How true, but the mayor and city council, being good elected officials,
must be risk-aversive. In my opinion, they are willing to tolerate an
autocratic police bureaucrat rather than to suffer through the upheavel of
hiring a new chief and all the associated dislocation. Like Clinton in
1972 inheriting the political economic conditions of an economic boom
ready to break out, Olson benefited from the economic and demographic
conditions that led to a big reduction in crime. Unlike Clinton who
appointed smart cookies and implemented smart economic policies, Olson is
probably more than willing to sit back and take credit for the major
reduction of crime.
David Wilson
Loring Park
.
On Mon, 8 Jan 2001, Andy Driscoll wrote:
> Steve Minn's extraordinary missive is an eye-opening supplement to what's
> been said from several political angles now.
>
> If all of this opposition is substantive as it appears to be, why would this
> City Council cave to a re-appointment? Seem strange to me, someone who
> doesn't live with his system day-to-day, but whose only contacts with and
> information about his department have been negative.
> --
> Andy Driscoll
> 835 Linwood Avenue
> St. Paul, MN 55105-3325
> 651-293-9039
> email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> > From: "Steve Minn" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > Date: Sun, 7 Jan 2001 19:47:14 -0600
> > To: "Multiple recipients of list" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > Subject: Chief Olson Rant
> >
> > I APOLOGISE IN ADVANCE FOR THIS RATHER LONG RANT ABOUT CHIEF OLSON.
> >
> > Chief Olson, in my opinion, is one of those technocrat/politicians that give
> > police management a bad name, but reinforces how politicians can manipulate
> > or control departments to the detriment of the public good.
> >
> > By means of disclosure...I never supported Olson, and in fact voted against
> > and and objected to his predecessor, John Laux. I was always supported by
> > the Police Federation in my elections, but opposed them on issues important
> > to me like off-duty work, compression of promotion and certain pension
> > issues. I guess my standards for a Chief are/were different that SSB's. I
> > believe she passed over several good internal candidates, many of whom have
> > left the department and are managing suburban departments in the metro area.
> >
> > To me, the measure of a good chief is someone who both inspires and
> > motivates the troops on the street, while instilling public confidence in
> > programs or practices that assure balance in law enforcement. Olson misses
> > on all counts. He is uninspiring as a policy thinker. In fact, he is nothing
> > better than a yes-man copy cat. SSB told him to get a NYC-type program after
> > William Bratton and Rudy Guiliani turned NYC around. CODEFOR...is really
> > nothing more than a rip-off of New York City's program. Typical Olson
> > implementation though...he implements the street action first, without
> > getting agreement from, or putting into place any of the infrastructure in
> > the court system that made the NYC program so successful. All COEFOR did in
> > Minneapolis was choke our courts and booking units, without the resources or
> > prosecutorial agreements to expedite the arrests and put the repeat
> > offenders in jail or prison for extended periods of time. (Want to read how
> > the program really was supposed to work? Read: Turnaround by William
> > Bratton)
> >
> > Olson is a terrible judge of people and managerial talent,and can not stand
> > to be questioned by his troops. Rather than work to learn what good there
> > was on the force,and who could motivate and help him professionalize the
> > department's weak areas; Olson focused immediately on who would take orders
> > from him and who would not oppose him. Two Deputies, Schultz and Jones fit
> > this profile, as did two key Inspectors, Morris and Lubinski Only Deputy
> > Greg Hestness...a great Chief candidate himself has had the guts over time
> > to oppose the Chief internally. He was banished from the Patrol Division to
> > the Administrative assignment. Olson retains him because Hestness has the
> > loyalty of many senior commanders on the street, those that are left.
> > Capable Inspectors have been punished for speaking freely. Olson demoted
> > Inspector Bill O'Rourke, (he held an interim rank of Captain, too) because
> > O'Rourke openly complained of CODEFOR implementation and the purpose of the
> > Lake Street gimmicks. He punished Inspector Brad Johnson -- beloved by his
> > troops at 5th Precinct -- by transferring him to Third Precinct in
> > O'Rourke's place. Johnson's crime was to half-heartedly implement CODEFOR @
> > 5th, but on his own, initiate MOBILEBEAT...a much more effective resource
> > allocation tool. O'Rourke is now Chief in Prior Lake. Johnson... probably
> > will be the next suburban Chief somewhere. To punish outspoken Council
> > Members like myself and Lisa McDonald, Olson sent Christine Morris to 5th
> > Precinct. An incompetent fool if there ever was one. Another political
> > directive. Morris' performance was so disastrous at 4th Precinct that the
> > CM's served by that area demanded Olson do something. He had to transfer her
> > somewhere...and 5th is where she went. Its not coincidence that 60% of the
> > Sergeants and Lt's that worked for Brad Johnson at 5th, transferred out of
> > Morris' command within 15 months. And this, from a facility that was brand
> > new, where the numbers were good, and the crime relatively low. The
> > residents of SW Minneapolis still wave at the cops from 5th Pct. with all
> > five fingers...so...you do the math. Eventually, Morris will have to be
> > dumped. She's just incompetent.
> >
> > Slowly, Olson has been pushing out the old, and hiring and promoting his own
> > people, who first and foremost have to understand that this Chief is not to
> > be questioned. Over 70% of the Minneapolis street complement of 1990 had
> > over 10 years or more street experience. Today, 70% of the street complement
> > has five years or less! In 1990, 90% of the Lt's, Captains and Inspectors
> > had 20 years or more experience. Today half have less than 15 years
> > experience. The less experience you have, the more likely you are to make
> > mistakes. Olson refused to embrace elimination/merger of the Inspector and
> > Captain positions into the permanent rank of Commander. He rejected the
> > Corporal rank as a means of recognizing street experience of our most senior
> > street officers, and compressing the promotions to Sergeant This would have
> > bumped officer promotional opportunity, helping retain good officers, It
> > would have also reduced pension costs.
> >
> > I could go on about all the proper reasonable or even positive initiatives
> > that were ignored by Olson, because he either didn't have the courage or the
> > ability to implement them, but I have already ranted enough. It's too bad
> > that Olson will only get 2 or 3 votes of opposition. He deserves to be fired
> > altogether.
> >
> > Steve Minn
> > Formerly of Lynnhurst
> > ----------
> >> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> >> To: Multiple recipients of list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> >> Subject: MPLS-ISSUES digest 924
> >> Date: Sat, Jan 6, 2001, 7:22 PM
> >>
> >
> >> Date: Sat, 06 Jan 2001 18:41:30 -0600
> >> From: Annie Young <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> >> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED],
> >> Subject: Re: Chief Olson
> >> Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> >>
> >> Well, I have not wanted to get into the "Police" discussion but after
> >> Wizard's remarks which rings home of many facts I've thought or knew of
> >> over the years I did come to realize that there is another alternative
> >> besides the "ranting, raving and protesting" about Olson which probably
> >> will not get a change of heart inside the great walls of City Hall this
> >> year. But this is the year we get to ask the candidate's all kinds of
> >> questions... so as Wizard states, the Mayor chooses the Chief. Question to
> >> candidates for Mayor: will you consider a change from the current Chief if
> >> you are elected - and what kind of a Chief would a new "Chief" person be?
> >> This should give us a pretty good clue as to the kind of City we want
> >> Minneapolis to be as we live, work and play in the new century and
> >> millennium. I plan to use the seventh generation as one of my measures for
> >> who I select to govern our beautiful city - how about you?
> >> That's my two cents worth on this topic for the moment.
> >
>
>
