1992.
sorry.
David Wilson
Loring Park
On Mon, 8 Jan 2001, David Wilson wrote:
> 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.
> > >
> >
> >
>
>
