So, what's more important to a municipal budget, police officers or public relations officers? For the resort town of Ocean City, MD, it would appear cops gain priority. The
town's 2007 budget, which is currently undergoing review, calls for 13 new public safety workers, including six police officers, but it also calls for the elimination of two full-
time public relations officials on the town's payroll. We raise this imbalance because it might be a case where communications outweighs constabulary. Ocean City's economy is
heavily reliant on tourism and PR plays a significant role in bringing visitors to the area (most recently, and notably, the nationally televised Miss USA pageant). Thus, cutting
out the PR team might hurt the municipal revenue stream. As for the increased police presence, one might question the crime scene in Ocean City and whether more cops are needed.
It appears the most serious recent crime story, according to the newspaper Ocean City Today, had the local cops warning residents to beware of bogus sweepstakes letters
that might turn up in their mailboxes.