DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – The Dallas City Council voted 11-4 Wednesday night to cut $7 million from the Dallas Police Department’s $24 million overtime budget.

The police department’s overall budget as proposed by City Manager T.C. Broadnax is more than $516 million, while the general fund budget is more than $1.4 billion.

The day before the vote, five former Council Members, Rickey Callahan, William Blaydes, Jerry Allen, Gary Griffith and Mary Poss, who also served as Acting Mayor, wrote a letter to current council members expressing their concerns about the reduction in police overtime.

“We are urging you to reconsider your proposed $7 million cut from Dallas Police Department’s overtime budget,” the letter said.

Mayor Eric Johnson had sharply criticized the idea, as had Governor Greg Abbott, who blasted city council members during a news conference in Austin earlier this month.

This keeps up and the presidential election will not be necessary when Trump is forced to declare Marshall Law.

If they had enough officers on the force to begin with, they wouldn't need much of an OT budget.

Correct.

I would add that they likely could do a better job of managing their hours.

What do I mean by that?

I have watched from my high rise office dozens of times a small fender bender or disabled car be moved to the side of the road and not blocking traffic, but yet there are four Dallas police squad cars responding. Oftentimes with more than one officer in each vehicle. And they stand around with four squad cars and five to seven officers, for an hour and a half or more. No ambulances, no crime happening, just hours ticking away waiting for a tow truck.

It's a complex issue. Other factors are the starting pay for Dallas PD. Weak or basically non-existent pension for officers. It's tough to recruit top people when they can start out making 30% more in one of the suburbs.

But to the OT, there is certainly a lot of fat to be cut around what the officers are actually doing to reduce crime while on the clock... 4 cars for a flat tire?

Interestingly the alternative was to cut city managers pay... shocking that they voted to cut police overtime versus their own pay.

I'd prefer to see the money stay with police overtime and have a really strong accounting of how that overtime money is spent. As a manager I would want to see what am I getting for my expenditure.... Data on how OT is being used, when are we overstaffed or understaffed and in what locations? Use the overtime money, but use it when it actually matters and makes a difference in serving and protecting.

Not sure I'd lose much by taking a little bit out of the top management of the city. Many are making two to three times what a beat cop is making... And likely not contributing as much as they could be or should be.

Correct.

I would add that they likely could do a better job of managing their hours.

What do I mean by that?

I have watched from my high rise office dozens of times a small fender bender or disabled car be moved to the side of the road and not blocking traffic, but yet there are four Dallas police squad cars responding. Oftentimes with more than one officer in each vehicle. And they stand around with four squad cars and five to seven officers, for an hour and a half or more. No ambulances, no crime happening, just hours ticking away waiting for a tow truck.

It's a complex issue. Other factors are the starting pay for Dallas PD. Weak or basically non-existent pension for officers. It's tough to recruit top people when they can start out making 30% more in one of the suburbs.

But to the OT, there is certainly a lot of fat to be cut around what the officers are actually doing to reduce crime while on the clock... 4 cars for a flat tire?

Interestingly the alternative was to cut city managers pay... shocking that they voted to cut police overtime versus their own pay.

I'd prefer to see the money stay with police overtime and have a really strong accounting of how that overtime money is spent. As a manager I would want to see what am I getting for my expenditure.... Data on how OT is being used, when are we overstaffed or understaffed and in what locations? Use the overtime money, but use it when it actually matters and makes a difference in serving and protecting.

Not sure I'd lose much by taking a little bit out of the top management of the city. Many are making two to three times what a beat cop is making... And likely not contributing as much as they could be or should be.

Ok Dan, are you saying they’re out there riding the clock? What if no other calls at the time so they’re posted up as safety barriers for the ones involved in the wreck?

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Trickle down, no different then fleeing Cali to TX. Fleeing Dallas residents will destroy Fort Worth and burbs, just like Californians are doing to Texas. Flee an ideology only to re-champion them again is the trrue definition of insanity or idiocracy or both

What are they supposed to do? I bet if there was a shots fired call everyone of one those officers would be running toward the gun fire while you’re still looking out of your high rise window, obviously not doing your job, judging them for doing their job on down time.

OT question, why in the hell have we been inundated with TFF losers over here lately. Have they gotten more strict over there or are a lot of them getting banned from their TDS because it’s getting closer to the election and they’re losing their [censored].

Kyle, I . . . . . kinda want to see you get riled up and go at somebody like a spider monkey. I don’t know why!

Well, now that is a good question

He must have had his wife's platforms on to hit that number...