Erie police hiring plan a matter of life and death given the violence we face

When Erie Police Chief Dan Spizarny requested $14.5 million in American Rescue Plan funding to bolster the Erie Bureau of Police, I zeroed in on the finances during Erie City Council’s Nov. 18 study session: How will we pay for 21 new officers when federal ARP funding expires in 2026?

By the time City Council voted unanimously for Spizarny’s proposal on Dec. 1, I realized our decision involved more than dollars and cents; we held life-or-death matters in our hands.

Although we approved the funding in 2021, we still had to put the plan into action. Late at night on June 15, after more than two hours of public comment, council voted 5-2 to hire the nine of 21 proposed new police officers, including two Black males and two females. Chuck Nelson and Jasmine Flores voted no.

But much to my astonishment and anguish, as soon as we hired these new officers, council voted to only guarantee their employment until Jan. 1, 2024, when the police complement must be cut back to 175. Councilmen Michael Keys and Ed Brzezinski joined Nelson and Flores to vote for the anticipated reduction in force; Mel Witherspoon, Maurice “Mo” Troop and I voted no.

The votes:Erie City Council OKs 9 new police officers, but $14.5M public safety plan in jeopardy

Picture landing your dream job, giving notice to your old boss, then learning days before you start work that you could be among the last hired, first fired. City Council may have created that very scenario for these new officers, who will be sworn in on Monday.

Yet if council addresses the questions raised by some council members and the public, I am optimistic that we can move forward with this community policing proposal, which creates a juvenile unit, trains and staffs a mental-health crisis car, improves community outreach and expands the Police Athletic League, among other initiatives.

Those who work with domestic violence victims, mental-health patients and traumatized youngsters helped to develop this plan.

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Black leaders who have worked tirelessly to improve police-community relations support it.

Business owners, weary from contending with vandalism of their property and harassment of employees and customers, back it. So do neighborhood groups who are frustrated when police don’t have time to investigate suspected drug-dealing or respond to sleep-disturbing noise.

More:Erie police chief says force looks to add officers, specialized units in 2022 as gun violence grows

The unrelenting uptick in gun…