Having lived in Koreatown for nearly 30 years, I've really only taken the Metro train a handful of times.

Isn't it true that everyone in Koreatown, except for the seniors over 70, drives around?

But now, the Metro, which many people don't use, is planning to create its own police department.

And they're offering salaries that are much higher than LAPD.

According to the news, the starting salary for the new Metro police is up to $132,499. For lateral hires, it's $142,521.

In contrast, the starting salary for LAPD is around $86,000 to $91,000.

Within the same LA County, two government agencies are competing over police salaries, and ultimately, we taxpayers are footing the bill for both.

There's no bigger fool than this.

They boast that 2,468 applicants have applied in just a few weeks.

Out of those, 500 are Metro employees. Even bus drivers have applied.

Why? It's the money, haha.

Who wouldn't want to switch to a job that pays $130,000 while driving?

They say they want to hire "people who believe in the value," but the real reason everyone is applying is the paycheck.

When I looked into the justification, it turns out that the existing LAPD officers were just standing at the stations or sitting in patrol cars without actually riding the trains.

In short, they're creating their own police force to solve the problem of officers not doing their jobs, all while ensuring they get their overtime pay.

If that's the issue, couldn't they just revise the contract and manage it better?

But the solution is to create a whole new organization with a $130,000 salary?

Is there any CEO in the world who would start a new company just because some employees aren't working?

The costs are even more outrageous. Initially, they said it would be a 300-person force costing $135.4 million a year, but with the new chief, the number of officers doubled, and now it's $192.6 million a year.

Sheriff Luna stated, "Startup costs, pensions, liability insurance, and jails have taken $170 million, but in reality, it's $227.5 million a year, and the savings are zero," he criticized.

It's almost a given that government budget estimates are inflated.

For reference, Metro's total budget is $9.7 billion, with $430 million allocated for public safety. At this point, I want to ask: Is there really that much extra money?

I don't ride the Metro. Yet, my taxes are still being collected regularly.

Even if they deploy 630 police officers with a $130,000 salary by 2031, honestly, I don't feel any safer in the alleys of Koreatown at night.

This might be great news for someone's career and pension savings.

Government always seems to have extra money. Because it's not their own.