Police, Fire Studies Presented to Flint’s Public Safety Committee
After months of research into Flint's police and fire departments, consultants hired by former Emergency Manager Darnell Earley presented their findings to the City Council's public safety committee.
The two documents - which can be viewed below - reveal how each department could operate more efficiently while better serving the residents of Flint at the same time. Briefly, the studies say that more police officers are needed, both departments need better response times and they also suggest looking into the consolidation of public safety services.
In a statement, current Emergency Manager Jerry Ambrose said Flint still has "severe limitations on the available revenue for public safety services" and "these studies provide recommendations on changes the departments can use to operate within those budgets."
According to ABC 12, Flint Fire Chief David Cox said he "was pleased to see what they came up with, and I was pleased to know we've already started doing some of those things." Police Chief James Tolbert echoed Cox's comments saying "in the last year we have been moving forward in a lot of the things that were recommended."
Not all of the recommendations will be implemented right away. The full City Council and other city departments still have to discuss them.