Commientary

[abbey1227]

The New York Times
What's More Important for This Town: A Library or a Police Station?
Tim Arango    Sun, December 11, 2022

www.yahoo.com/news/whats-more-important-town-library-155052431.html

MCFARLAND, Calif. — On one side of Kern Avenue in the small city of McFarland is the library. Bright and spacious, it fills with schoolchildren on weekday afternoons, providing safety until their parents return from harvesting grapes and almonds in the heart of California’s richest agricultural region. The children build with blocks and Legos, read books, play on the computers. And they are fed: on a recent afternoon, a grilled cheese sandwich, carrots and chocolate graham crackers.

On the other side of the avenue is the Police Department. Two dozen employees share a bathroom; four sergeants pack into one small office. The walls are so thin that the chief fires up a white noise machine to have a private conversation. The property room is a tiny closet, stuffed with cardboard boxes full of confiscated handguns, and smelling of sweaty clothes and marijuana seized as evidence.

Kenny Williams, who serves as McFarland’s police chief and its city manager, looks across the street with envy. In a move that has sharply divided the mostly poor farming community, he has been pushing to take over the library, owned and operated by Kern County, and convert the building into a new police station. His argument: Crime is exploding, the city is growing, the tax base is tight.

“We’re out of room,” Williams said. “We have to grow. There’s just no ifs, ands or buts about it.”

The starkness of the choice facing McFarland — library or police station — reflects a growing debate in communities across the country over how much to spend on law enforcement in a post-George Floyd America, versus what to devote to other public needs, especially those serving disadvantaged groups.

Other city leaders in McFarland, including council members, the superintendent of schools, and the parks and recreation department, have supported the police chief in his requests to the county. So has perhaps the town’s most powerful voice of all: Jim White, a legendary coach whose shaping of the migrant community’s inexperienced cross-country team into championship contenders was portrayed by Kevin Costner in the film “McFarland USA.”

Speaking at a public meeting in support of the Police Department’s proposed takeover, the coach dismissed the library as “primarily for babysitting.”

====================================================================

comments:

Education and learning makes a huge difference in a community, a library is just the type of environment that promotes learning and study. Fact - The more education people have, the less crime there is.

1 hour ago

Absolutely. As a young lady, I worked my way up in our local library from a PT shelving clerk to a Librarian 1.

Our library was a place for many high school students in classes just 2 blocks away. We hired a few to shelve & repair books. Others did homework, research for class projects, even volunteered to do a Sat story time for younger children.

7 hours ago

Is it even legal to build a building with federal funds for a specific purpose (library), then change it to a completely different purpose (police station) for which the federal funds were not allocated? Isn't that mismanagement of the federal funds?

Sounds like the police department needs to look into getting their own grant money.

6 hours ago

One thing the article doesn’t mention is that libraries are the only way for those who can’t afford internet to get online. Most of us take being online for granted but there are people who rely on the library for online services such as job searches.

7 hours ago

My thoughts would be that the city needs to write a grant request for a new building. To convert the library will cost money and then deny the children as well as adults of a valuable resource. A grant would give the city a building designed for its end use rather than having to convert and still not have the proper configuration. Grants are available from a wide variety of sources; federal, state monies, private funds, corporations, academia and I'm sure I left out several.

8 hours ago

In a small growing city with a limited budget, it's hard to run a police force, it is expensive. If these people can not decide on either the library, or public safety. They can disband the police dept, and contract the county sheriff for L.E service, and put the rest in the library.

7 hours ago

Turning the library into a police station would make the police even more needed to arrest all the kids who would have been using the library but would be up to no good without it. The cross country coach was all about turing out runners - not students learning what would help them to better lives.

7 hours ago

>the coach dismissed the library as “primarily for babysitting.

That might be true. However, what are working parents going to do? Quit their jobs and stay home to take care of their children, but because they are not earning money going to be homeless in the streets there?

I just looked at Google maps and there is a huge lot next door - it looks like it is for utility trucks and stuff like that for the city. The police department could take over some of that space - put in modular offices, maybe a shipping container for evidence room.

