For the next three years, Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) has offered to pay the city of Menlo Park, $200,000 annually for a community safety police officer. They will also pay for a new substation located near Facebook’s headquarters.
Despite the fact that California has the highest tax rates in the nation, they still have multiplying issues with gentrification, crime and maintaining a well-funded budget for government agencies. Several Silicon Valley police departments have laid off officers, in the past several years, as a result.
It was just Tuesday night that the City Council voted unanimously to accept Facebook’s offer. Headlines have been awash with the fact that Facebook paid no taxes for 2012 despite billion dollar revenues. However, Facebook does invest quite heavily in their community and in communities around the globe.
The officer’s duties will include working with schools and businesses in the Belle Haven neighborhood, which has been run rampant with gangs, crime and drugs. Within the city, it had the highest number of assaults and burglaries last year. The goal is to work with at-risk teens, design public safety plans and plan and implement emergency drills.
Menlo Park Mayor Ray Meuller, stated, “It’s about building community relationships. If a crime occurs or someone hears something, they feel comfortable coming to the police officer and saying, ‘Hey, I know about this. I trust you.'”
Some questions were brought up whether or not Facebook will be treated differently or if they are allowed directives over the officer’s duties. Meuller stated that could not be farther from the truth, and Facebook will have no direct role in how the program is operated. The Menlo Park police department has already selected a female officer who is set to begin in April.
