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By GREG HAND If Green Two wants more police protection, the taxpayers must pay the bill. That's a capsule summary of testi mony by the Hamilton County Com missioners to the Green Two Police Commission. The commission, a volunteer group of township resi dents, met with county commissioners and Sheriff Lincoln Stokes in the first of a series of meetings with police ex perts. The township police commission was formed following the passage in 1974, of a police levy by township voters. The commission decided at that time to divide levy revenues equally between Green Two's con stables and the Hamilton County patrol. The commission had not met for nearly four years when it was re formed in March 1978 to study police protection in Green Two. Members include Paul Schneeberger, Rita Gallina, Art Knabe, Edwin Price, Jack Griffin, Fred Cafazzo, Albert Mestemaker and Bill Barkalow. “THE ONE question we want to ask is what do the commissioners plan to provide in police service to Green Two? ’ asked Police Com mission Chairman Paul Schnee berger. “If your intention is to reduce the patrol, we've got a problem.” No cutbacks were planned for the patrol, the commissioners said, but the township could expect no in creases without paying more money. “County police services have not grown as the need for them has grown,”’ Commissioner Robert Reck man said. “At no time has the sheriffs patrol budget been cut back.” ‘Shouldn't it be increased”? ’ Schneeberger asked “Well, there's the need and there's the available money,”’ Reckman said. “One concern we have is collecting money throughout the county and spending it for the benefit of a few.” THE COUNTY commissioners said that all taxpayers in Hamilton County pay taxes to support the sheriffs department. The depart missioners are 180 degrees apart on that,”’ Stokes said. “If there is an at tempt, as this report says, to cut the patrol, I will raise my voice long and loud against it.” The county has maintained the current size of the road patrol and in creased the budget of the in- See related story on page 2 ment, in turn, provides patrol service for only 14 percent of county tax payers. The county patrols only un incorporated townships. Commissioner Robert Wood said the commissioners were under pressure from other elected officials including Cincinnati Councilman James Luken — to provide only county-wide services. “The only place we can identify where Jim Luken may be on firm found is in the sheriffs patrol,”” Wood said. “Green Two pays same taxes as Cheviot aid Norwood and other places that provide their own police protection.” Wood told the police commission that although the patrol is vulnerable to such criticism, the commissioners were not planning to pull out of the unincorporated areas. However, Wood previously told a similar police commission from An derson Two that the county would eventually reduce the road patrol and eliminate it in five to 10 years. That statement was recorded in a report compiled by three members of the An derson Two. Police Study Com mission. The Anderson report was leaked to the Green Two. Police Commission and Sheriff Lincoln Stokes. Stokes said the Anderson report “makes me unhappy. “WHEN IT (the report) says that the county will eliminate the road patrol, I and the county con vestigative section of the sheriff's de partment, Reckman said, because that department provides county wide service. “I would suspect that this trend will continue,”’ Reckman said. “I'm getting a ping-pong effect here,”’ Schneeberger said, and asked why he received different answers from the commissioners and the sheriff. “That's because we (the sheriffs and the commissioners) are not in agree ment, Wood said. “How do you suggest we expand police service in the township?” Schneeberger asked. Beckman said a county-wide police levy might be the answer, but said he doubted it would be approved by the voters. Wood said the township could pay for more contract cars provided by the sheriff. Green Two. now pays for one 24-hour sheriff's car assigned to Green Two.. in addition to three county cars which patrol the town ship as part of the sheriff's regular patrol. “Our tax dollars are going to sup port the county police department.” Schneeberger said. “They're going to support the city police department and now you're asking us to support our own police department. I'm not sure yet that we want to get into the police business.” “I THINK it would be a big mistake for Green Two. to form its own police department,” Stokes said in response. “If you designate Green Two. as a police district, I have figures that indicate I will cost you twice as much for police protection.” Stokes said he would advise the township to hire more contract cars. Members of the Green Two Police Commission, talking among them selves, said the commissioners might have been more willing to discuss phasing out the county patrol if 20 sheriff's deputies who attended the meeting were not there. Although Stokes repeatedly said the deputies attended without his prior knowledge, some police commission members were not convinced “I think we've been thrown a curve on this one,” one member said
Newspaper Details
The Northwest Press
Cincinnati, Ohio, US
Wed, Apr 26, 1978
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