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Police forces around the country are scrambling to make do in these tough economic times. Nearly half the force in Camden, N.J. - not exactly known as a crime-free town - has been laid off. The bicycle unit is gone, and the canine unit lost two of its three dogs. The number of patrol cars has been halved.
But things are not so bleak for all hard-core crime fighters. Take, for example, the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Assets Relief Program. Even though TARP itself is winding down - the Treasury Department said Tuesday that 70 percent of TARP disbursements have been paid back and 70 percent of the money outstanding is with AIG and the auto industry - SIGTARP's proposed budget is up 30 percent, to $47 million.
SIGTARP, a law enforcement agency, already has badges, guns, ammo and flak jackets, in addition to neat windbreakers, for its personnel.
Now SIGTARP, whose chief, Neil Barofsky, is leaving at the end of this month, has put out a "task order for the installation and purchase of police equipment in official vehicles."
We're talking just lights and sirens here, not mounted .50-caliber machine guns. Still, SIGTARP is thinking of outfitting some of its couple of dozen vehicles spread across the country with "the necessary conversions," the announcement says. The locations are here and in New York, Atlanta, Long Beach and San Francisco. The vehicles include sedans, minivans, and full-size and compact SUVs.
The solicitation is quite specific on some matters. For example, the supplier must provide a "High resolution emergency LED lighting system to provide maximum visibility when illuminated, but be as inconspicuous as possible when not in use," to enable agents to sneak up on the nasty mortgage lenders.
And the lights must be "consistent with state-specific police vehicle color standards (e.g., red/blue, all blue, or all red) consistent with the state where the installation is taking place." Don't forget: "Installations in California must have at least one steady-burning red light to the front of the vehicle when the emergency lights are activated."
You'll have to install a "SIGTARP-supplied radio and antenna," which is a "one-piece unit with built-in speaker and attached microphone," so SIGTARP officials can practice saying things like "Pull over, Fernbacher."
Hey, maybe they can lend the Camden Police Department some cars on the weekends?
Police forces around the country are scrambling to make do in these tough economic times. Nearly half the force in Camden, N.J. - not exactly known as a crime-free town - has been laid off. The bicycle unit is gone, and the canine unit lost two of its three dogs. The number of patrol cars has been halved.
But things are not so bleak for all hard-core crime fighters. Take, for example, the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Assets Relief Program. Even though TARP itself is winding down - the Treasury Department said Tuesday that 70 percent of TARP disbursements have been paid back and 70 percent of the money outstanding is with AIG and the auto industry - SIGTARP's proposed budget is up 30 percent, to $47 million.
SIGTARP, a law enforcement agency, already has badges, guns, ammo and flak jackets, in addition to neat windbreakers, for its personnel.
Now SIGTARP, whose chief, Neil Barofsky, is leaving at the end of this month, has put out a "task order for the installation and purchase of police equipment in official vehicles."
We're talking just lights and sirens here, not mounted .50-caliber machine guns. Still, SIGTARP is thinking of outfitting some of its couple of dozen vehicles spread across the country with "the necessary conversions," the announcement says. The locations are here and in New York, Atlanta, Long Beach and San Francisco. The vehicles include sedans, minivans, and full-size and compact SUVs.
The solicitation is quite specific on some matters. For example, the supplier must provide a "High resolution emergency LED lighting system to provide maximum visibility when illuminated, but be as inconspicuous as possible when not in use," to enable agents to sneak up on the nasty mortgage lenders.
And the lights must be "consistent with state-specific police vehicle color standards (e.g., red/blue, all blue, or all red) consistent with the state where the installation is taking place." Don't forget: "Installations in California must have at least one steady-burning red light to the front of the vehicle when the emergency lights are activated."
You'll have to install a "SIGTARP-supplied radio and antenna," which is a "one-piece unit with built-in speaker and attached microphone," so SIGTARP officials can practice saying things like "Pull over, Fernbacher."
Hey, maybe they can lend the Camden Police Department some cars on the weekends?
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