My name is Chris Ceballos President of the Arlington Municipal Patrolman’s Association in Arlington.

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Over the past few weeks, we have been addressing the Arlington City Council to place the Crime Control Prevention District on the 2024 Ballot.  The CCPD allows for a portion of sales tax to go to the Police Department for training and equipment.  This is not a tax increase but a reallocation of our current sales tax.

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Currently, the City has a quarter-cent of sales tax going to street maintenance. We have asked the Council to split that quarter-cent, an eighth for police to be used for training and equipment.

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Here are some of the issues we have pointed out to the Arlington City Council.

1. NO mass casualty Training for Arlington Police Officers and NO joint mass casualty training for Arlington Police, Fire and EMS at any of our large venues, AT&T, Globe Life Field/Park, Texas Live, Live! by Loews, Hurricane Harbor or Six Flags.
2. No Police or SWAT training at the Arlington MunicipalAirport, on how to stop a plane from taking off or how to breach one if needed. Currently, there are not Police at the airport that can legally detain or arrest someone if necessary. Airport personnel, like any other business, must call 911.
3. In 2008, 246 Officers bid to work patrol. In 2024, 241 Officers bid to work Patrol. The number of Officers on patrol has not increased over the past 16 years. In that time the city has built the AT&T Stadium. Globe Life Field, Texas Live, Live! by Loews and all the other hotels and venues that have opened within the past 16 years.
4. In the 2024 Budget Presentation, the GeneralFund was over 322 million dollars. Of that, 44.9% came from property tax, which covered the entire Police Budget which accounts for 41% of the General Fund. So, what does this mean for the citizens of Arlington? It means that all the people who come to visit Arlington and our venues and get into situations in which they need police are using the services the taxpayers (Property owners) are paying for CCPD will ensure everyone is contributing to the Police Department not just the citizens of Arlington.
5. The city has yet to complete a study, comparing the calls for Police Service on event day i.e. NFL games, MLB Games, Concerts etc. to non-event days to determine the possible strain placed on the police department.

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We ask that you visit our YouTube page Arlington Municipal Patrolman’s Association and review our videos on the Crime Control Prevention District and contact the Arlington Mayor and City Council supporting the CCPD.

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Please feel free to contact me at info@ampatx.com or at 817-360-1328.

Thank you,

Chris CeBallos

President

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