It’s difficult to balance our objections to the Gilroy Police
Department’s decision to let 13 employees participate in a
week-long SWAT team competition in Las Vegas, Nev.
It’s difficult to balance our objections to the Gilroy Police Department’s decision to let 13 employees participate in a week-long SWAT team competition in Las Vegas, Nev.
Of course, it’s important to promote morale and train for critical response in the police department. But Gilroy already spends far too high a percentage of its general fund on public safety, so why should taxpayers foot the bill for a six-day trip for a two-day special operations competition for a baker’s dozen of police department employees?
When you consider that Gilroy was the smallest department and only part-time SWAT team participating in the event, which drew a German counter-terrorism team and the Los Angeles and Dallas police departments’ SWAT teams, it’s clear we’re out of our league.
When you factor in the impact of missing 13 officers for a week had to have on local police operations and overtime, it’s impossible to justify the trip.
We’re glad Gilroy has a well-trained special operations team, but a six-day trip for 13 people to an international SWAT team competition is an expenditure that’s way over the top for a police department of our size.
If we’re wrong, we’d like to see a dollar-for-dollar accounting. How much was paid in salary and overtime to the 13 department members who went to Las Vegas? How much was paid in overtime to officers who had to work extra hours to cover for their absence? How much was paid in entrance fees, travel, lodging and food expenses? Did participants or other department members receive overtime to prepare for this event?
Gilroy City Council members, who are elected to oversee the sound fiscal operation of this city’s budget as well as to ensure the safety of its citizens, should be persistent in asking for this information. And they ought to be asking tough questions for the department’s leaders, Police Chief Gregg Giusiana and Assistant Chief Lanny Brown. Why is this trip a justifiable use of scarce taxpayer dollars? By itself, “team-building” isn’t a good enough answer.
There must be more reasonable ways for the police department to keep skills sharp and build a cohesive team than a long-distance trip for 13 employees (there are 35 officers, 8 corporals and 11 sergeants in the department according to city records).
Gilroy taxpayers don’t have bottomless pockets. Talk is cheap. The actions of city leaders and police department brass are what counts, and their actions tell us that they believe anything goes when it comes to spending money on the Gilroy PD.
As with the much-too-expensive police station currently under construction, city leaders seem too ready to approve any expense for the police department. How about some fiscal restraint for a change of pace?
