COPs Program
We propose to extend the COPS program to all of the Northside neighborhoods as well as Central Corridor and Southside neighborhoods which have experienced growing crime problems.
The St. Louis COP programs make use of part-time foot patrols:
The COPS officers will continue to patrol their beats. But for an hour or two a day, they will be relieved of answering radio calls and instead will attend neighborhood meetings, meet with business people, or just listen to residents.39St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Tues June 4, 1991
The police department also supplies participating officers with beepers, to allow residents to contact the officers directly instead of having to work through the central dispatcher.40Information provided by St. Louis Police Department
According to estimates from the Police Department, extending COPs to the targeted neighborhoods would require adding 60 officers to the force; this would allow the Department to meet existing responsibilities while also taking officers out of squad cars for foot patrols and neighborhood responsibilities. The participating officers would also have to be equipped with beepers. Each of the 13 officers involved with the program (per neighborhood) would require a beeper. Thus an additional 390 beepers would have to be leased by the department.
Costs:
The Department estimates that the cost of putting a class of sixty trainees through the 16 week Department training program is $24,054 per trainee. This includes training costs and the trainee's salaries during the training period. The cost to the Department for existing officers is approximately $38,000 per officer (this includes wages,equipment, and also pension contributions, which is not part of the Police Department budget, but rather is paid by the city).
The Department currently leases 30 beepers for the existing COPs programs. The cost per year is $2,730. Leasing an additional 390 beepers would cost $35,490. (Note: a competitive bid to supply the beepers would likely result in a lower cost).
| First Year Costs | |
|---|---|
| Training: | $1,443,240.00 (60 officers x $24,054) |
| Wages, etc.: | $1,596,000.00 (Costs for remaining 36 weeks of year) |
| Beepers: | $35,490.00 |
| First Year Total: | $3,074,730.00 |
| Subsequent Years | |
| Wages, etc.: | $2,280,000.00 |
| Beepers: | $35,490.00 |
| Total: | $2,315,490.00 |
Next: Youth Recreation