La Habra police say it has cost the department $4,000 in overtime to look after Octomom Nadya Suleman and her family. (And that is just the overtime cost.)
More resources were spent checking on the Suleman family during regular patrol hours and responding to calls at the house, but the cost of these operations is unknown, police said.
Suleman, 33, gave birth to the longest-living octuplets in history on Jan. 26. She has six other children, all younger than 8. She has been criticized in the media because she is single, unemployed and was supporting her family before the octuplets were born with food stamps, disability payments and student loans. (And that is how she will be supporting her children once people finally tire of her.)
La Habra Police Department spokeswoman Cindy Knapp said the city will not seek restitution from Suleman for the police escorts that accompanied some of the babies home from Kaiser Permanente Bellflower Medical Center, or for other costs associated with keeping the family safe.
"Virtually all police services are free to residents of the community," Knapp said. "There are no legal provisions or paths for cost recovery under the specific circumstances or service provided to the Sulemans at this point." The department began working closely with the Suleman family after the two strongest of the infants were brought home in mid-March. The black SUV carrying Suleman, the babies and nurses was swarmed by paparazzi at stoplights. (That is a load of crap. I bet there are dozens of women in La Habra with restraining orders who can barely get the cops to come out when it is violated. In most cities if you want a police escort for something like a funeral you have to pay for it...in advance. I bet La Habra is one of those cities. The just can't come out and say that Suleman is getting special treatment because she is a baby factory.)
At Madonna Lane, the cul-de-sac where Suleman recently moved with her family, hundreds of spectators waited for the babies' arrival and more than a dozen photographers clung to the SUV as a driver attempted to pull into the garage and shut the door.
Suleman made a call to police from inside the vehicle, but they did not arrive until the family was already in the home.
Knapp said when the second and third sets of two babies were discharged from the hospital, police units and a supervisor guarded the cul-de-sac for the family.
"The family arrived home without incident," Knapp said.
On the fourth discharge, this time of just one baby, two police cars shadowed the Sulemans' vehicle as it traveled through La Habra to her home. On the final release, no escort was needed, Knapp said.
Police have also responded to at least four calls at the house, when intruders were reported in the yard, when no-trespassing signs were stolen and when a car seat was thrown through the rear window of Suleman's Toyota minivan.
Periodic patrols of the neighborhood were also done, Knapp said, but she did not know how often those checks are being made.
"The frequency is based upon unit availability and general observations by the field officers," Knapp said.
In the weeks after Suleman moved to La Habra, more than a dozen paparazzi and television crews camped in the neighborhood, waiting for a glimpse of members of her family.
On Thursday, only two paparazzi waited outside the home. (People are losing interest. Radar isn't going to keep paying her if nobody wants to hear what she has to say.)
"It's died down considerably," La Habra spokeswoman Jennifer Cervantez said. She said the city has not incurred administrative costs or changed parking policies in the area.
Suleman told RadarOnline on Thursday that since the babies have all come home, life is surprisingly easy because the support staff of nannies and nursing advice she has been given.
She had expressed fears about security while media still crowded her driveway.
"It's a huge weight lifted off," Suleman said. "It's organized more than I ever imagined it would be and it's a lot easier than I imagined because of all the help."
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