them!

All talk and no action is SOP for internet tough guys like you, "biggun". (And if truth in advertising is ever extended to usernames, your moniker is history!)

_______________________________________________
"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross" - Upson Sinclair, 1906

Jump in the back seat of that car driven by bladderq and dollaradayandfound, and drive it over the cliff that you are headed for. Skyspy is right when they say you are a target. As much as you all hate the police, you really need to be doing something really bad in your lives. Next time you are in trouble, call either of those 2 morons and have them come help you.

I say again put you name, address and phone number on you next blog and I will do the same. O yea, they have your name so just keep looking over your shoulder as they are waiting to "Make Their Day, PUNK"

Call a Hippie. Your name says it all and it is exactly why we have been in & failed 'Nam, have a 40+ yr failed drug policy / war, went to war in Iraq II behind Scrub and gawd help us if we can't figure out how to deal with Iran, N.Korea, Russia, Equador, Venezuela and pretty much the rest of the world.
A hysterical perspective wold be, all the cops have radar because Nixon signed the Omnibus Crime Bill and all the locals spent the money on radar. Anybody seen where speeding has decreased? Throwing money at a problem ain't the answer.

Everyone is safer in my car than they are in "your" world. Don't worry though it looks like after the last election, the adults have taken ove from the frat boys & oil tycoons.

Nobody's right, if everybody's wrong. (S. Stills or maybe N. Young)

Call a Hippie. Your name says it all and it is exactly why we have been in & failed 'Nam, have a 40+ yr failed drug policy / war, went to war in Iraq II behind Scrub and gawd help us if we can't figure out how to deal with Iran, N.Korea, Russia, Equador, Venezuela and pretty much the rest of the world.
A hysterical perspective wold be, all the cops have radar because Nixon signed the Omnibus Crime Bill and all the locals spent the money on radar. Anybody seen where speeding as decreased? Theowing money at a problem ain't the answer.

Everyone is safer in my car than they are in "your" world. Don't worry though it looks like after the last election, the adults have taken ove from the frat boys & oil tycoons.

Nobody's right, if everybody's wrong. (S. Stills or maybe N. Young)

Man you need some good professional help.

You obviously don't like to be on the losing end of an argument.

You are the crown of creation
You are the crown of creation
And you've got no place to go

Soon you'll attain the stability you strive for
In the only way that it's granted
In a place among the fossils of our time
(Jefferson Airplane)

Pick any items in the needed budget requests except those prohibited, and buy those with drug money. Now use the money that could have been spent for those items and give the cops a raise! It ain't hard if one thinks.
Now don't tell me that they aren't allowed to buy anything with drug money except what they DON'T need! By the way can they sell these tons seized recently at houses in Fayette for medical purposes? Wonder how many years we have lived right among these scores of growers? How does Miami know more about us than we do?
So the copter sits in Fayetteville with two guys in it? Still 10-15 minutes at best to PTC location and functioning. Much more time if not sitting there. How does the copter get to Fayetteville every day?

It's only about 5 min.s by air, if that. That's why helicopters are used for lifeflight as well: they can land almost anywhere and they are fast. Copters are a necessity these days for lawenforcement, not a luxury.

What is it with you? Why do you hate cops sooooo much?

I've never even had a ticket.
It is just the opposite for me, I want them to be well paid and expect a lot of professionalism from them, but not much self aggrandizing. They look sick sometimes on TV, bragging.
The old RCMP attitude! Right now they deserve about 45,000 dollars to start if properly schooled and psyched. Carefully evaluated every year and raised to $65,000 as a corporal or sergeant. Eliminate all embarrassing, non-professional acting dopes, if any. Benefits should be equivalent to town managers'.

They seem to have so much in common. They think they know about everything but everyone watching knows that he's a fool.

I sure hope Dollar runs for office one day so I can vote against him.