David, The Mayor has been talking with the Chief, communications staff (and other relevant department heads) about consolidating City communications functions for over a year. This directive was in the budget footnotes that came out last year, and it will eventually include CPED (former MCDA comm staff), Police and Fire.
The memo sent earlier this week, which outlined a broad policy change, was distorted and exaggerated. The intention is increase the visibility of the Police Department and get more information out about the work of the Department. This change will result in more actual cops (and fewer spokespersons) talking with reporters, not fewer. The broad goal is to get City departments out of their individual silos and working together to coordinate functions. This absolutely does not mean that cops will be gagged. The Mayor, Chief, City Communications Director and top police officials met yesterday to spell out specific criteria for police to consult with communications. As I've been saying to anyone who will listen for the past 48 hours, reporters aren't going to see much of difference. Police are asked to consult with their communications staff if there is a police or City policy in question, officer misconduct or officer-related shooting. As Cyndi would have done, the new police communications person will still sit in the Police Department and do basically the same job. This is similar to (and actually looser than) St. Paul, Hennepin County and every major city we could find. New York City Police require media requests in writing in advance. Chicago's protocol requires that requests come through media relations. In LA media requests are directed through media relations and approved by a commanding officer. I'm glad to hear that City officials have been more responsive lately. I'm confident that trend will continue. Laura Sether Office of Mayor Rybak Standish Ericsson One of the many disturbing things about R.T.'s policy is that city = officials are better than they've ever been about returning phone calls - and = giving substantive answers. (This goes for council people too.) However, there's one exception - former police spokesperson Cyndi Barrington, of whom G.R. writes "Ah, yes, Cyndi Barrington (nee = Montgomery). Her departure causes me just a little bit of glee, she whom I've come to believe legally added "Did Not Return Phone Calls" to the end of her = name." As outraged as we were about the policy as reported in the Strib, one reporter in my shop actually did a little dance when he heard Barrington = was gone. Cyndi wasn't mean, or malicious, just endlessly unavailable. So there's a silver lining to this turmoil. But that's what makes this policy so frightening. Cops like Craig = Williams, Sharon Lubinski, Lucy Gerold, Rob Allen and many beat cops have been = just excellent, and candid, about discussing public information, no matter = where the chips fall. Having another gatekeeper/hurdle between the press and public = information won't serve either side well. Either R.T. and Gail Plewacki - both = former reporters (and bulldogs at that) - have done a horrible job of = explaining what they're doing (note to communications specialists: it's not good = for other media outlets to learn about your new rules from the Strib), or they've made a horrible policy. David Brauer King Field Editor, Skyway News & Southwest Journal TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
