a union, wanting to get bigger in manpower and budget? gasp, when has that ever happened before?

how many times have we seen more than one cop car watching (talking to each other) traffic along 175 or any other state route for that matter? i almost exclusively see cops in pairs when it comes to the blue and black cars. i am not saying some situations do not require more than one officer but if its about money and i really needed a partner they could ride with me...

its always about the violent crimes but i want to know the ratio of worthless time/money wasting citations to violent crimes before i'd even consider this a legitimate claim.

Cry me a river! Police and Fire pension plans is and will always bleed the county tax till and tax payers. Their pension plan, surviors benifits and health benifits after retirement is draining the county. Ask what the budget calls for each year to pay out all of this! You would fall of your chair. Anne Arundel Count is not a fourtune 500 company or a Dow Jones company.. They are non-profit, yet their pay outs looks like that of top corporations. Poilce and Fire put their lives on the line, they should be paid well and probably should be paid more.. but they need to step up, contribute to their retirement and end the 20 and out retirements. Next time FOP calls you and asks for money - ask them for information on their member contributions, department budgets, retirements and such. United Electrical Union never calls me asking for money, UAW never calls nor does the Teamsters union call asking for money. Telephone company union never calls either asking for donations..

How about letting me exercise my right to my bear arms in this state so I can protect myself? I can carry a concealed weapon in every state surrounding Maryland except my own. http://marylandshallissue.org/

I believe that we have created this monster by paying our children's roll models with millions of dollars for contract in sports and actors when the real role models are the teachers fire fighters police and nurses. I feel anybody who goes to work everyday to save my life or educate me that will last a lifetime should be compensated better. I think if jobs are cut to save money we should start with the amount of secretaries in school offices and the amount of maintenance workers repairing equipment and staff our roads with the police to help crimes. If my daughter was to ever go Mossi g I would hate to have that dreaded call that she could have been saved but there wasn't the man power to do so.

Maybe the answer is to privatize the police department.

Wa Wa Wa, how many companies these days are having employees leave for one reason or another and not replacing them? Everyone left has to spread their shoulders out a little and assume a little extra work. It may not be right but the employers have the power these days. No sympathy at all for these "heroes" or their money grubbing unions. Buck up and do your job.

The county needs to finds other areas to cut. I dont need the trash to come twice a week. If you want your property value not to decrease any further due to crime we need to add to the police force. This is a hard area to stay competitive, with all of the law enforcement opportunities available in this region. And I love people who think they know when an officer needs back up that know nothing about the job. But they will call them when their car gets broken into an expect the entire force to focus on their issue and say they are not doing enough.

I agree with the trash being picked up once a week, do it! Although the guy up the street from me who owns the seafood business and sits out 5 trash cans twice a week in front of his house will have to get his dumpster at his business emptied more frequently :)

Trash pickup is already scheduled to be reduced to once a week in AA county. Recycling made 2x a week redundant.

AA _COUNTY_ force/population ratio should not be compared to cities/municipalities. A good use of misleading statistics ... but in this case ... caught comparing apples to squad cars - little or no relationship.

Leopold believes by letting as many Officers go either by withholding promised raises or offering early outs without replacing the lost employees he will make his budget.... Of course the people don't worry about these changes until they dial 911 and nobody shows ... Then Mr. Holmes we will see how you feel about their WIDS SHOULDERS.... I know first hand how undermanned the Police and Corrections Facilities are right now and you should all be concerned.

The best prevention of crime (all types) is an armed citisenry. If Maryland would pass decent fire arms laws ans really crackdown on armed crimminals and allow the ligitimate citisen to carry and use his firearm in self defence of his life and property we could add a helping hand to the police force.

I was recently pulled over for having a headlight out...at 4 in the afternoon on a sunny day (yes, I always drive with my headlights on.) Total stoppage time was about 20 minutes as the AA officer wrote me a fix-it ticket rather than just telling me to go take care of it. Effective use of an "undermanned" police department? Nope - don't think so. Not saying traffic enforcement should not be done, but some more discretion on making better use of their time rather than just writing as many tickets as possible would mean a more effective police force. I have the highest respect for the AA police and don't have an axe to grind, but this struck me as a slightly silly waste of both our time. Had this happened after dark, I would have agreed completely - he had to ensure I would fix it. Apparently my telling him I would go right to the auto parts store to get a new bulb wasn't sufficient. Doubt this is a policy, but effective use of data management by the leaders would make these type of officers more accountable for patrol and crime prevention rather than time wasting. And how do I know that this officer write A LOT of these tickets? A different AA Co officer who signed off on my new headlight clued me in. :-)

The unions seem to be starting early on their campaigns against any republican in any office. How much money does the union representing these police officers waste on political posturing?? Is Anne Arundel County the only county having financial problems right now, I think NOT, Anne Arundel is probably in better shape than most of the other counties in Maryland. Instead of allowing union leaders to push their political agenda here in our county, why not ask these union leaders to work with the county leaders and the public to come up with a solution. Unions need to stop trying to divide the citizenry and come up with a solution that works for everyone.

