Tt post may 30, 2017

The opinion from the MSN article:

The prevalence of violent crime in Toledo may be partially attributable to an inadequately staffed police force.

I don't know about now in 2017, but in 2015, Toledo had more police officers per X-number of residents than in 1970.

Relatively speaking, is Toledo's crime rate increasing as the population decreases?

Excerpts from a March 2016 comment

Toledo, Ohio:

	1970	2015	change	% change
population	383,818	281,031	-102,787	-26.78 %
police officers	730	631	-99	-13.56 %
residents per officer	526	445	+81	+15.40 %
firefighters	558	490	-68	-12.19 %
residents per firefighter	687	574	+113	+16.45 %
square miles	84	84	0	0.00 %

If we used the 1970 ratios, then Toledo would see the number of police officers drop from 631 to 534, and the number of firefighters drop from 490 to 409.

How much money would Toledo save if it reduced the number of police officers by 97 and the number of firefighters by 81?

Toledo in 1970 must have been like a Mad Max world with fewer officers per residents, compared to today.

Good timing on this ...

May 30, 2017 - Toledo Blade - Kapszukiewicz pledges to hire 40 police officers each year if elected

Mr. Kapszukiewicz, the Lucas County treasurer, said Toledo could afford the extra police officers with money the Hicks-Hudson administration has not yet announced it has available.

Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson told The Blade the city has several million dollars extra from lower-than-expected health care costs and workers’ compensation costs. Toledo’s ticket revenue from its handheld speed cameras is also above budget.

Updated 2017 numbers:

"We have 602 officers on our police staff," Mr. Kapszukiewicz said. "That is too low. That is dangerously low.... We are already lower than cities our size."

That's still too high, compared to Toledo's population decline.

May 25, 2017 - Toledo Blade - Census showing Toledo steadily losing residents - "Most suburbs enjoying modest population gains"

According to new census data, the city is inching closer to the dreaded quarter-million mark in population, a figure it hasn’t seen since the 1920s.

Toledo’s population was estimated at 278,508 as of last summer — a loss of 1,168 residents from the previous year, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today.

Toledo's population:

• 1920 : 243,164
• 1930 : 290,718
• 1940 : 282,349
• 1950 : 303,616
• 1960 : 318,003
• 1970 : 383,818
• 1980 : 354,635
• 1990 : 332,943
• 2000 : 313,619
• 2010 : 287,208
• 2020 guesstimate : 275,000

April 2017 Blade story about local home construction that is occurring outside Toledo:

From villas to mansions, contractors say demand surging in region

The Toledo area’s new-home market appears poised to have its best year since the recession eight years ago, according to local builders and others in the housing industry.

Ninety-three house-building permits have been issued in Lucas and Wood counties in the first two months of 2017.

The numbers don’t include Toledo and Maumee, but those cities generally have few new-home permits.

Builders say the hottest areas for new homes are Perrysburg, Monclova Township, and the Sylvania area. However, activity also is heating up in the Waterville-Whitehouse area and in Bedford Township in Michigan.

Generally, villa homes — usually one story, maintenance-free living — range from $250,000 to $300,000, but can go up to $400,000 depending on the amenities, area builders say.

Single-family homes start at about $200,000. The high end is about $400,000. “The sweet spot is somewhere between $300,000 to $400,000,” Mr. Moline said.

Toledo creates revenue streams based upon traffic enforcement cameras, an illegal refuse fee, and who knows what else.

And unfortunately, our current mayor may be too clueless about what is occurring within the 80-plus square miles of Toledo.

Excerpts from the May 2017 Blade story about Toledo's population decline that has been occurring for nearly 50 years:

Toledo Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson said she is skeptical on the population estimate’s accuracy in light of the ongoing revitalization of buildings in the city’s downtown and other improvements and economic growth.

That's stunningly stupid. That's ignoring reality. Someone needs to show the mayor a map of Toledo, Ohio.

These political hacks wear blinders. It seems that these narrow-minded fools intentionally ignore the fact that Toledo is many times larger than a small area of downtown that has seen improvement.

Carty's bus tours where he took city officials around the town is a good idea.

Oh, and regarding our roads that somehow have become worse in recent weeks, I'm convinced that a gang with high-tech, silenced jackhammers are roaming around, drilling new holes.

Obviously, it's an election year.