List, I can think of four great reasons to consolidate the police communications department with the City communications department.
1. Organizational: The Police think of themselves an independent organization -- separate from the accountability and management of the City of Minneapolis. They are in fact a department. Anything that is done to integrate the police into the city as a whole is a good thing. 2. Community Accountability: Every time there is a threat of police brutality the representatives from the police department immediately jump up and deny that anything is wrong. I believe this undermines efforts at "finding the truth" or letting facts speak before a community polarization of the issue. Perhaps channeling that communication through a department that is responsible to the interests of the city as a whole will result in a greater opportunity to respond to tragedies with a little less polarization. Those that raise the fear that this is "centralization" worthy of a communist state should explain how the communities of St. Paul, Chicago or New York have less police accountability because their police's communication departments are integrated with the rest of the city's communication activities. 3. Negotiating the Police Budget Through The Media: While generally the police department tries to reassure the public that crime is down and Minneapolis is safe, the message suddenly changes whenever the management is expected to operate within a budget. Around budget time a story is inevitably planted that all Minneapolis is on the verge of becoming a war zone and whomever's proposed budget or contract will reduce the force by half. I don't believe public works, the MCDA, city attorney, licenses, regulatory services and inspections department all need their own communication departments -- so why should the police department? Should the public works department have their own communications department so that when the city council changes budgets a driver of a plow truck can say "Well this will just result in massive car pile ups and stranded vehicles?" 4. Presenting a Lousy Image of Our City to Minnesota: I know a sensational crime story in the urban core makes great copy to lead the nightly news. The results are devastating for our communities -- in spirit and in tangible dollars. I hope that the coordinated strategy will result in less sensationalism and more news stories based on facts. And dare I hope I read one less stories that quotes a police officer who lives in the suburbs saying something to the effect of - Downtown Minneapolis is just scary; I would never bring my family here. Imagine a 3M employee being quoted "That spray is worthless, don't ever buy that" or a soldier being quoted as saying "Oh, none of us are really prepared to be here at all." I agree that there has been a significant lack of leadership by the elected city leadership around the police department. I would propose that integrating the police department's communication function into the city of Minneapolis' communication function is an example of just the type of leadership needed. Give us more! Joseph Barisonzi Lyndale (Wondering who did the aweful job of coordinating the announcement of this change at City Hall -- hoping it isn't the same person who will be taking coordinating all the communication functions.)
BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:2.1 N:Barisonzi;Joseph FN:Joseph Barisonzi ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) ORG:CommunityLeader.com TITLE:Community Knowledge Specialist TEL;WORK;VOICE:612-518-5536 EMAIL;PREF;INTERNET:[EMAIL PROTECTED] REV:20021022T222414Z END:VCARD
