The Rev. Joseph Tracy said he's tired of going to funerals. And now, he suspects he'll be going to more of them.

East St. Louis police Officer Carlos Coleman reacts Friday as people walk out of a City Council meeting where plans to lay off close to 30 percent of the city's police force were finalized. Coleman will retain his job, but he is concerned about the safety of patrolling the city with fewer officers. (Photo: David Carson)

"It's open field day now," said Tracy, the pastor of Straightway Baptist Church here. "The criminals are going to run wild."

Gang activity. Drug dealing. Cold-blooded killing. Tracy worries that a decision to shrink the police force by almost 30 percent will bring more of everything.

The pastor voiced his concern on Friday at a raucous special City Council meeting at which East St. Louis Mayor Alvin Parks announced that the city will layoff 37 employees, including 19 of its 62 police officers, 11 firefighters, four public works employees, and three administrators. The layoffs take effect on Sunday.

Parks said the weak economy has robbed the city of badly needed money. For example, revenue from the Casino Queen was $900,000 below budget expectations last year. There are no signs of improvement, Parks said.

"I want our citizens to know we have some of the bravest police officers and firefighters in the country," Parks said. "But we don't have the money to pay them. We have to have fiscal responsibility."

City officials wanted police and fire unions to accept a furlough program that would have required employees to take two unpaid days in each twice monthly pay period. If accepted, emergency responders would have seen a pay cut of about 20 percent for the rest of the year.

Parks said the two sides couldn't reach an agreement. On Friday, he stared at a standing-room only crowd and told his emergency response chiefs words they didn't want to hear: "Tell your workers to start packing their things."

The news spurred shouts from the crowd.

"The blood is on your hands," yelled Michael Hubbard, an East St. Louis police officer.

Hubbard said he will be the lone patrolman for East St. Louis' midnight shift when the cuts go into effect.

"This is devastating," Hubbard told a reporter after the meeting.

East St. Louis has been crippled by crime and poverty for decades. Police officials say the cuts will mean fewer officers for patrols, investigations and juvenile cases. Fire officials said the region should be upset because the department will have fewer people at the ready to fight fires on some of the region's major highways and bridges.

The police already rely on other agencies to handle some of the heavy case load. For example, the Illinois State Police routinely work on the city's homicide investigations.

Capt. Steve Johnson, of the St. Clair County Sheriff's Department, said his agency has no plans for stepping up work in East St. Louis.

"We don't do calls for service in East St. Louis," Johnson said. "But, if we're called for assistance, we will help when we can."

Worries about East St. Louis' crime rate got little sympathy from Councilman Roy Mosley, who gave a 10-minute speech on Friday blasting the city's police officers.

"We don't have the money," Mosley said. "You lay off when you don't have the money. The money's gone."

Mosley complained that police officers take patrol cars home, park them in other jurisdictions, and misuse the city's gasoline.

"I'm only telling the truth," he shouted.

The crowd jeered.

"You can see how disrespectful they are," Mosley said while pointing at the police officers. "You see what they're doing to me right now."

Richard V. Stewart Jr., an attorney for the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police union, said Mosley's claims are untrue.

Stewart said the words amounted to nothing more than "political grandstanding."

"Unfortunately, this is what I expected," Stewart said.

The union plans to fight the layoffs and work to get the jobs back.

Bad blood already exists between the two sides. An arbitrator has ruled that the city improperly imposed unpaid furlough days on its employees earlier this year. The city was ordered to pay $500,000 back in lost wages.

On Friday, the city approved a proposal to defer bond payments until next year in order to free up $500,000.

"Next year is a different situation," Mayor Parks said.