-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Atherton
I also believe that it is important to include someone who is street
wise and knowledgeable about
police procedures, which is why I recommend that the board include a
retired police officer.
[TB] We've proved that police review of the police doesn't work. Mpls
Police have had their Internal Affairs department for years. The
problems continue, maybe even become more common.
In today's StarTribune Chuck Samuelson, executive director of the
Minnesota Civil Liberties Union, said 80 percent of the complaints that
organization receives each year are made against Minneapolis officers.
That is certainly out of line for a city that has less than 10 percent
of the population of the state.
In the same article Mayor Rybak said "the chief needs to be far more
aggressive in attacking this problem." The chief who has publicly
referred to others as "thugs" should start by firing the thug cop who
was beating on the person being held on the ground while a Channel 5
crew was filming the entire scene. Next he could move to the officers
who mace and clubbed newspaper reporters and photographers who were
covering the event. Then I suppose if I were misbehaving, I wouldn't be
real excited about media coverage either.
The Strib: "Council Member Lisa Goodman said she wants the force issue
addressed before summer and before a planned police chiefs convention
that will attract some 14,000 visitors, which she said could draw
protests." Note to city leadership: Perhaps you can find a good
qualified Police Chief among those 14,000 visitors at the police chiefs
convention.
The Strib: "Council Member Dean Zimmermann said he's concerned that
police are harassing bicyclists who might have been part of the March 29
protest group, while drug dealers operate openly." Comment: Perhaps
CM Zimmermann has seen the activity in Loring Park when the suburbanites
stop by to make their purchases on their way back to the 'burbs. Hmmm
... isn't that where the Critical Mass ride started? The cops must have
been distracted from the felony drug activity.
Yesterday someone, I think it was Andy Driscoll, posted about the term
of our Police Chief in office. Clearly we should have a Chief who
serves at the pleasure of those who appoint him/her. Our elected
officials need to have the confidence in department heads. However
contrary to what he posted, here in Minneapolis, the Chief's term will
in some cases coincide with a new Council as I remember hearing
complaints when one council member abstained on Olson's reappointment in
one of her first votes when she took office in 1998.
Mayor Rybak yesterday said, "The Minneapolis community and the police
need to come together to get a shared understanding of when force is
used and what we do when officers violate the policy." That may be the
first time a Minneapolis Mayor has had the guts to suggest there is a
problem in the Minneapolis Police Department in years. What needs to be
clear is that when officers violate the policy and use excessive force,
they get fired. That is something that still hasn't happened. We need
a Police Chief who is willing to discipline cops who misbehave, that is
something we still don't have.
Terrell Brown
Loring Park
terrell at terrellbrown dot org
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