Replace helicopters with more police patrol...
Replace helicopters with more police patrol cars
Newport Beach resident Rene Jacober not only complained about
helicopter noise, he also brought up the cost of the program and its
effectiveness (“Residents seek quiet on Newport front,” July 30).
That brought up my reasons to write.
According to the article, the cost of the patrol in Newport Beach
is about $1.8 million. Couldn’t we saturate the city with 18 patrol
cars or cycles for the sum of $100,000 each, tops? The same goes for
my city of Costa Mesa.
What criminal element would want to come to our fair cities if
they saw 36 or up to 40 more police patrolling our neighborhoods?
I am not against helicopters per se, but I think they should be
operated by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department for the good of
all of the cities in Orange County. The helicopters are not the best
at preventing crime as ground base units are, but they do a good job
afterward for emergency calls and other critical situations
(carjacking, standoffs, etc.).
As Jacober suggested, I think our helicopter program can use some
intelligent and fair-minded discussion. I myself have attempted to
see both the pros and cons published in previous letters.
WILLIAM POLDER
Costa Mesa
Children’s health clinic should seek another city
It’s not that I’m against helping people -- but there again, I
don’t live on the Westside -- but I believe Costa Mesa has more than
enough charities, etc. (“Rea clinic decision postponed by district,”
Aug. 10).
We not only have the Soup Kitchen, Share Our Selves and any other
number, but we also have homes for recovering alcoholics or drugs,
and why is it that they feel that Costa Mesa is able to have one
more? What about Newport Beach? How about Fountain Valley? How about
these other cities?
You know that when a clinic is brought in, we will have more than
enough people coming. There will be more people outside of Costa Mesa
using this thing than would be living inside of Costa Mesa in our
boundaries.
I’m not against Latinos, but I believe that people should be here
legally, and I think that something should be done about the people
that are not here responsibly, legally participating in all the
benefits in Costa Mesa.
Why is it that other cities do not have these subsidies or as many
charitable services as we do? Maybe Santa Ana, but there again is
such a large number of Latinos, but anyway, I, again, have dear
friends that are Latino. I have friends from other races. That’s not
it.
I just think that it’s about time we said no to another charitable
institution that will just bring in more people from outside the area
than I think is necessary. And I don’t think they should try to make
you feel bad if you say no. This is a feel-good society, and it’s
about time it should stop.
JUNE MCKINZIE
Costa Mesa
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