The ethnicity or sex of the new chief makes no difference. S/he needs to be an experienced police officer with good management skills. S/he will also have to know the community and it's quirks. But most of all, the new chief needs to have and show respect for both community AND the officers working for him/her. When an officer is hurt or killed, the chief needs to take a PERSONAL interest in that officer and their family (this means a face to face visit, at least). The city cannot expect its officers to risk life and limb only to be tossed away if they become unable to do so, temporarily or long-term. S/he needs to listen to his/her staff and demand honesty from them. Their input needs to be taken into consideration, even if it means the chief needs to change or modify his plan. S/he also needs to spend alot more time really getting to know the communities of this city and the officers hired to protect it. The chief also needs to demand thourough but prompt investigations involving officers when complaints arise or serious incidents occur. Staying in town more might help this. S/he will need the ability to communicate and to be frank reqardless of the political consequences. S/he needs to come to the job with an open mind looking for solutions, not scapegoats. S/he needs to look to the Federation as a partner in this solution, not an adversary that needs to be destroyed. And sometimes the chief will need the guts to stand up to the mayor, council member, and/or a community leader and say "I think you are wrong."
Anne McCandless Jordan TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) ________________________________ 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
