Why I needed the HD Alternator Option - Light Bar!

RobMA · Mar 21, 2004

( In Holland, it might even be mistaken for a Police vehicle..... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif )

Except they are usually not on duty during the day. (really!) Gotta love small towns. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

- Rob

5030 · Mar 21, 2004

Paul:

You got Holland in your thoughts. Remember a previous post about Holland, Michigan??

Junkman · Mar 21, 2004

Lamubur was a Selectman in Holland back when they were a small town. I think that they ran him out of there on a rail. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Holland is about 20 minutes from where I live, so it is always on my mind. The kind of place that you get a ticket if you go 1 MPH over the speed limit. Lovely place to visit ..... once...... OK if you live there, but not if you are passing through... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

lamarbur · Mar 21, 2004

On a serious note, three years ago the town was trying to vote out the part time police dep't. They were stopping every single vehicle going into/out of town. Most at the time were long term tax payers like Martha and I. It got way out of hand to the point most were fired or kind of pushed out. Small towns like Holland seem to get people who are on huge ego trip.. They care less about the local taxpayer who pays their salaries. They have it in their head that when applying for a full time police position, say in Sturbridge, that bragging they wrote 1500.00 worth of tickets in one month in small Holland, guarantees them a job. Once as selectman, now 18 yrs ago, I fired a cop who was hell bent on every tractor trailer coming through town. He didn't know the difference between a license plate, fuel decal, bingo card or anything else. It took me a lot to rid him of the job. Shortyly after that, the whole board of selectmen, me included, fired the whole dep't due to mis-use of funds. We started up 91 days later with only two original cops. It was real good there for about four years, then the ego trip starts all over again..

_RaT_ · Mar 21, 2004

"Did I need a reason??? "

Good point! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

RobMA · Mar 22, 2004

The prevailing attitude here now seems to be much better. The officers I've met so far seem to be down to earth. That is the problem with small towns. Can't pay good salaries... and you often get what you pay for.

Still wouldn't trade it for anything! Most of the folks here are great people. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

- Rob

PS - This really seems to be a local discussion forum! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

rbarker · Mar 22, 2004

( Shortyly after that, the whole board of selectmen, me included, fired the whole dep't due to mis-use of funds. )

I suppose this is getting way off topic but I can't fathom how an entire police department can be fired for mis-use of funds. This is a management failure. Surely it is not up to each officer how the police budget is expended?
/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
It doesn't sound like a very good situation there! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

lamarbur · Mar 23, 2004

Your right, it soesn't belong here. In a small town like that was at the time, we only had foru officers and a chief, all part time. All were ticketing, taking cash, forcing females to pay (other than money or cash) for supposed crimes like speeding and so on and so on.. THe selectmen are also part time, that is 15 hours or so a week and no pay, it was more or less volunteer. It was called, delete the old regime and stop the graft and other sex schemes that were going on.. Today, there is still a little of it going on, but not much. The ones who are involved will have their day coming. just a matter of time. When we started up again, first thing was all officers from that day on had to attend the police academy and do it on their own time and monies. You have to remember that town pays out 91 cents per dollar on schools alone, and it still is to this day. Out total budget back then was around 700,000 for the year,, To run highway, police, fire, pay part time ambulanc service from another town, health, library, etc, etc, all was done on jsut over 60 grand a year. Today that town budget is just over 5 million and the school still gets 91 cents per dollar. State laws are in place now, police can and do occasionally get small grants from state or feds. None of this was available even 15 years back.