Here's one question I have, though. Does anyone know how judgments against the City are paid for? For example, if we had a situation like St. Paul where the city inspectors were charged with harassing a business owner and that person was awarded a million bucks, where does that money come from? Does it come out of inspections or is there some contingency fund for stuff like that?
If the latter, I wonder what kind of impact it might have on rogue inspectors or maybe thumpers on the MPD if those judgments were charged back to the department that were guilty of them? Does anyone else think we'd have less of a problem with police brutality if the MPD had to pay those lawsuit awards out of its own budget? I'll bet that would make more of the good cops be a bit more willing to stand up to the "bad apples" and keep them in line so they don't get laid off next time one of the thumpers loses his temper.
Mark, thanks for raising this. As I pointed out in a previous post, the city is self indemnified for liability suits and the payouts come from the general fund. Stupid and/or bad behavior on the part of police cost the taxpayers to the tune of $13 million over the last four years. If that had to come out of the police budget, Chief Olson might decide to be a little more "hands on" in his management style. This was one of the things we pushed for during the CRA redesign that the city refused to consider.
I'd like to see more of the honest police officers take on the "bad apples" on the force. The problem, though, is a culture that vehemently discourages this (yes, the blue wall of silence exists!) and an institution that at best ignores and at worst even rewards the thumpers. Rick Stanek's career is a case in point.
Michelle Gross Bryn Mawr
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