6 hours ago

As a contractor, the community should volunteer to build an addition to the police station or another building over the course of year or two, can give them tax breaks or credits in future. Essentially get community support all around. I am sure home depot/lowes/hardwarestores will donate or deeply discount a lot of material and it would be a feel good empowering story.

It is much cheaper to build in rural areas and the city can fast track simply built buildings. More police will help treat the immediate problems but education will treat problems at the source fora generation. Police states/countys never proper in long run.



4 hours ago

The police should try spending time fundraising & asking for donations, in addition to applying for federal/state funding. If not, then they should look into increasing their local taxes to foot the bill for the police. If they don't have enough tax revenue for the little resources they have, raising taxes a bit for a year or two should cover it - if those 14,500 people that live there paid $10 extra for 2 years, that would be $300k to build the police station.
1 replying

2 minutes ago

LOL @ spending time fundraising, AND building a station for 300k.

7 hours ago

Why can't the police department build the police station upward, meaning construct a SECOND OR THIRD STORY of the police station to solve the problem. The library is the key for every child to learn and grow. The police station should not stop the growth and learning of children. I'm sure the Police Department has the resources from the state or national government.

7 hours ago

Why are they all cramming into the building? Why aren't they working in shifts? Who does the police chief think he is? He doesn't get to decide to take someone else's building. If they can't afford a new building, look for an existing building. If that's not possible, add to the building they're in now.

7 hours ago

Building an addition on to the existing police station would be cheaper and would give the police extra space they need which would solve the problem instead of a brand new building while the library could remain where it is

7 hours ago

Certainly the cops deserve better but if it's one or the other, library or police station, I say go for the library. Hopefully a kid who spends time in the library is much less likely to ever have to spend time in the police station.

7 hours ago

So the library is county. A lot of CONSERVATIVE cities opt to contract out policing to the county - Sheriffs. Perhaps the city can have the best of both worlds by contracting out to the county sheriffs and keep it's library. A city police force is much more expensive than a contracted force, and clearly McFarlane's police are not happy with their jobs.

7 hours ago

Small towns don't need their own police forces, this one didn't have one until 2010 and it has had a checkered history since then. They could just go back to the country sheriffs.

7 hours ago

The library is a county facility, so it doesn't belong to McFarland; thus, if the city wants a new police station, it would seem to be their responsibility to come up with the money.

7 hours ago

Keep the library. The police have never been able to stop crime but I’ve seen people get inspired by reading and go on to get an education that keeps them out of jail.

2 hours ago

So what are the other options for a police station? Is coveting the library the only way. How about seed grants? Fund raising. Existing property that can be donated or rented cheaply. You need to have the police station and they desperately need the library. Fighting crime in this town is not an either or proposition. It’s value is both and I guarantee that those kids at the library reading, studying, learning, are involved in opportunities/options that steer them away from crime.

4 hours ago

This is a manufactured story, that would make a great Hallmark movie. Lonely police chief clashes with spinster librarian until they realize their feelings for each other. Happily ever after. We can’t build a new police building and closing the library is the only option. Nope, doesn’t ring true.

7 hours ago

easy fix, slap a property tax increase on the citizens, and use it to repay a bond that you get to build a new police station, that way the ones opposed to using the library can put their money where their mouth is.

8 hours ago

The library is the most needed ... will affect those young kids lives for their entire life, and in a positive manner. Cops need to find another way to get a new building. One of those quotes said she works for Amazon ... how about appealing to Bezos to help out? There needs to be another way to get a cop shack other than stealing/destroying the library ... which is the heart of this and every other community!

6 hours ago

Of course police are going to go after the library. Do you think their is a single cop in that county that has read a book in the last 5 years?

7 hours ago

Why don't they just do what every private sector does in this situation? Remove the complainer from his position and find someone who will make it work within the budget and constraints given?

7 hours ago

How about using an empty school? Or the city council chambers? An empty department store? Why take from a strong community resource?

