This story is going to be a bit darker than some of the others in this book, but I think you will like it. Enjoy!
I had an interesting comment from one of my editors on the FBI and HRT back when I was writing this section. The Hostage Rescue Team is an elite unit and routinely trains with other elite units. That sort of training involves plans and backup plans and backup plans for the backup plans. Against regular criminals and terrorists, these guys can rock and roll with the best. Unfortunately, every once in a while they run up against somebody who is just as well trained and who knows those plans. Bad things can happen then. It’s not always as funny as I wrote. Rogue special operators are the nightmare scenario for these guys.
On a separate note, I love the emails I get from non-American readers. It always surprises me how many overseas readers SOL has. I routinely get emails from European and Oceanic readers, going back to when I was writing A Fresh Start. It is always interesting trying to explain how our political and legal systems work, or frequently don’t.
One of the topics I get into with The Grim Reaper is the cost of being a cop in America. This stuff never shows up in the movies or police shows. Let’s consider just some of the costs the Matucket Police Department faces. All the costs I mention are realistic and from the period I wrote this story, 2018. Today, it would be even more expensive.
Police cars aren’t cheap. Take a routine patrol car. A current popular cruiser is the Dodge Charger Pursuit model. These cars need heavy duty brakes, heavy duty suspension, heavy duty engine, etc. Figure about $30k minimum. Small departments might pay more than large departments, because of economies of scale, but often group together under a statewide association. That’s just the start, though. Now you have to add in all the ‘cop stuff’ - radio, mobile data terminals, cage between the front seats and back, big first aid kit, breathalyzer, support weapons (AR-15 or tactical shotgun), body armor and helmet, etc. Every item you add to the car runs at least $500 to $1,000. Figure a final cost of $45k or more. Some departments use SUVs or pickup trucks, depending on local circumstances. These can cost even more. BTW, these vehicles are nonarmored. If you want Kevlar and ballistic glass, add a minimum of $10-20k.
The police officer himself is quite expensive. A patrol officer is carrying, at a minimum: a duty belt, a pistol plus spare magazines, body armor, handcuffs, collapsible baton, pepper spray, maybe a Taser, and a very expensive radio that ties into the equally expensive radio in his patrol car. Even the uniforms cost money; they might belong to the officer, but he probably gets some form of clothing allowance every year. Just getting out of bed and going to work, a police officer is carrying around thousands of dollars of equipment.
Special units aren’t cheap either. SWAT teams are sexy as hell, but very, very expensive. First, these units are very selective. Rookies need not apply. They choose from officers with some experience, who have been on the force for a few years. Since most police officers are in some form of collective bargaining agreement, the contracts specify that more experienced officers get paid more. Second, these officers get a lot more training, and that ain’t cheap. Officers in training aren’t officers on patrol, so you have to hire extra officers for when your SWAT team is training. Even simple stuff costs extra. Shooting is a perishable skill. SWAT officers might shoot 2,500 rounds a year, or more, per weapon; many officers train on more than one weapon. Even at bulk police discounts, each round can cost $.15 to $.25 each. Ammo alone can run $1-2k per officer per year, and more exotic weapons cost even more.
This gets very expensive very quickly. Following 9-11, the federal government opened the coffers to just about any police department that could come up with any conceivable reason to ask for money. There is no possible way that a mid-size department like the MPD could afford some of what they have without federal funds. Many departments have people who do nothing but file paperwork for grants and programs for federal funds.
For an overall analysis, consider the NYPD, the largest police force in the nation. The NYPD has an annual budget of $5.6 billion, supporting over 55,000 employees, 40,000 of whom are police officers. Granted, New York is much more expensive to live in than West Georgia, but that works out to about $140k per officer a year! The Atlanta PD, which is much closer to Matucket, has an annual budget of over $20 million, supporting 2,000 officers, a cost of about $100k per officer. (God bless Wikipedia!)
One point I want to add - the costs of the police do not include the costs of jails and prisons. Totally separate departments! When somebody is arrested, they are typically taken to the local police station, but that would have nothing more than a few holding cells and drunk tanks. If they don’t get arraigned and released, they typically are moved to the local jail, which would have its own officers and costs and budget. They are typically stuck in a jail until they go to trial, and if convicted move from the jail to a state prison. In New York City, the NYPD has an annual budget of $5.6 billion. The NY City Department of Corrections, responsible for the infamous Riker’s Island jail complex, has its own force of officers and an annual budget of about $1.4 billion. Then, if somebody is sent to prison, they become the property of the NY State Department of Corrections, with a budget of $3.2 billion.
This stuff ain’t cheap!