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Posted by: kwflatbed

Program Would Pay for Extra Police Officers

BOSTON -- Governor Deval Patrick said he has found one way to help pay for all the new police officers he wants to put on the street; charge criminals for their crimes.

Patrick said he wants to create what he calls a "safety fee" that everyone convicted of a crime would have to pay.

Patrick said the new fee would be modeled after an existing state program that requires anyone who violates the law to pay a fee, from $45 for a traffic violation to $90 for a felony. Those existing fees bring in about $6 million each year.

Patrick said he's not sure what the new fee should be, but he hoped to raise about $10 million, half the money he needs to hire an extra 250 police officers in his first budget.

Patrick promised to add 1,000 police to the state.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed

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Posted by: HousingCop

He wants to create a FEE for criminals to pay but yet doesn't know what that FEE should be? F'ing TOOL. Just think, only a little more than 3 3/4 years left with this fool.
Judges will just waive it like they do most fines because of the indigenous nature of the defendant. Tough to charge a junkie a fee when they work as a doorman for spare change for customers at your local 7-11.

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Posted by: jettsixx

Governor Deval Patrick and charge criminals for their crimes. now there is two things I never thought I would see in the same sentence.

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Posted by: a little to the right

patrick is a moron

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Posted by: CJIS

Half the criminals out there have a hard enough time paying fee's that already are in place let alone paying another one. It would be like trying to force a square peg through a round hole. It just won't work.

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Posted by: Rock

This is a great political move for him. We know what the reality of this move is but now all the liberals can say, "See! I told you he'd be tough on crime!". All this does is create another piece of paper for the state to push around.

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Posted by: wgciv

What a moron.... probably lose more money than he raises.... so when these assholes dont pay their safety fee, they can issue warrants, we can pick them up, run them through the court, they can promise to pay, wont pay... restart cycle over again!

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Posted by: dcs2244

Typical marxist. The scumbags will be committing more crimes to get the money to pay the fees!

But seriously...the "Solomons" over at district court will just waive the fee, as one other commenter pointed out.

I guess we can fill out the fee form when we fill out the racial profiling form, 90-24 RMV item, truck/bus accident form, fatal addendum form and the forms summary form. Swell.



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Posted by: kwflatbed

Sheriff praises Patrick's plan for 'safety fee'
By ROB MARGETTA, Standard-Times staff writer

DARTMOUTH — Bristol County Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson yesterday praised Gov. Deval Patrick's proposal to charge criminals a "safety fee," saying it echoes the principle behind the $5-per-day "cost of care" fee the Dartmouth House of Correction once charged inmates.
"It's the right position," he said. "It's something that I think should have been done a long time ago, not only in Massachusetts, but across the country. ... Finally, finally we're going to hold them responsible."
On Saturday, Gov. Patrick announced that he has a plan to charge every convicted criminal an as-yet undetermined fee that would pay to hire more police.
Organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union and Massachusetts Correctional Legal Services have criticized the plan, saying that most criminals are poor and already face court fees when convicted.
Sheriff Hodgson said he wrote a letter of congratulations to Gov. Patrick when he heard about the plan, and invited the governor to Dartmouth to tour the House of Corrections and discuss fees.
Criminals "create a tremendous burden on the taxpayers with prisons and the justice system," he said. Later, he called Gov. Patrick's detractors "the same people who are responsible for recidivism in this country."
In 2002, the sheriff began charging each inmate $5 a day for room and board. "Over a two-year period, we raised $750,000," he said. "Imagine if every prison in Massachusetts charged a similar fee."
That two-year period ended July 2004 when a Bristol Superior Court judge ruled that the $5-per-day fee, along with other charges such as $5 for non-emergency medical visits and eyeglass prescriptions, were illegal.
Nine inmates represented by Massachusetts Correctional Legal Services took the case to court. It has been referred to the state Appeals Court.
The House of Corrections has an estimated population of 1,420 and a 2007 budget of $41 million, which it needs $4.4 million more to fund.
"Had we been able to collect (the daily $5 fee), we would cut that in half," Sheriff Hodgson said, adding that he has found other ways to trim his costs, such as cutting a cup of milk a day from the prisoner menu.
"That saved us 60 grand a year" while still meeting nutritional needs, he said.
The sheriff acknowledged that his cost-of-care charge is not analogous to Gov. Patrick's idea of a one-time fee.
"In our case, we get a bit more of a rehabilitative benefit," he said.
But he said the fact that he, a Republican, and Gov. Patrick, a Democrat, both came up with the idea of charging criminals to increase accountability shows that the notion crosses party lines.
Sheriff Hodgson said one of the biggest misconceptions of the $5 fee was that inmates' families would have to pay it. He said yesterday that the fees were assessed to the inmates themselves, and their families had no obligation to pay.
Poor inmates who could not pay had a bill that grew the longer they were incarcerated. When they were released, they were told, "If you don't come back within two years, we'll tear up the bill," Sheriff Hodgson said.
As for criticism of the sheriff that many criminals are already at an economic disadvantage, he said, "I'd invite you to come here and see how many inmates are picked up by limousines when they are let out."
Some come in with thousands of dollars, legal and illegal, he said.
"The point is, they have money," he said.


Contact Rob Margetta at
rmargetta@s-t.com

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Posted by: kwflatbed

Official wants prisoner fees returned to town

By JOAO FERREIRA, Standard-Times staff writer


ACUSHNET — Selectman David Wojnar is reviving an effort to have the town repaid for the cost of town prisoners awaiting arraignment after Gov. Deval Patrick's proposal to charge inmates a safety fee.
Mr. Wojnar will seek his board's support Monday night to develop legislation that would return any fees collected to the town.
He is working with Sen. Mark C.W. Montigny, D-New Bedford, on the legislation. Sen. Montigny is preparing to file the legislation soon.
"If there are going to be any prisoner fees collected, I think that money should be given directly to the cities and towns that are doing the work," Mr. Wojnar said. "There's a cost that the local municipality incurs when they arrest somebody."
Acushnet pays $6,000 to $10,000 a year to Bristol County Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson for housing town prisoners awaiting arraignment.
In 2005, the selectmen explored the possibility of forcing prisoners to pay the $60-a-day fee charged by the Sheriff's Department. Now Mr. Wojnar is reviving the idea after Gov. Patrick's proposal.
On Saturday, Gov. Patrick announced his plan to charge convicted criminals an as-yet-undetermined fee, which he says would be used to hire more police.
On Monday, Mr. Wojnar plans to ask for his board's support to raise the issue again. He said he also hopes the town will approach other municipalities to gather support for the idea.


Contact Joao Ferreira at
jferreira@s-t.com

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