Secret Costs, Declining Safety in El Paso?
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Security at the Stadium to Cost over $18 Million
By Karla Guevara Diario de El Paso April 27, 2014 Spanish version at http://diario.mx/El_Paso/2014-0427_858d21ec/costara-seguridad-de-nuevo-estadio-mas-de-$18-millones/ The City has often said that the maximum cost of the Southwest University baseball stadium is $64 million. What they’ve been quiet about is that the cost of security and traffic control outside the building could reach —and surpass-$18.6 million during the 30 years the Chihuahuas will be playing there. The stadium, with a capacity of 9,500 to 10,000 people, 7,500 seats and four levels, will open its doors tomorrow at 5 p.m. At 7 o’clock the El Paso Chihuahuas will play their first game in El Paso, against the Fresno Grizzlies. Tickets to the game have been sold out since March. The situation is complicated by the issue of the Police Department budget. Department spokesperson Sgt. Chris Mears said that for every game, 18 to 20 officers from all the commands will be working traffic control, mostly on Santa Fe Street. “We’re not asking that the City pay overtime, but when they planned the stadium no one said the police were going to have as many as 20 officers taken away for each game. No one told us that a detective from Homicide was going to have to stop working on their cases in order to direct traffic,” said Jim Jopling, attorney for the El Paso Municipal Police Officers Association. On April 14, the Association filed a complaint, arguing that several police officers and detectives from the Anti-Gang, Homicide, Intelligence, and Theft departments had their schedules changed from Monday through Friday 8:00 to 5:00, so they could work evenings and weekends doing traffic control outside the stadium. Jopling said that measure violates the officers’ union contract with the City, since for other special events, extra officers have been hired, or officers have been paid overtime, instead of removing them from their assigned duties. “The contract states that the City will not reduce the regular hours of officers in order to avoid or reduce overtime pay,” Jopling said. (see next page)
“The complaint has no basis or merit. All employees, even if they have a union contract, must work to comply with the standards of the organization and the community, and sometimes there will be a need to adjust their schedules and work days,” said city manager Joyce Wilson. The Association’s complaint may have arisen in response to a memorandum from the police department from December of last year, about three possible scenarios to control street traffic around the stadium. The Diario El Paso reviewed the memo. Recall that the contract that the city signed with Mountain Star sports group, the Chihuahuas’ owners, promised to pay for the cost, as well as for 50 percent of water and drainage used by the stadium. The scenarios listed in addition to games are: minor events, major events, or when there are other downtown events such as the Neon Desert or Downtown Street Festivals. With large events, such as the opening game, the document specifies that up to 24 officers will be assigned to control traffic, at a cost of about $11,000 per game, meaning the cost per season is estimated at $823,000. The Mountain Star contract was extended for 30 years, meaning that the cost for this period could be $24.7 million. But if the Association succeeds with its complaint and the City has to pay the police overtime, the cost of traffic control outside the stadium will increase to $1.3 million per season, which for 30 years would be $39 million. For minor events, 18 officers are recommended, a number confirmed by Mears. This cost per game is estimated at $8,200, or $620,000 per season and $18.6 million over 30 years. But if the City pays overtime, the cost per season rises to $1 million, or $30 million in 30 years. If there are other events downtown during Chihuahuas games, the memorandum recommends hiring additional people, whose seasonal cost for a minor event comes to about $567,000, and for a major event $756,000. (next page)
City manager Joyce Wilson declined to comment on the numbers, saying they are inflated. The city refused to provide information to correct the figures. “It’s a hidden cost. It’s a disaster. If El Pasoans had known that their neighborhoods were going to be less safe and that police anti-crime efforts were going to decrease about 12,000 man-hours per year, they would not have been in favor. The City has done everything possible to hide this. It’s dirty. It’s deplorable,” Jopling added. Jopling also fears the legal consequences of moving detectives around, since they bring cases to the DA’s office, enabling the office to press charges. And he asks what will happen when those who write tickets [elsewhere] stop doing so because they’re at the stadium, which will lessen City revenues. In the long run this will take money from taxpayers. The City also declined to respond about whether City Council has been told of the cost of traffic control. (translation: Debbie Nathan)
