As long as the parents of these kids pick up the tab for the extra police protection, no problem. If the taxpayers are picking up the tab BIG problem! Only the people going to the prom should pick up the entire tab.

If they are going to go to Atlanta for prom there is an assumption of risk. Whatever happens happens, and they ( the users) should pay for the whole cost. Having parents go along to watch over these "angels" should be more than enough.

Because you have a bunch of ostentatious adults living vicariously through their kids who are constantly trying to out-do the neighbors.

My God man..... is there a place on earth with more spoiled kids whose parents are more accommodating and enabling than Peachtree City?

I am surprised they don't fly off the the Caribbean for Prom....oh, my bad, that's the "Senior Trip".

who peed in your cereal?

you describe in your post is exactly the reason we decided not to move to PTC upon returning from a 3-yr job in Germany. Too much money, too much availability of drugs. No sir, no thank ou. And while our daughter eventually graduated from McIntosh HS (personal decision), our son graduated from FCHS and went on to earn degrees in Geology and Structural Engineering fm the University of Wyoming. No regrets. Oh, yes, daugter has AA from Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC and BA in Communications from Flagler College, St Augustine, FL.

by 2014. That is when this prom stuff really hits home. When do we get a clue to stop this kind of spending and competing, 19% unemployment? governmental bankrupcies?

With this very unpleasing, sneezing and wheezing, the calliope crashed to the ground?

... and has been out of control for years. The partents of Peachtree City spend a fortune every year to have their kids basically treated like crap and taken advantage of. My lil sister went this year. She came home with several horror stories. One friend rent a bus fir aroun $1500...broken A/C. The restaunt my sister went to had a special "Prom menu" in which the food was more expensive and a lower quality than regular menu food.

My plan for making prom better:

Keep it close. Send the kids Wyndam or Dolce. At least that way the tax dollars stay local and our money goes to support local business.

Sending police officers with the kids is a great way to help keep the kids safe. But why send them to Atlanta at all? There are plenty of venues in PTC to host prom. Plus keeping the prom in PTC would be a great benifit for our local economy. It just seems to me that the local highschools should do whatever they can to support the local economy that helps pay there bills/salaries.

Like so many others that post up here, having all the answers and infinite wisdom. Since Colin Halterman retired, the position of Assistant City Manager has been vacated, and isn't being filled. Guess you didn't "do any checking on this"

I no longer live in PTC so I don't keep up with the activities as I once did. I was using the Asst. City Manager position as an example. I was unaware that Colin had retired. I see where you wrote that the position is not being filled. Is it still a line item in the budget? Would the elimination of that position have saved the Public Works guys? I remember you stating at one point that you had attended the budget meetings, just wondering. I hated reading about those guys loosing their jobs. I met several of them and they good guys. I thought Gov was attacking the officers and responded hastily. I'll always defend the police and fire personnel. Those guys were great when I lived there.

Did you research this? Maybe you were there and saw the Chief pay for this with his credit card. Why don't we just ask Bernie who REALLY paid for it?

And how DARE YOU insinuate anything about my beliefs. I do not hate police officers, I do not hate government. Wasteful spending is the same by any definition.

But I do have to ask, why the ANTI-AMERICAN picture attached to your profile? Are you anti-government or do you just not like those of us who put our butts on the line for you and the rest of this nation?

Gov Ho, my post was very clear, I said in years past the officers voluntered their time and the dinner was paid for with personal money by the Chief. YOU are the one who posted implying that the officers were wasting city funds. YOU need to simply go to city hall and file an open records request for any government spending done by the police department on prom night. If they did pay the officers I'll be right there with you on the topic since personal time had been used in the past. It is up to YOU to ask Bernie !!!!

Now, nice try on the anti-american taunt. I am going to assume from the last line of your last post, "Are you anti-government or do you just not like those of us who put our butts on the line for you and the rest of this nation?" that you served in the military. If so, I ask you what does my avatar represent? If I was anti-government or american I surely would not be defending the Peachtree City Officers. I assure you that you are very wrong about my love of this country. My country is currently under siege by a Socialist Dictator by the name of Hussein and I will continue to fly my distress signal until my country returns to that of what our founding fathers placed forth in the constitution. And Gov, I too have served my country for many many years so son don't EVER preach to me about being anti-american. Now, go get your information from city hall to validate your point or be quiet!

No matter how you look at it, PTC spends money frivolously. The fact that PTC laid off over 30 people due to budgetary constraints and still pay for Prom Night ... not cool. Also, I must apologize for not fully reading into your post of PAST events. I am sure the audit reports will catch the find. So it really does not matter at this point. When the financials are audited, this will all come out.

But your picture though ... if you are so valorous and proud of your country, then why not fly your flags right. I understand the current regime and your take of our leaders, but that is no reason to defile a national icon. Tell me it does not piss you off when individuals improperly display your Country's flag (as a defender of this nation) by flying it at night with no lights, or flying it stars right, or even bars over stars...just very discerning to me.

Flying the Flag upside down is a sign of distress, if you were ever a part of the Military you have known this! I have to agree with him, our Country is in Distress!

