Duffy asks for more money for "Zero Tolerance"

Two weeks after Rochester's City Council approved an additional $2.5-million dollars in funding to sustain the city police department's "zero tolerance" program, Mayor Robert Duffy is asking for approval to spend nearly $1.6-million more to sustain the initiative.

Once again, the lions share of the request is to pay for police overtime.

If approved, the total amount to pay for the beefed up patrols will rise to more than 4 million dollars since "Zero Tolerance" was launched in October.

However, the latest request is not one which seeks "new" funding. It instead asks City Council approval to transfer funds out of other lines in the existing City Budget. 

While "Zero Tolerance" is costing the city money, it appears the city stands to make money from it as well. The latest request for funding reveals the city's expectation that it will glean $500,000 in new revenue, mostly from fines for traffic infractions as police continue to ticket motorists for everything from parking and speeding violations,  to talking on a cell phone,  under the "Zero Tolerance" program.

In its request, the Duffy Administration also puts lawmakers on notice that it will most likely be back in March to seek additional approvals for further budget amendments to keep the program going.