THE CITY OF ST. ALBANS COST OF LIVING PRESENTATION NAME: INSTITUTIONAL AFFILIATION:

INTRODUCTION The home to St. Albans Police department is Franklin county, Northwestern Vermont. It is a community oriented law enforcement agency. The services it offers to the citizens include: Crime prevention. Police patrols. Emergency and dispatch services. The police department is charged with the administrations services in addition to the above mentioned responsibilities to the citizens of the town. According to the last census, the City of Albans had a total population of 6,392 individuals with a population density of and a population density of 135.4/sq mile.

COST OF LIVING The country has been faced gradual increase in the cost of living. Police officers’ salaries have however remained unchanged. Other Police departments have adjusted their salaries. This leaves St. Albans Police department behind in terms of remuneration. The nation has been experiencing a gradual increase in the cost of living and this means an increase in the prices of basic commodities. However, the department has not been able to make changes to police salaries so that they can match the changing economic situations. The result is that the force has been earning salaries that are way below the national level.

COST OF LIVING Retrieved from http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/increasing-cost-living- 26627219.jpg

COST OF LIVING The implications are: Financial challenges. Reduced job motivation. These are brought about by: Having less disposable income. Worrying about sustaining their families, (Preib, 2010). The ever increasing prices of goods make it difficult for the officers to buy by basic commodities comfortably. This is because they end up with limited income which necessitates then to sacrifice one thing in order to get the other, (Duffy, Hand & Orth, 2003). This ends up affecting their ability to perform their duties effectively and efficiently.

COST OF LIVING Reduced disposable income affects the officers’ living standards. More money is spend on the basic items such as: Food. shelter/mortgage. Children education. Utilities. e.g. electricity bill. This is a very serious condition which will not only affect their living standards but also their ability to perform. Instead of focusing on their jobs, they are always wondering how they are going to be able to pay their mortgage at the end of the month and still be able to pay for their children's’ education expenses.

THE NEGATIVE IMPLICATIONS The main duty of the officers is to maintain law and order. When they are not properly motivated offenders might take advantage of the situation. Crime rate is most likely to increase. This means security and peace of the city will be compromised. The officers might be unable to report to their duties on time because of the difficult financial challenges they are facing at home. This means that they might not be available at the very moment when they are needed during an emergency situation, (Sherburne, 2014). They might also develop slow response to duty calls in the process.

CONCLUSION The officers salaries show be adjusted above the national average. It should match that of other officers in other states. This will be a major motivation factor. Motivated officers means a peaceful and safe city. When the police salaries have been adjusted to reflect the rising cost of living, they will be able to comfortably provide for their families, (Sherburne, 2014. As a result, they will have no other reason to neglect their duties and responsibilities. This will guarantee a smooth running city.

REFERENCES Duffy, J. J., Hand, S. B., & Orth, R. H. (2003). The Vermont encyclopedia. Hanover [N.H.: University Press of New England. New York University Conference on Labor (1997- ), Estreicher, S., Sherwyn, D., & New York University. (2009). Employment class and collective actions: Proceedings of the New York University 56th Annual Conference on Labor. Austin[Tex: Wolters Kluwer Law & Business. Preib, M. (2010). The wagon and other stories from the city. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Sherburne, M. A. (2014). The St. Albans Raid: Confederate attack onVermont.