Letters - Thursday

Cops should stop complaining

I’m writing in regards to your Nov. 14th article: “Cops take home cars”. Its time the police department stopped whining. After 2C failed the police deptment hardly got touched, while parks, transit and other departments are going to have their arms and legs cut off.

If I had a 2009 vehicle to drive around I wouldn’t want to lose it either. If it is radios you need in your cars, then check out a radio, and put the paper you might need into a briefcase like the patrol officers do. The police department has issued cell phones, which is also a waste of money.

Most calls made to the police department are after-the-fact calls. The crimes have already been committed and the police department is called to make the report or investigate the scene. They don’t need a special care for that, other than K-9.

Seems the police department gets everything handed to them, and they still want more. It’s great that councilman Darryl Glenn is looking into ways to save the other departments. The rest of the city council should step up and do the same. Stop babying the police department.

Verleen Hanes, Colorado Springs

CVB brings jobs and money

Re: “A city that sells itself quite well”, Nov. 14: As a member of the Board of Directors for Experience Colorado Springs (the local Convention and Visitors Bureau) I offer a different perspective on how the local bureau operates to solicit and retain tourism dollars. Many people think of a CVB as an antiquated visitor center in a world where all facets of a trip can be transacted online. Others have an impression that the CVB employs a paid welcoming committee for the city which in today’s cash starved economy has no place. What I’ve learned from my 4 years on the board is that our local CVB has always made recruiting tourists, conferences, conventions, and any out of town business priority #1. Priority #2 has been marketing our destination to achieve #1. Staff conversations at the modest visitor center and administrative office on the corner of Cascade and Cimarron continually revolve around “leads.” I will commit that the current staff flat out hunts down these leads and turns them into tourist dollars. “Why can’t businesses do their own marketing and solicit these groups?” The answer is simple: these leads expect a CVB to comprehensively handle the entire needs of their group. If our CVB can’t provide that service, these groups will choose a destination that can.

When these tourists come to town they spend 5-10 times more per day than an average resident of our city does in the same day. These vital tourists eat most of their meals in restaurants, visit multiple attractions and shopping areas, and most of all fund the LART (lodging and auto-rental tax).

The already declining LART is what keeps the CVB hunting down those leads worldwide. The fact is sales and LART taxes generated by tourism keeps citizens employed, and keeps our general fund at a level suitable to administer our shrinking municipal government. I would ask that members of City Council reconsider their recent plan to cut the allocation of LART revenue that enables the CVB to succeed.

Luke J. Travins, Concept Restaurants, Colorado Springs

Ted Haggard and the Bible

I’m amazed at all the coverage on Haggard. But the articles from some Christians, saying he should not have his own church, make me wonder. Do they not know what country they live in?

We have a right to freedom of religion. He has paid for his transgressions and Christ believes in forgiveness.

Also, I believe the Bible says we should not judge. It amazes me that you forget he brought thousands of people into the Christian belief. You don’t have to go to his meetings. Christ preaches love and forgiveness.

The conventional churches are losing their followers and the evangelical churches are growing. But the main thing I want to say: stop looking for things to attack and look for the good things. God will judge the sinners.

Rodney E. Hammond, Colorado Springs