Hoffman Estates Cuts Cops

Watch for Shortshanks to look at this as an option:

• Hoffman Estates trustees Monday approved a $126 million budget for 2010 that cuts four police officer positions.

  But the Village Board could amend the budget Dec. 14 if Village President William McLeod gets concessions, much as the firefighters' representatives agreed to Saturday, from the police officers' union to make up the $350,000 in the four officers' salaries.

The $350,000 is only 0.27% of the entire $126 million budget, so this is a political move, and a fairly obvious one. The entire shortfall could be made up if every resident coughed up $7. Even the head of their union calls it a "dog-and-pony show."

We can totally see Daley hiring 86 recruits, then dangling a threatened layoff in front of the rank-and-file to force some bizarre concession out of the FOP. Or are we being too paranoid?