TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — If you're registered to vote in the City of Tucson, you've likely received your ballot for the all-mail special election for Proposition 414.
Tuesday evening Tucson Police Department's Chief Chad Kasmar held a press conference on how the department would handle the estimated $800 million made over a ten-year period.
“We are expensive," Kasmar said. "Public safety people are expensive. The resources and tools we need to do the job are expensive.”
TPD is funded throughthe City of Tucson general fund. Chief Kasmar says 95-96% of that budget goes to personnel costs, leaving about $8 million to actually running the department, but that doesn't cover everything
“Marked units, umarked units, handguns, rifles, and less lethal: computers, technology, body-worn cameras, tazer and our report writing-system… none of those costs are embedded within our general fund," Kasmar said.
He says Prop 414 could help them hire more officers, upgrade equipment and add new technology. The new technology is one of the more controversial spending categories for some groups opposing Prop 414.
Tucson community members have spoken in council meetings and wrote to Tucson city councilors, opposing the way Prop 414 funds are proposed to be spent, especially when it comes to the $16.7 million to upgrade TPD air support, which some fear could increase surveillance of already vulnerable communities.
TPD currently reaches out to the Pima County Sheriff's Department to use its plane as support to assist ground patrols.
“Headlights, spotlights, they all have their limitations," and Deputy Adam Schoonover.
He's worked patrols assisted by air support, and says the plane helps direct those on the ground. "The airplane helps out by just kind of changing that perspective, taking a look on the ground and having that wider— I guess— range.”
However, PCSD's plane isn't always available since they support multiple local law enforcement branches including the Marana and Oro Valley Police Departments, and Chief Kasmar says a TPD plane could help keep officers safer on duty while helping with time-sensitive operations that pose a danger to the public.
“This isn’t a video game; this is reality," said Kasmar. "The reality is in my experience most of the people who have challenges or concerns about the surveillance aren’t actually educated on the crime that’s going on in the community because its not impacting them in their neighborhood.”
Kasmar says while this equipment could help the department cut down on crime, all five spending categories from Proposition 414 work together.
“It’s not just a tool to arrest folks, we’re trying to solve really complex problems,” he said.
----
STAY IN TOUCH WITH US ANYTIME, ANYWHERE
