Wages of Sin Busting

Measured by the most recent FBI figures, the national crime rate is soaring: up 6% in 1973, up 15% in the first three months of this year. In Orange, Calif, (pop. 83,900), the statistics reflect a refreshing change. City Manager Gifford Miller has a ready answer: Orange's pilot project of anticrime wage incentives for its 118-member police force.

Last summer Miller announced that if the incidence of rape, robbery, burglary and auto theft dropped 3%, everyone on the force would get a 1% salary boost. A 6% reduction would translate into a 2% pay increase; after that, each 2% drop would earn a 1% bonus. The maximum increase the cops can get is 5%. "Currently, we're down 17% for those four crimes," says Police Chief Merrill Duncan. "The men are working harder and our crime-prevention program has greatly expanded." Felony arrests are up 40%, and police diligence has even extended to traffic, reducing accidents and injuries by 7%. So far, the new system has cost the city $14,000 in extra wages, and the figure may go to $80,000 for this fiscal year. Not a single taxpayer has been heard to complain.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.