7 hours ago

There's a commercial building for sale in McFarland for sale. It fits the needs of law enforcement and it's cheaper than gutting the library. Why is omar the sharif trying to close a library?

6 hours ago

Violent and property crimes are at almost all time low levels in California and the rest of the country save a handful of southern states. The idea that crime is out of control just isn’t true. Sure the media likes to pretend and always shows horror stories of how criminals are taking over but the data doesn’t come close to backing that up at all.

[merh]

estimated 15,506 as of 2019.

They really have that much crime?
Or the cop is trying to increase his pull in the city.

[abbey1227]

Dec 12, 2022 6:52:09 GMT merh said:

estimated 15,506 as of 2019.

They really have that much crime?
Or the cop is trying to increase his pull in the city.

A story like this, if followed thru on.........could be a good exposition on how the will of the people is so often ignored.  

Remember, I'm such the cop lover that I've supported eliminating entire police forces if the locals don't want it. 

[merh]

Dec 12, 2022 8:35:23 GMT abbey1227 said:

Dec 12, 2022 6:52:09 GMT merh said:

They really have that much crime?
Or the cop is trying to increase his pull in the city.

A story like this, if followed thru on.........could be a good exposition on how the will of the people is so often ignored.  

Remember, I'm such the cop lover that I've supported eliminating entire police forces if the locals don't want it. 

This is a small town

Poway has a sheriff's department & it has 50,000 residents. 

McFarland could use the Kern Sheriff's department. Counties provide law enforcement in unincorporated areas & cities (like Poway) that choose to contract with the county for law enforcement. 

[abbey1227]

Dec 12, 2022 17:33:45 GMT merh said:

This is a small town

Poway has a sheriff's department & it has 50,000 residents. 

McFarland could use the Kern Sheriff's department. Counties provide law enforcement in unincorporated areas & cities (like Poway) that choose to contract with the county for law enforcement. 

Yep, they could do that, too.

It'd still cost them $Money either way.

These are the things that are involved in budgetary discussions. Something the Govt usually knows very little about anymore.

[merh]

Dec 13, 2022 3:41:50 GMT abbey1227 said:

Dec 12, 2022 17:33:45 GMT merh said:

This is a small town

Poway has a sheriff's department & it has 50,000 residents. 

McFarland could use the Kern Sheriff's department. Counties provide law enforcement in unincorporated areas & cities (like Poway) that choose to contract with the county for law enforcement. 

Yep, they could do that, too.

It'd still cost them $Money either way.

These are the things that are involved in budgetary discussions. Something the Govt usually knows very little about anymore.

Obviously that little police department that feels the need to take over the library space can't be doing all that well if crime is so out of control in that little town of 16,000.

Buying into the existing sheriff's department means the staffing would be adjustable as needed. The need to build a larger substation would be the county budgets problem.

[abbey1227]

Dec 13, 2022 11:38:04 GMT merh said:

Obviously that little police department that feels the need to take over the library space can't be doing all that well if crime is so out of control in that little town of 16,000.

Buying into the existing sheriff's department means the staffing would be adjustable as needed. The need to build a larger substation would be the county budgets problem.

You're gonna pull out the olde 'per capita' argument again?

But THAT's what Govt does at almost every level, merh. It grows, it eats up more, it grabs for more and more with each passing year.

[merh]

Dec 13, 2022 12:35:06 GMT abbey1227 said:

Dec 13, 2022 11:38:04 GMT merh said:

Obviously that little police department that feels the need to take over the library space can't be doing all that well if crime is so out of control in that little town of 16,000.

Buying into the existing sheriff's department means the staffing would be adjustable as needed. The need to build a larger substation would be the county budgets problem.

You're gonna pull out the olde 'per capita' argument again?

But THAT's what Govt does at almost every level, merh. It grows, it eats up more, it grabs for more and more with each passing year.

So you think the police station is more important than.the library so it should take the space?
Isnt that the whole point of you posting the article.

