Durham police department in trouble over 1080p DLP HDTV purchase
By Richard Lawler 
posted Sep 22nd 2006 7:02PM
posted Sep 22nd 2006 7:02PM
posted Sep 22nd 2006 7:02PM
The amount of electronics thrown away rather than recycled in 2007.
The EPA reports that 82% of electronics disposal in 2007 ended up in the garbage (mostly landfills) rather than a recycling center. (source: EPA, July 2008)
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Durham? As in Durham North Carolina?
Yah they want to watch Cops and a big TV ;).
reason #346 of why I hate cops.
plus, like 95% of people who buy HDTVs, they probably have it hooked up to a Cyberhome DVD player and an SD feed.
what a waste.
I grew up in Durham and I'm not at all surprised. The Durham PD is only slightly less crooked than the rest of the city government, IMHO.
Maybe they need it to watch all the news coverage of the Duke Lacrosse rape case in HD so they can maybe pick up more evidence... ;)
Two thousand dollars is really only relevant from the standpoint of the TV's intended purpose. Per the Dept's web site:"Our Police Department serves a city of 197,000 people with 477 sworn police officers and 97 non-sworn employees." They may need a large screen for training purposes, roll call briefings, etc....as they obviously have large groups of employees to serve.
If you've ever tried to discern details in a crappy surveilance video, or had to squint at a 13 in. B&W monitor to go through a backlog of tapes, you'll realize right away what kind of immediate dividends a tech-forward purchase like this can pay for law enforcement on a day to day basis. And if Barney wants to catch the game in HD on a slow crime day, s'alright by me.
my fine tax heavy city at work. it does not surprise me in the least. these people suck
$2,000 is not really a big deal when considering a tax increase.
Maybe (probably) a poor decision, but really, it's water under the bridge.
Here's an idea for the Durham PD to cover it's butt and for their tax base to stop whining: have all of their 569 employees contribute $4 to a fund to cover any expense involved with the TV. It will satisfy the tax base because they didn't pay for it (though the real satisfaction is going to be plopping down in front of it with a box of Dunkin' Donuts watching Duke thrash it's opponents come basketball season!).
The Raliegh/Durham area has been, since the inception of HDTV, the leading area for HDTV broadcasting.
The police, fire, ems, military are all underpaid and undervalued members of society. Hell they should have a 100" projection screen and some comfy cineloungers as well for the down time.