File photo Public safety is a large portion of city budgets. For both Dunkirk and Jamestown, it is about 18% of the annual spending plans.

Officers of the Jamestown Kendall Club have made it their mission within the last month to become more vocal about what they perceive as a worsening crime situation in Chautauqua County’s largest municipality. In a commentary published March 1 in The Post-Journal, the Police Benevolent Association called recent statistics “alarming” while noting being an officer in the city is “a very dangerous job.”

“Jamestown is like many upstate cities in rural communities that have suffered from population loss due to people leaving and economic conditions,” officers wrote. “However, if Jamestown is once again going to be a desirable place to live it starts with making sure that its residents and those who might consider moving here feel safe.”

Last year was especially notorious. Of the eight homicides that took place in Chautauqua County, seven occurred in the city. In addition, the club officers noted, Jamestown shooting victims increased from four in 2023 to 10 in 2024.

To their credit, the largest police agency also is one of the most accountable. Over a two-week period — from March 24 to April 7 — Jamestown’s officers provided The Post-Journal and OBSERVER with the most consistent arrest reports. During that time period, the department issued items for 12 of those days.

Other county departments were much less active in that 15-day frame. Chautauqua County sheriff’s deputies provided reports on eight days; Dunkirk Police Department issued on four days; Fredonia police arrests arrived on three days and Ellicott Police Department tallied reports twice.

Lakewood-Busti and Westfield issued no items to the media during that time period. New York State Police, which has a daily blotter documented online, and the University Police at Fredonia were not included in these totals though they assist in county patrolling as well.

Jamestown’s growing safety concerns are not just a city issue — it is something that needs the attention of Chautauqua County. Home to the National Comedy Center, visitors to our region want to believe they can walk the streets with few hassles. While the theater district appears inviting on show nights at the Reg Lenna Civic Center, Main Street in downtown can have its issues.

Some of those stem from a well-documented homeless population that numbers in the hundreds. While many seem harmless, it can present an intimidating atmosphere for tourists who want to walk the streets to explore the shops and high-profile locations.

While creating a brighter environment in the heart of the city is important, the high cost of maintaining law enforcement cannot be downplayed. Jamestown’s spending plan this year topped $40 million. Police costs were $7 million — or 18%. Its neighbor to the north in Dunkirk has a budget of $28 million. Its Police Department costs more than $5 million — about 18% of its spending as well.

In March, the Chautauqua County Legislature meeting touched on the fiscal hurt being faced by the largest entities. A plea was made to give more sales tax revenues to the cities. Dunkirk is facing a $20 million shortfall while Jamestown teeters near a deficit. The third-largest entity in the village of Fredonia also is in crisis after taking out an $825,000 loan to make ends meet.

Needless to say, the request was ignored.

Some of the most significant cost drivers of any municipal budget come from the public safety lines. They have the highest-paid positions in the entity, which leads to higher benefit costs.

Those issues — as well as the evidence of higher crime rates in the city — make it worth revisiting a study on Local and Regional Policing by Peter Sinden at SUNY Fredonia in 2000. At its conclusion, Sinden noted at that time, “five of the six chiefs, two of three police officers, and four of the six elected officials strongly supported some form of regional policing. While some of them suggested a regional police agency could save money, most of their support was for professional reasons. In their view a larger central agency can provide more effective and professional policing because it will have more human and material resources to provide needed service.

“Police managers would be able to assign more comprehensive patrol coverage over a larger territory. Response times, especially in more rural areas, would be improved. A larger force can develop a more task specific division of labor and provide more detailed training for officers in all the positions in the organization. Individual officers, themselves, will benefit in two ways. They will be better trained and thus prepared to provide better service. They also will have the possibility of working, over their careers, in a variety of roles and at different command levels. For many, the possibility of changes and advancement can enhance their satisfaction on the job. Even those who oppose a regional concept agree with the supporters on these points.”

Silver Creek was the last village to dissolve its police department nearly 10 years ago. It currently contracts with the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Department for added coverage that has kept the entity safe while taking the burden off taxpayers.

That example alone makes the case for a larger county department that allows more residents to share the expenses. It could also include substations in the cities and larger villages.

No one is criticizing the current service being received. But the increasing costs of salaries and benefits to officers are making separate departments more expensive and unmanageable each year — especially if the tax base and populations keep shrinking.

Public safety is consistently one of the most important issues to residents. It cannot be eliminated. But changing the model — from separate departments to regional locations — must be part of future discussions.

John D’Agostino is editor of The Post-Journal, OBSERVER and Times Observer in Warren, Pa. Send comments to jdagostino@observertoday.com or call 716-487-1111, ext. 253.