[abbey1227]

Dec 14, 2022 1:42:41 GMT merh said:

Dec 13, 2022 12:35:06 GMT abbey1227 said:

You're gonna pull out the olde 'per capita' argument again?

But THAT's what Govt does at almost every level, merh. It grows, it eats up more, it grabs for more and more with each passing year.

So you think the police station is more important than.the library so it should take the space?
Isnt that the whole point of you posting the article.

I don't know that place well enough to make that call.

I tend to believe a police presence is necessary in many areas. A library? These days?

The point was to show the comment section. Those people seem like they'd be fine with no police. So if they're of that area, go without the police and be done with it already.

The point was to introduce some subject matter for conversation's sake.

[merh]

Dec 14, 2022 7:20:34 GMT abbey1227 said:

Dec 14, 2022 1:42:41 GMT merh said:

So you think the police station is more important than.the library so it should take the space?
Isnt that the whole point of you posting the article.

I don't know that place well enough to make that call.

I tend to believe a police presence is necessary in many areas. A library? These days?

The point was to show the comment section. Those people seem like they'd be fine with no police. So if they're of that area, go without the police and be done with it already.

The point was to introduce some subject matter for conversation's sake.

On one side of Kern Avenue in the small city of McFarland is the library. Bright and spacious, it fills with schoolchildren on weekday afternoons, providing safety until their parents return from harvesting grapes and almonds in the heart of California’s richest agricultural region. The children build with blocks and Legos, read books, play on the computers. And they are fed: on a recent afternoon, a grilled cheese sandwich, carrots and chocolate graham crackers.

So it's providing free daycare for the field workers so the farmers get their crops harvested.

Otherwise those kids are hanging out on the streets maybe getting in trouble.

Seventeen percent of all serious violent crimes in 1991 were committed by juveniles, either alone (eleven percent) or in juvenile groups (six percent). Juvenile Offenders and Victims: A National Report, National Center for Juvenile Justice (August, 1995). Another eight percent of serious violent crimes were committed by groups of offenders that included at least one juvenile. Id. In all, twenty-five percent of all serious violent crime involved a juvenile offender. Id. Of these crimes, more than one-half involved a group of offenders. Id.

Data gathered from a variety of sources indicate that after a period of relative stability in the rates of juvenile crime, there was a major turning point in about 1985. A. Blumstein, Violence by Young People: Why the Deadly Nexus?, National Institute of Justice Journal 229 (August, 1995). Then, within the next seven years, the rate of homicides committed by young people, the number of homicides they committed with guns, and the arrest rate of non-white juveniles for drug offenses, all doubled. Id. This dramatic increase of juvenile violence seems to be fueled by the increase in drug trafficking since the mid-1980's, most particularly cocaine. Id.

Increasing youth violence has become a national concern, and juvenile arrests are on the rise. Guide for Implementing the Comprehensive Strategy for Serious, Violent, and Chronic Juvenile Offenders, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (June 1995). Between 1984 and 1993, arrests of juveniles for violent offenses rose by nearly sixty-eight percent. Id. Most of this increase occurred between 1989 and 1993, during which time juvenile arrests for murder increased forty-five percent, arrests for robbery increased thirty-seven percent, and arrests for aggravated assault increased thirty-seven percent.

www.justice.gov/archives/jm/criminal-resource-manual-102-juvenile-crime-facts

Laws and policies have similarly impacted the juvenile justice system. The number of youth in confinement in the U.S. dropped by 60% between 2000 and 2017,

online.maryville.edu/blog/juvenile-delinquency-statistics/

White youth account for more than 60% of juvenile arrests (OJJDP).
Male youth account for 70% of juvenile arrests (OJJDP).

So Juvenile crime has dropped since the mid 1990s when they were a serious worry.

Our Chief around 2015 believed it was video games. Kids weren't hanging out on the streets getting in trouble as they had been in times past.

But white youth are doing their part to keep those stats up where they are.

