PLEASE SIGN BY TUESDAY 9/22/09 TO BE SENT TO: MARY SUHM, CITY MANAGER, AND ALL CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS BUDGET WILL BE FINALIZED BY DALLAS CITY COUNCIL THURSDAY, 9/24/09 Dallas has less than 3,000 police officers to protect over one million people. City budget shortages make it necessary to cut some services. While it is tempting to simply cut everything by the same amount, it must be recognized that some services are more important than others. While parks, libraries and recreation centers are welcome conveniences, the most important service provided by any government is public safety. Recreational opportunities are useless if people are afraid to use them. That simple maxim means that the effectiveness of our police and fire departments must be maintained, or everything else fails. Maintaining the effectiveness means to keep the officers on the streets where they can protect us, not in clerical positions that could better be done by secretaries, and definitely not shoveling manure out of horse stalls. If you agree, please sign this e-petition to the city to cut where they must, but spare the essential services of fire and police.