Late last year it was reported that the Toronto Police Services budget (2016) surpassed the $1-billion mark for the first time ever. Originally the board had asked for a 3.69% increase from the previous year, but that was rejected by the civilian oversight board.
Mayor John Tory, who sits on the police board, asked all city agencies and divisions to find at least two per cent in savings. A 2.76% increase was later agreed upon by the Toronto Police Services Board.
Here's a cost-saving idea from me. Instead of paying officers to ambush drivers on quiet city streets on Sunday mornings and issuing them traffic tickets, why not direct those resources to actually policing the streets and fighting crime? Real crime.
Of course, I'm speaking of an experience that happened to me where I was issued a ticket for not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign. A stop sign located at an intersection that was all but deserted early one Sunday morning last year.
It was a 3-way stop at a T-intersection where one street ends at another. I was heading westbound. There was a car in front of me who came to a stop. I "stopped" behind him and looked ahead and to my left. There were no cars (or anyone else around for that matter), so I proceeded.
I have to ask, what was the actual purpose of issuing this ticket? Was it really for reasons of safety? At that time of the day no one was virtually no one around (save the car in front of me). So, for all intents and purposes, I have a hard time believing that.
So when Police Services Board complains their budget isn't large enough (at over $1B) and that the safety of the public will be at risk if they don't get their requested funding I have to laugh. Get your priorities in order and you'll find you have more than enough money to go around.
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