Boy I sure wish there were someone who might fairly
take issue and present an opposing viewpoint to the
StarTribune's editorial endorsements of the status quo
in the police force.
I really don't understand when people write and
bemoan the "liberal" bent of the Strib. When it comes
to the cops I find the paper's reporting of the police
and crime tilted toward the right with a few notable
exceptions. The police hardly need space to rebut that
which does not challenge them so much as coddles them.
In today's Strib they let Greg Hestness speak his
voice.
I especially liked this jab at the legal
establishment:
"I fear some proponents of racial data collection
operate barely out of hidden agendas. I believe some
members of the defense bar relish the possibility of
having another strategy to suggest reasonable doubt.
They are provided an additional device to shift the
focus from the behavior of their clients to more
endemic social ills."
There are a lot of "I fear"s and "I believe"s in the
piece. One is left with the impression of the Deputy
Chief as an earnest paranoiac.
Here's another of my favorites:
"Those who criticize the MPD CODEFOR crime analysis
and response strategy, but advocate for racial data
collection, are being truly disingenuous. Both should
seek to acquire the information needed to understand a
problem and align the resources required to provide an
effective response. Intuitive propositions, but
obviously risky."
Beyond the fact that I don't entirely understand what
the Deputy Chief is saying, I would respond as one who
both criticizes CODEFOR crime "analysis" and response
strategy and asks for racial data collection this way.
If the police force says that they must look hard at
the profiling data, which I might add is less thorough
than St.Paul's,and have it analyzed, I would like them
to subject their CODEFOR data to real analysis rather
than just simple number crunching which is what they
appear to do.
I would also like to see the MPD contract with another
organization to analyze their data given the article
in last saturday's edition of the PiPress by Ruben
Rosario
and the impression it left in my mind as to the agency
they had chose to analyze their data.
Excuse my paranoia for considering the source of all
this data. Hardly independent I would say. Given the
fact that police officers throughout this wonderful
land have been proven to have twisted facts, coerced
false identifications, etc. I reserve the right to
remain skeptical.
Further I fear the sorts of statements D.C. Hestness
makes about defense attorneys. It is not for him but
for the courts to make judgements as to "devices"
attorneys may employ to provide adequate defense to
their clients.
THIS IS NOT THE LAMENT OF SOME BLEEDING HEART LIBERAL
AS I HEARD A STATE REPRESENTATIVE REFER TO THOSE WHO
OPPOSE THE DEATH PENALTY TODAY, BUT THE STATEMENT OF A
PERSON WHO BELIEVES STRONGLY IN LAW AND ORDER AND ALSO
RECOGNIZES THAT WHEN THE POLICE MISBEHAVE THEY CREATE
AN ATMOSPHERE OF MISTRUST THAT INVITES ANARCHY."
I appreciate his conciliatory attitude but he offsets
that with comments like the above-mentioned. He also
offsets that attitude with the release of CODEFOR data
on the day of Olson's hearing as though it were the
fifth gospel of the new testament among other things.
Enough said!
Tim Connolly
Ward 7
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