One of my old coworkers emailed me a week ago. 
I just noticed & responded today. Coming up 2 yrs I retired in March but I haven't been replaced. Typical lack of budget. All the money for law enforcement goes to the sheriffs. Politicians brag about officers on the streets, not officers supervising already convicted criminals. Probation is seen as a slap on the wrist. Those criminals should be in prison!!!

Where they can sit on their ass? Or work out in the gym? At least on supervision they have conditions to meet. Classes to take. Maybe learn something. 

Incarceration gets them off the street bit nothing else. It doesn't automatically "teach them a lesson!!!" 

[abbey1227]

Dec 15, 2022 7:34:46 GMT merh said:

So it's providing free daycare for the field workers so the farmers get their crops harvested.

Otherwise those kids are hanging out on the streets maybe getting in trouble.

So Juvenile crime has dropped since the mid 1990s when they were a serious worry.

Our Chief around 2015 believed it was video games. Kids weren't hanging out on the streets getting in trouble as they had been in times past.

But white youth are doing their part to keep those stats up where they are.

One of my old coworkers emailed me a week ago. 
I just noticed & responded today. Coming up 2 yrs I retired in March but I haven't been replaced. Typical lack of budget. All the money for law enforcement goes to the sheriffs. Politicians brag about officers on the streets, not officers supervising already convicted criminals. Probation is seen as a slap on the wrist. Those criminals should be in prison!!!

Where they can sit on their ass? Or work out in the gym? At least on supervision they have conditions to meet. Classes to take. Maybe learn something. 

Incarceration gets them off the street bit nothing else. It doesn't automatically "teach them a lesson!!!"

yeah........ I'm not a big fan of all the Illegals here..........WHY would I be OK with their kids?

You can not believe ANY Govt stats anymore. If it gets in the way of their Agenda, they just flat out LIE.

Then prison isn't painful enough to make a difference.

[merh]

Dec 15, 2022 14:19:15 GMT abbey1227 said:

Dec 15, 2022 7:34:46 GMT merh said:

So it's providing free daycare for the field workers so the farmers get their crops harvested.

Otherwise those kids are hanging out on the streets maybe getting in trouble.

So Juvenile crime has dropped since the mid 1990s when they were a serious worry.

Our Chief around 2015 believed it was video games. Kids weren't hanging out on the streets getting in trouble as they had been in times past.

But white youth are doing their part to keep those stats up where they are.

One of my old coworkers emailed me a week ago. 
I just noticed & responded today. Coming up 2 yrs I retired in March but I haven't been replaced. Typical lack of budget. All the money for law enforcement goes to the sheriffs. Politicians brag about officers on the streets, not officers supervising already convicted criminals. Probation is seen as a slap on the wrist. Those criminals should be in prison!!!

Where they can sit on their ass? Or work out in the gym? At least on supervision they have conditions to meet. Classes to take. Maybe learn something. 

Incarceration gets them off the street bit nothing else. It doesn't automatically "teach them a lesson!!!"

yeah........ I'm not a big fan of all the Illegals here..........WHY would I be OK with their kids?

You can not believe ANY Govt stats anymore. If it gets in the way of their Agenda, they just flat out LIE.

Then prison isn't painful enough to make a difference.

So you want $10 heads of lettuce?

I worked for Probation 
I know the stats that affected our budget.
Juvenile crime came way down, dude. Our budget was slashed over it.

The point of prison is to remove people from society.
Politicians have slashed prison education budgets because criminals don't need education.

[abbey1227]

Dec 15, 2022 20:21:57 GMT merh said:

So you want $10 heads of lettuce?

I worked for Probation 
I know the stats that affected our budget.
Juvenile crime came way down, dude. Our budget was slashed over it.

The point of prison is to remove people from society.
Politicians have slashed prison education budgets because criminals don't need education.

Stop threatening me with higher prices. Inflation is already doing that just fine.

I do not trust that for a minute. They keep redefining offenses and labeling things differently. I'm shocked murder hasn't been downgraded yet.

What percentage of educated prisoners go on to lead highly successful lives? If it's as low or lower than our public schools......probably best to just stop funding it.

