Requesting government intervention

WASHINGTON, DC - While in Washington, DC, Thursday Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner delivered a letter to Vice President Joe Biden's staff seeking additional federal funding assistance to hire more police (READ the letter here).

The letter, signed by U.S. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, the mayor, Police Chief Mike Navarre and Toledo Police Patrolman's Association President Dan Wagner, is asking the Obama administration to help increase the number of COPS Hiring Recovery Program officers for the Glass City.

Mayor Finkbeiner was in Washington, DC, Thursday and testified before a House panel on improving America's census.

The letter, dated July 7, stated the Finkbeiner administration is seeking "intervention" in re-hiring all 150 police officers that were laid off May 1 due to a severe multi-million budget shortage Toledo is under.

Through federal assistance, a Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) through the Department of Justice, the city's police department was able to rehire 29 officers. The city was hoping, through this possible COPS grant, to hire back the rest of the 46 police officers but finding appears to limit the return of only 31 officers.

Congresswoman Kaptur and Mr. Finkbeiner said in the letter to Vice President Biden that Toledo has about 1.7 officers for every 1,000 Toledo residents, "one of the lowest rates in the country for an urban area."