This comes via e-mail:
For Immediate Release: November 18, 2009?
Contact: Kathryn Martin, 586.872.3144
Bouchard: Don’t take bus safety money from crime labs
Making crime victims wait even longer is not answer to state budget woes
Oakland County- Republican candidate for governor Mike Bouchard today called on the Granholm/Cherry administration to stop playing games with the budget and focus on long-term structural reforms.
“Instead of raiding one pot of money to replenish another, it’s time we start rethinking how we deliver services. The Granholm/Cherry team clearly lacks the capacity to find creative solutions,” Bouchard said. “It’s unbelievable that the administration is taking $900,000 from the forensic lab budget instead of finding long-term cost-effective alternatives for the school bus inspections.”
Bouchard added, “School bus inspections account for $1.43 million of the MSP budget which equates to an average cost of $130,000 (salary, benefits etc.) for each of the 11 state police officers conducting bus inspections. The administration should explore using private-sector certified mechanics or auto dealerships to conduct these annual inspections, thus freeing up resources for other clear priorities such as crime lab support.” He added “Certified mechanics make on average $60,000 a year. At that rate, bidding out the inspections could cost half as much. Car dealerships in this state are hurting for business, this could also be an opportunity to help them by inviting them to bid on the business. We must look for innovative ways to stretch every dollar farther.”
On Oct. 30th, Granholm boasted in her recent signing of the Michigan State Police (MSP) budget: “I am pleased this bill includes funding for the additional forensic laboratory casework resulting from the closure of the Detroit Crime Laboratory.” Then on Nov. 4, the governor’s budget director fired off a letter to Legislature slashing the forensic lab budget by roughly $915,000, claiming that the cuts could be offset with federal recovery act funds. However, the federal funds identified are only limited-term monies.
“The plan proposed by the Granholm/Cherry team is not sustainable. Unfortunately, this game of ‘hot potato’ and lack of leadership has become the signature of the Granholm/Cherry administration,” remarked Bouchard.
“Further cuts to forensics labs could mean that victims of crime, including rape, have to wait longer to get test results back,” said Bouchard. “The situation in the State Labs is already beyond critical with backlogs of DNA testing approaching a one-year wait. We had a tragic situation in Oakland County where a rape victim was raped two additional times while awaiting DNA results from the already overburdened MSP lab system. This is unacceptable.”
Bouchard further commented, “The MSP backlog has worsened with the shutdown of the Detroit Police Department Crime Lab.” The current MSP backlog has been exacerbated due to the shutdown of Detroit Police Department’s Crime Lab as evidenced by the following shocking statistics:
· 10,000 rape kits backlogged. It will take MSP years to process these cases.
· 5,700 firearms cases backlogged with a 12-month wait list
· 4,200 narcotic cases backlogged with a 4-5 month wait list
· 2,700 DNA cases backlogged with an 8 month wait list
· 370 polygraph tests backlogged with an 8-10 week wait list
As Oakland County Sheriff, Bouchard has made a practice of making sure taxpayers get the most bang for their buck. He competitively bid the jail food service, saving county taxpayers $1.6 million a year. He also is part of the county leadership team that anticipates potential budget shortfalls by operating on a three-year rolling budget. This forward thinking has resulted in Oakland County being only one out of 40 counties in the United States to have a AAA bond rating, which allows the county to borrow money at a low rate.
“As governor, my team and I will review programs to cut and find innovative alternatives where it makes sense, just as I have done in Oakland County,” Bouchard said. “Taxpayers need to know that each tax dollar is being spent effectively.”
Bouchard called on the House Appropriations Committee to stop the transfer before them on Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at 11:30AM.
For more information about Bouchard’s campaign for governor, visit www.Bouchardforgovernor.com and please, donate.
Jennifer Granholm and the Democrats have been a utter disaster for Michigan and its economy. It is time for new ideas, leadership and for some real change. Remember this come 2010; it is time to stop the disaster that Obama and the Democrats have created in America and here in Michigan. We need real jobs, a real economy and a true recovery — not socialism, wasted money and smoke and mirrors —- and that is about what the Democrats have given us for the past eight years here in Michigan.
It is time for change. Elect Mike Bouchard and Terri Lynn Land as Governor and Lt. Governor in Michigan in 2010.
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Please note: This is a blatant attempt to promote the Governor campaign of Mike Bouchard. I was NOT compensated for this posting at all. It is truly a personal choice of mine; as I live here and I have been out of work since 2005 and I feel the Democrats have to totally screwed this State into the ground.