I do not like how the local news is playing the "With all the police being layed off, the crime will go up like the latest shootings." angle.
Personally, I haven't been at all impressed with TPD and the way they have been doing their jobs. Most of the time I see them on the news or in town, they appear fat and do not look like they could chase anything down, except another donut.
As I previously posted, in the last 3 years I have personally had to deal with the police on various occasions. From block watch, to reporting violence in the street, to reporting crimes. And each time, I have to be honest, I regretted placing the call. They were rude, condescending, and acted like they were really being put out by receiving a reported crime. Not to mention their response was about as useless as the proverbial "#!@%*&# on a bull". I had to on those occasions take steps to protect myself and family because the police just simply didn't.
If they had a little better relationship with the public, maybe I'd feel differently, but I don't.
They had the chance to keep as many jobs as possible with the acceptance of concessions and chose not to.
I totally support the idea of police if and when they perform their duties to some basic standards. From what I've seen and experienced, I have little sympathy for them and don't feel a bit less safe then when they were operating at full force.