By Karla Guevara Diario de El Paso April 27, 2014 Spanish version at http://diario.mx/El_Paso/2014-0427_858d21ec/costara-seguridad-de-nuevo-estadio-mas-de-$18-millones/ The City has often said that the maximum cost of the Southwest University baseball stadium is $64 million. What they’ve been quiet about is that the cost of security and traffic control outside the building could reach —and surpass-$18.6 million during the 30 years the Chihuahuas will be playing there. The stadium, with a capacity of 9,500 to 10,000 people, 7,500 seats and four levels, will open its doors tomorrow at 5 p.m. At 7 o’clock the El Paso Chihuahuas will play their first game in El Paso, against the Fresno Grizzlies. Tickets to the game have been sold out since March. The situation is complicated by the issue of the Police Department budget. Department spokesperson Sgt. Chris Mears said that for every game, 18 to 20 officers from all the commands will be working traffic control, mostly on Santa Fe Street. “We’re not asking that the City pay overtime, but when they planned the stadium no one said the police were going to have as many as 20 officers taken away for each game. No one told us that a detective from Homicide was going to have to stop working on their cases in order to direct traffic,” said Jim Jopling, attorney for the El Paso Municipal Police Officers Association. On April 14, the Association filed a complaint, arguing that several police officers and detectives from the Anti-Gang, Homicide, Intelligence, and Theft departments had their schedules changed from Monday through Friday 8:00 to 5:00, so they could work evenings and weekends doing traffic control outside the stadium. Jopling said that measure violates the officers’ union contract with the City, since for other special events, extra officers have been hired, or officers have been paid overtime, instead of removing them from their assigned duties. “The contract states that the City will not reduce the regular hours of officers in order to avoid or reduce overtime pay,” Jopling said. (see next page)
“The complaint has no basis or merit. All employees, even if they have a union contract, must work to comply with the standards of the organization and the community, and sometimes there will be a need to adjust their schedules and work days,” said city manager Joyce Wilson. The Association’s complaint may have arisen in response to a memorandum from the police department from December of last year, about three possible scenarios to control street traffic around the stadium. The Diario El Paso reviewed the memo. Recall that the contract that the city signed with Mountain Star sports group, the Chihuahuas’ owners, promised to pay for the cost, as well as for 50 percent of water and drainage used by the stadium. The scenarios listed in addition to games are: minor events, major events, or when there are other downtown events such as the Neon Desert or Downtown Street Festivals. With large events, such as the opening game, the document specifies that up to 24 officers will be assigned to control traffic, at a cost of about $11,000 per game, meaning the cost per season is estimated at $823,000. The Mountain Star contract was extended for 30 years, meaning that the cost for this period could be $24.7 million. But if the Association succeeds with its complaint and the City has to pay the police overtime, the cost of traffic control outside the stadium will increase to $1.3 million per season, which for 30 years would be $39 million. For minor events, 18 officers are recommended, a number confirmed by Mears. This cost per game is estimated at $8,200, or $620,000 per season and $18.6 million over 30 years. But if the City pays overtime, the cost per season rises to $1 million, or $30 million in 30 years. If there are other events downtown during Chihuahuas games, the memorandum recommends hiring additional people, whose seasonal cost for a minor event comes to about $567,000, and for a major event $756,000. (next page)
City manager Joyce Wilson declined to comment on the numbers, saying they are inflated. The city refused to provide information to correct the figures. “It’s a hidden cost. It’s a disaster. If El Pasoans had known that their neighborhoods were going to be less safe and that police anti-crime efforts were going to decrease about 12,000 man-hours per year, they would not have been in favor. The City has done everything possible to hide this. It’s dirty. It’s deplorable,” Jopling added. Jopling also fears the legal consequences of moving detectives around, since they bring cases to the DA’s office, enabling the office to press charges. And he asks what will happen when those who write tickets [elsewhere] stop doing so because they’re at the stadium, which will lessen City revenues. In the long run this will take money from taxpayers. The City also declined to respond about whether City Council has been told of the cost of traffic control. (translation: Debbie Nathan)
