LANSING – State Representative Fred Durhal, Jr. (D-Detroit) early Thursday morning voted against more than $100.7 million in cuts in state funding for local police and fire protection that help keep families and neighborhoods safe.
"In these tough times, taking more firefighters and officers off our streets will have a devastating effect on the safety of Detroit's families and neighborhoods," said Durhal, who did not sign his own conference committee report. "We cannot afford these deep cuts, especially when they're made at the expense our families, who rely on our dedicated firefighters and police officers to be there to answer the call in times of emergency. I could not support these measures that will only hurt our residents and drive job providers away from Detroit and the state."
Revenue sharing – money from the state that local governments rely on to pay for police and fire protection and other essential services – across the state has decreased more than $500 million between 2001 and 2007. As a result, Michigan lost 2,610 firefighters and 1,440 police and sheriff's patrol officers.
Under the plan, Detroit will lose nearly $30 million in revenue sharing dollars.
"We must invest in keeping our local firefighters and police officers on the job," Durhal said. "No one wants to live in a state that doesn't have the manpower to protect its residents, and no business wants to locate in a state that allows criminals to rule its streets. I voted against this move because it's disastrous for Detroit residents and our economy, and I will continue fighting to restore funding for these essential services."