[merh]

Dec 16, 2022 2:40:00 GMT abbey1227 said:

Dec 15, 2022 20:21:57 GMT merh said:

So you want $10 heads of lettuce?

I worked for Probation 
I know the stats that affected our budget.
Juvenile crime came way down, dude. Our budget was slashed over it.

The point of prison is to remove people from society.
Politicians have slashed prison education budgets because criminals don't need education.

Stop threatening me with higher prices. Inflation is already doing that just fine.

I do not trust that for a minute. They keep redefining offenses and labeling things differently. I'm shocked murder hasn't been downgraded yet.

What percentage of educated prisoners go on to lead highly successful lives? If it's as low or lower than our public schools......probably best to just stop funding it.

While some of my guys managed to get their GED in jail because out local continuing education department offered jail classes.

But who needs a high school diploma?

Never see those companies that hire ex-cons because they were started by an ex-con? We had one that worked to help our guys get work.

You sure like to throw people away.

[abbey1227]

Dec 17, 2022 18:12:40 GMT merh said:

While some of my guys managed to get their GED in jail because out local continuing education department offered jail classes.

But who needs a high school diploma?

Never see those companies that hire ex-cons because they were started by an ex-con? We had one that worked to help our guys get work.

You sure like to throw people away.

You like to hang onto people who should be thrown away. It'd probably be the best thing for them, too

[merh]

Dec 18, 2022 12:31:56 GMT abbey1227 said:

Dec 17, 2022 18:12:40 GMT merh said:

While some of my guys managed to get their GED in jail because out local continuing education department offered jail classes.

But who needs a high school diploma?

Never see those companies that hire ex-cons because they were started by an ex-con? We had one that worked to help our guys get work.

You sure like to throw people away.

You like to hang onto people who should be thrown away. It'd probably be the best thing for them, too

So throw them away.
Then they are the homeless?


I was watching an interesting film
"It Happened on 5th Avenue"
1940s.
A hobo travels to various mansions to stay while the rich owners spend time in other areas. The owner spends his winters at his Virginia mansion so the hobo stays in the NY mansion

The sub plot (outside of the boy getting the girl) was unemployed military guy has an idea to buy a barracks & transform it into homes for families.

[abbey1227]

Dec 19, 2022 4:31:31 GMT merh said:

Dec 18, 2022 12:31:56 GMT abbey1227 said:

You like to hang onto people who should be thrown away. It'd probably be the best thing for them, too

So throw them away.
Then they are the homeless?


I was watching an interesting film
"It Happened on 5th Avenue"
1940s.
A hobo travels to various mansions to stay while the rich owners spend time in other areas. The owner spends his winters at his Virginia mansion so the hobo stays in the NY mansion

The sub plot (outside of the boy getting the girl) was unemployed military guy has an idea to buy a barracks & transform it into homes for families.

or they finally hit rock bottom and decide to change?

Do you find it funny that hobos back in the day weren't nearly as frightening or threatening as what we've got now? I always point out how even the poorest of the poor in black & white movies from the era had a jacket and usually a hat, too.

[merh]

Dec 19, 2022 4:35:14 GMT abbey1227 said:

Dec 19, 2022 4:31:31 GMT merh said:

So throw them away.
Then they are the homeless?


I was watching an interesting film
"It Happened on 5th Avenue"
1940s.
A hobo travels to various mansions to stay while the rich owners spend time in other areas. The owner spends his winters at his Virginia mansion so the hobo stays in the NY mansion

The sub plot (outside of the boy getting the girl) was unemployed military guy has an idea to buy a barracks & transform it into homes for families.

or they finally hit rock bottom and decide to change?

Do you find it funny that hobos back in the day weren't nearly as frightening or threatening as what we've got now? I always point out how even the poorest of the poor in black & white movies from the era had a jacket and usually a hat, too.

There was a hobo in our area of San Bernardino. 
Mom always told us to stay away from him. He did seem a bit more like the current homeless.