Obama's weapon of Choice!

No, our country is NOT in distress and there is no justification for flying the flag inverted. In fact it is disrepectful to do that--pls stop.

Tell me, when was the last time was the US Constitution actually followed and taken seriously? It was established as an effective barrier against tyranny. I would say with conviction that our country is under distress and duress. It is not a partisan statement as both parties have been whoring for power for 60 years

Would appreciate examples of where US Constitution has been intentionally violated. Now some individuals may feel that they are indeed "distressed" but they have no right to speak or act for me. Display of Old Glory is not an individual expression, but a national one and there are public laws regarding its display to which we should all adhere. While I am a fairly conservative person, I see entirely too much "Oh woe is we" stuff going on and I can't see the justification.

let's say that we have all kinds of politicans and people who profess a belief in an "evolving constitution", or a living document. Look at the hallmark of the "evolving constitution"-the right to privacy. Where is that in the constitution? There is a house bill going through the US House, H.R. 1913, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act-- this one is labeled well but any clergy teaching from a bible could be convicted of hate crimes if someone listening decides to act against a behavior, such as homosexuality. Where in the constitution does it allow for the regulation of speech?
Where in the consitution does it allow governments to seize private property under eminent domain and give the property to a private corporation such as Walmart? Where does it allow for the federal government to take money from one group of citizens to give to another group that is not employed by the government? I can go on and on, but you get the point. Show me where the 10th Amendment is even followed anymore.

If I recall correctly, this business of sending large numbers of PTCPD officers as "chaperones" to the prom hastened the downfall of the previous police chief.

Didn't these police officers (male and female) go out and have dinner together before hand, with unknown quantities of alcohol consumed? Then one of the male officers said something inappropriate to one of the female officers which resulted in a sexual harassment investigation? I'll try and look the story up.

I've always felt it was a bit unusual to detail so many officers to a high school prom.

I'll save you some time on the research, and add some that GovtProst didn't bother to do.
1. The officers don't do this on City time or money: The board of education provides adult chaperones (police officer or otherwise) for school events. The officers are hired as responsible adult chaperones, no differently than the teachers and other personnel there - not to enforce laws outside their jurisdiction
2. Meals are paid for privately, not by the board or city
3. A complaint filed about comments made by the former chief at an event like this did make the newspaper, but there was no alcohol consumption involved.
4. Large number of officers you say? I dont' know how many they take, but I would imagine the school brings several chaperones for an event like this with a couple hundred kids. Their choice to use officers instead of random adults actually may have a positive peripheral purpose of improving student relations with officers at the same time.
5. For those of you commenting below about ilockemup;if you recall,he made some comments that made it pretty clear he does work in law enforcement, but not in Peachtree City.

It's less unusual when you remember the age of consent in Georgia is 16 and it _is_ prom night.

ilockemup, it is a real shame that this is how our PTCPD officers feel about their jobs. ilockemup, just think about it, what does "ilockemup" say to the Tax Paying Citizens about the mindset of our police force. Now I know that you don't like people confronting you with the idea that your salary is paid for by the Tax Paying Citizens but the reality is that's where it comes from. I thought that with the new chief coming on we would have a new attitude within the force, but I guess not.
And I don't care if you got a Lobster as long as You paid for it just like I have to.
What ever happened to "To Serve and Protect"

Obama's weapon of Choice!

I wouldn't worry so much about the mindset of the officers. It is those aggressive officers that are keeping our community as safe as possible. I hope ilockemup arrests as many people as his heart desires. I want the dirtbags from Clayton, Coweta, Fulton and Spalding seeing our officers out there working. Its called an officer presence. Once simple rule applies, DON'T BREAK THE LAW AND YOU WILL NOT GET ARRESTED.

It is all wasteful spending no matter how you look at it. There is frivolous spending with PTC and it all needs to be looked into.

I agree with you that there is some wrong doings between the mayor and the manager. Never said anything about this. All I stated is what I witnessed. Therefore, I am glad you “THINK” my facts are screwed up, but it is obvious where your loyalties lie (the usernames says it all – officer).

I never said a cop can’t have lobster, I said not on the tax payer’s dime. So how about you go look at the facts – Atlanta is out of jurisdiction for PD – thusly they should not be reimbursed for squat – they were on their own time.

I really do appreciate you commenting on the post though, it at least supports my cause – you too admitted to wasteful spending and sheissty dealing in PTC – that is what this is about.

You bleated:

"I never said a cop can’t have lobster, I said not on the tax payer’s dime. So how about you go look at the facts – Atlanta is out of jurisdiction for PD – thusly they should not be reimbursed for squat – they were on their own time."

I recognize all the words, but can't make any sense of it when strung together in the manner above. What does it mean?

BTW, nobody likes a tattle-tale.

I once received a four page handwritten letter from an employee that had been terminated. He went into great and absurd detail about the numerous sins of his former co-workers, then ended the letter by stating he should have his job back. He mentioned all kinds of crazy stuff ... you know, like lobster dinners.