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Santiago's Priorities: Violence, Gangs and Projected Vanity?
New badges is one project on the fast-track
Things are hectic in Trenton these days. Violent crime rates are exploding in every ward, and gang members are overrunning the corners. School violence and student safety has also, finally, risen to a priority. Yet with so many critical law enforcement issues facing the city, Director Santiago has managed to allocate resources, and money, to a pet project. Police sources report that new badges, hideous as they may be, are on the horizon.
Documents received by the K9News indicate the city has contracted with Symbol Arts, an Ogden, Utah company to provide the badges. According to the company web site for Symbol Arts, they “Specialize in Jewelry Quality Badges & Insignia.” So far the city has only ordered new Captain, Lieutenant, Sergeant (pictured) and Detective badges. A high ranking officer told the K9News the city has already agreed to pay $1,850 for production models for the four badges. The source however did not know the ultimate price per badge or who would pay for the badges in the end. Some believe the badges will be a temporary accent to uniforms, which would increase the collector value of the badges.
Most officers simply shook their head in disgust when told about the new badges. A few voiced their opinions: “Our cars look like rejects from the demolition derby, and this is what they think is important,” said one patrol officer. “Give me the money and I’d make at least six [police] cars safe for use,” said the officer’s partner.
One Lieutenant charged that the new badges were “another way for Santiago to project his vanity” to the rank and file. Since arriving, Santiago has repainted most of the police cars and developed a special uniform to distinguish the officers he has promoted, from others. Several officers also pointed out Santiago’s new city car as an example of money being wasted to serve his ego and vanity.
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City: Educating the public is not the key to reducing crime
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TRENTON - The city is taking a bold and trail-blazing step in their efforts to reduce crime. A plan, whose details were recently leaked to the K9News, has been in place for almost two years and is starting to see positive results. The plan is rooted in the premise: “Experience is more valuable than education.”
According to city hall sources, members of a special think-tank, all appointed by Mayor Douglas Palmer, devised the plan.
“We looked to the business world’s model of success and realized the same principles would work in crime-fighting,” said one member of the think-tank. “In business, education is important; however, experience is rated even higher. When we looked at the statistics for [Trenton’s] victims and witnesses, we realized there was a large untapped resource.”
A statistical model sheet obtained by the K9News, shows crimes that involve repeat victims or witnesses are solved 23% more often than crimes involving first time victims or witnesses. Incidents where both the victim and one or more witnesses are experienced result in arrests almost 78% of the time.
Officials released the details of one recent case involving Otis “Stink-Fish” Anchovy. Within hours of robbing an elderly woman in Chambersburg, Anchovy was in police custody. According to department officials, Anchovy chose to rob a two-time veteran-victim of violent crime. “The victim knew what to do when the police arrived. Her description was impeccable and her statement was a literary masterpiece,” said the mayor’s spokesman, Joe Isuzu. Police declined to release the victim's name saying, “Her anonymity is imperative if we hope to have her victimized a fourth time.”
Joe Isuzu, while speaking for the mayor, declined to officially comment on the plan. However, Isuzu told reporters, “Hypothetically, Mayor Palmer is proud of the caliber of Trenton’s victims and witnesses and really hopes the experience level of victims declines. But crime is so low now; there is nothing to fear. Honest.”
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Print Version 
disposed of. Instead of a banner holding the words “Trenton Police Department”, they are written across the body of a broad two-headed snake. Nestled at the bottom of the badge, reclined against a wooden keg with his glass raised in a mocking toast to Trenton, is Bacchus, the Roman god of intoxication.