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Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Occupy Philly is costing the city in police overtime

This post has been UPDATED with a price tag for the Philly protests.

The Associated Press reports that the Occupy Wall Street protest in New York City has cost the city $1.9 million in police overtime over the past three weeks. And that's at a time wihen the city is trying to trim their expenses.

From their story:

"The bottom line is that people want to express themselves, and as long as they obey the laws, we allow them to," Bloomberg told reporters Monday when asked about the protesters' staying power. "If they break the laws, then we're going to do what we're supposed to do — enforce the laws."

Last week, Bloomberg ordered all agencies to prepare to cut expenses by a total of $2 billion during the next 18 months. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said the budget cuts may cause the cancellation of a new class of police officers entering the academy in January.

This got us wondering how the price tag for the Philly protest is shaping up. Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said last week that the city would be using officers on overtime to staff the protest outside City Hall. And the city is also planning budget cuts to deal with lower than expected tax revenues.

As of this morning, Mayoral Spokesman Mark McDonald said the city doesn't have a tally for the bottom line.

UPDATE: We just got some more detail from Police Department Spokesman Lt. Ray Evers, who said that through yesterday, the Occupy Philadelphia overtime costs were at $164,000. And obviously, if the protesters stay a while, that number will continue to grow.

Posted by Catherine Lucey and Jan Ransom @ 10:37 AM Permalink | 36 comments

Comments

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 10:58 AM, 10/11/2011

Has this blog ever asked what police coverage in response to flash mobs costs the city?

— phillygoat

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 11:20 AM, 10/11/2011

While the police are there collecting overtime, perhaps they could arrest somebody for public urination. City Hall stinks of urine more than normal, and the puddle and marks on doors and walls are quite noticeable.

— jfar86

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 11:20 AM, 10/11/2011

@phillygoat - what's your point? Police coverage for one is ostensibly justified by ruthless, random beatings, while the other is for a voluntary group of squatters (I do not mean this as a shot on the merits of their arguments) demanding reform. I don't mind paying for the former; the latter I do.

— evolutionary

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 11:23 AM, 10/11/2011

And as an aside, I'm not sure how playing baseball on City Hall grounds stands for anything. My girlfriend and I were almost nailed by a line drive as we tried cutting through the 'camp' to get to the other side of City Hall on Sunday. Baffling how those activities are overlooked.

— evolutionary

Comment removed.

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 11:32 AM, 10/11/2011

Lt.Evers is only giving the overtime price what about the officers from other parts of the City and Center City who are assigned to the Detail they should also be included in the price of the Detail cost.

— realtime

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 11:33 AM, 10/11/2011

evolutionary - police presence has been stepped up because of the flash mobs. Police have had to enforce curfews as well. It's a pretty good question to wonder how much more the boys and girls of flash mobs cost taxpayers.

— PotteryPete

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 11:39 AM, 10/11/2011

These "protesters" are a complete joke and costing Philadelphia taxpayers massive amounts of money. So much for them being "for the people".

— Citizenc92

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 11:50 AM, 10/11/2011

The article fails to mention that this is the only time in the history of Philadelphia that any event has ever required overtime from the police. Not a single parade, political convention, presidential visit, World Series celebration or anything else has ever need additional police coverage.

Get a life jerks

— myawesomebike

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 12:11 PM, 10/11/2011

Freedom is not free.

— Philly Born

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 12:17 PM, 10/11/2011

How much soap could we buy for these scummy protesters with 164K? Have you seen these idiots? It's the Free Mumia crowd and the entire Urban Studies department from Penn and Temple. White kids from the suburbs with too much time and not enough grey matter.

— dragoon6

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 12:21 PM, 10/11/2011

$164,000 seems too low.

— anon

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 12:21 PM, 10/11/2011

Put guns on their hips, camouflage on their backs, and racist banter in their mouths and they could be the Tea Party.

— Philly Born

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:15 PM, 10/11/2011

you forgot "jobs" and "responsibilities"

— ArchimedesJackson

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 12:24 PM, 10/11/2011

But try and organize a parade and see what the City charges you.

— Wilhelm Von Humboldt

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About The Philly Clout Team

Chris Brennan, a native Philadelphian and graduate of Temple University, joined the Daily News in 1999. He has written about SEPTA, the Philadelphia School District, the legalization of casino gambling, state government, the mayor, the governor, City Council and political campaigns.

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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics – which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com

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Catherine Lucey joined the Daily News in 2002 and has written about murderous drug gangs, political protesters and Harry Potter. After covering the 2007 mayoral election, she moved over to the City Hall bureau where she has been reporting on the Nutter administration.

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Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans.

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