Mayor Keno Hawker made a statement that could be a threat, veiled as a non-threat but threatening none the less. He said,"There was a lot of people saying the council is bluffing and won’t make cuts, but this was never a bluff." The City Council is set to put pen to paper and sign off on the budget, cuts and all today. We all need to prepare to see changes within our city. Funding for such things as the Museum, The Mesa Arts Center, resource officers at the Jr. High Schools are among the things that will be cut. Now is not the time for those who favored the property tax to point the finger at those who opposed it. Now is the time to look to our leaders to solve this problem. I will beat this drum until my hands bleed but they came to the people, the people said no, they sought these jobs that they now hold and they are responsible for not just maintaining this city but improving it as well. Going backwards is not an option, looking forward is.
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I think the hardest thing to take is cutting resource officers at the Jr. High Schools. Kids that age are at a critical stage in their lives.
To see police in an unthreatening environment most likely will remind them to stay on the good side of the law. It’s a good teaching tool and most likely will change the behavior of some kids already at risk for delinquency.
If children haven’t already been exposed to drugs, violence, tobacco, and alcohol by then, this is the time for an Officer to be around that is trained to spot indicators and prevent offenses in school.
I believe it helps many kids respect police when an Officer is around. They have the opportunity to interact with authority and respect them.