<p><a href="http://www.freep.com/article/20100314/NEWS06/100314027/1001/NEWS/Flint-officials-plan-to-lay-off-57-police-officers">One more reason to avoid Flint</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Officials plan to lay off 57 police officers in Flint by the end of the month, a move that has some people concerned about public safety.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Well, not everyone is concerned about public safety. Namely, two groups: Criminals and those in the Flint mayor&rsquo;s office:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Mayor Dayne Walling announced the layoffs last month after contract negotiations with public safety unions came to a standstill. He says public safety relies on &quot;smart policing,&quot; not just the size of the payroll.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>So if his theory is correct, if you put Stephen Hawking in charge of the Flint PD, there will be no crime? I'm not sure I follow.</p>
<p>Let's be honest: The one type of job you don't cut in Flint is the police officer. Consistently ranked as one of the <a href="http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1646896/top_10_most_dangerous_cities_in_the.html?cat=17">United States' most dangerous cities</a>, if there is a city that needs a large police force, it's Flint.</p>
<p>We have budget issues in Michigan, but I have a solution. A training program could be set up to transfer Detroit teachers to the Flint police department. The former are effectively useless in their current positions, and the latter (thanks to the mayor) desperately need bodies. It&rsquo;s as close to a win-win as we can get.</p>