The self-proclaimed “Friendship City” has decided it’s tired of being a doormat for motorists from neighboring communities.
When police in this Cincinnati suburb respond to an accident in which an out-of-town driver is at fault, the city plans to start issuing a bill: $14 for the first 30 minutes that an officer is on the scene and an additional $7 for every 15 minutes thereafter. Use of a police car brings an additional $154 charge.
Erlanger is just the latest example of cities using such methods to try to recover the costs of providing police services. Most of the communities have been small towns, but medium-sized cities such as Ocala, Fla., are also poised to act, and even metropolitan areas have expressed interest.
“There has to be a way to obtain some funding to keep providing these services that doesn’t come out of the pockets of the people who own a house in Erlanger,” Mayor Tom Rouse said.
Erlanger, with 17,000 residents, is a heavily traveled crossroads where four major highways intersect. According to city records, 82 percent of the accidents police responded to in 2007 did not involve an Erlanger resident.
A review by The Associated Press of the 343 vehicle crashes in Erlanger in November and December showed that only 49 were carrying someone from the city.
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