Head light stop is fishing. Just a tool.

And our government wonders why I continue to ask them for help with obtaining a concealed carry permit. A lot of people need a lot of prayers and our police need to be included in them!

Folks, I wonder why some of you Have referred to YOUR police as greedy whiners. Noice please that the two groups cited int this article are leaders on the police department. I dont see them complaining about salaries, they are talking about shrinking to the point they cant protect us as they should when Howard County, Baltimore County and Calvert County Police Depts are growing with their county populations since the 90s. Not one of these officers is tasked with writing traffic tickets or making arrests anymore. These men and women are the ones with the experience to see problems and help the police department and county avoid them. If the pros who handle the daily running of the department see a a problem, we would be wise to listen and try to help! I have a very intelligent friend in one of these groups who says the whole department is broken. The bottom line is, we as citizens reaally don't care unless we call a cop when we are in trouble and we don't get an adequate response. I doesn't take a rocket scientist (or a police leader) to see that if we don't have enough cops, adequate responses will be less and less likely to occur.

Ok, so I wish people would think before they comment. Two cops on an accident, call for service, or traffic stop is comman place due to officer safety. Just because you got a ticket or had a better encounter with the police gives you no right to make ridiculous comments. Additionally, cops get breaks-they are people too. They need food and water, if you think you don't need the police then just remember when you need help and it take 15minites for them to come to an emergency call like pg police or Baltimore city that you don't need them because you got laid off, you got a ticket, you are in miserable job and hate your life. Do you got through your work day without taking a break? I say grow up an appreciate your have freedoms others die for on a daily basis. And most officer in the US die from of all things traffic related fatalities except this year when the number one cause weapons. An if your worried about tickets, slow down and drive right or change outta your wife beater an put down your beer and shakes a cops hand and just say thank you!

The officers in the norther precinct work hard. I don't know about the other areas of Anne Arundel County, but these guys work hard!

first i have a hard time believing any union today! And the ratio of officiers to population is wrong. I know for a fact many police officiers spend there time harrassing teens, and people parked in handicap spots that NEED them. i know that these are bad apples, but I think is time to get rid of the bad apples oh wait good luck firing someone in a union!

John, your logic on trust and $$$ proves these officers point with their vote. They have no confidence inthe ones we trusted with our money. The computer system appears fatally flawed and the administration wasted millions on it. Cops arent computer gurus. The county should have had tech types on this and obviously didnt have the right ones.

Who else is willing to put their life on the line for the protection of the population? Are you?

Shame on the "PATCH" for referring to Leopold as "The Republican" this man has been and always will be a RINO ! The real sad day for the County was when then candidate Leopold was able to dupe so many constituents. It is unfortunate local candidates do not recieve the character review that prominate national political figures come under. After all most of these individuals for the most part are climbing the ladder to State and Federal Political positions. It's just to bad that they cannot be culled during the candidate phase at the local level. Perhaps a bit more investigative journalism at the local level would serve to expose scoundrels before they ever reach elected office. The signs of egotistical autonomy have always been part of the Leopold personality. So he is in a bit of trouble, who really pays here? The Citizens ! Right? Therefore, let us learn from this and be more careful in choosing the candidates we support. Ask not what a candidate will do for me but how that candidate will represent the community.

People don't do their homework before they enter the voting booth. that's the problem.

Chet, I'm a Libertarian and advocate Mr. Leopold has a constitutional right to live his personal life as he chooses. However as an elected official when their personal choices shake the confidence of those that supported them they not only show disrespect for themselves, but their office and most of all those that supported them. This then becomes a matter that transcends personal choices into the public arena where such character flaws do not belong because it places a cloud of distraction over the elected official that impedes there ability to effectively represent the electorate. By the way RINO's are those individuals that lack the personal integrity to run as an Independant. Abusing a political party structure as a leg up to electability while deceitfully representing themselves as a candidate. Not an empty label but a sign of the times where even a common thread of decency is to difficult to comply with in the name of an organized entity let alone committing to a party platform..

RT another way to look at it is that a RINO by your definition is anyone that has been a republican since 1970 and can't stomach what the party has become the last 15 years or so. My party has been hijacked by the lunatic fringe or the Southern Democrats they absorbed in the 80's take your choice.

So if you don't agree with every plank of the platform there is no place for you in the party. Its a good way to force the party to be recalibrated.

Personally i'm not shocked by any politician abusing his position, but firmly believe when caught they should be shown the door "pour encourage les autres"