Now that I've sent this to the wrong list, I'll try to get it to it's intended destination.
> Why people feel that whenever cops are criticized for their > unlawful or unethical behavior, it's their duty to apologize > or defend that illegality as though the police are above the > law or part of some sort of deified culture is beyond me. > Just the opposite. If anything, the police should be sending > all the signals that not only are they not exceptions to the > rule, they will be exemplary in their behavior - legally and > ethically. MPD through their SAFE teams had told us that small crimes, they give examples such as panhandling and jaywalking lead to bigger problems. That, they tell us, is one of the reasons they enforce those laws and tag people missing a single tail light. In the instance I originally pointed out, the restaurant has a parking lot which is closer to the door than where these guys parked. I don't think anyone would deny them a meal break, most of them work 10 hour shifts. Should the standards here be any different than a Mayor who ends up paying for tickets to an event because gifts to an office holder are not legal? > Of course it's the same mentality that keeps rogue cops in > uniform and on the streets to wreak their havoc again and > again...and never worry about a conviction. Not even the > lawsuits the city's been forced to settle or pay out on > thanks to thumpers. How few years ago was it that a police car driving without any lights went through a stop light and killed the unfortunate guy who was legally going through the intersection that night? Although I don't recall the exact intersection it was somewhere in the vicinity of 24th and 24th. The legal payouts are frequent, I would hope our city leaders care about the costs of those payouts, I'd rather keep a library open than make those payouts. Maybe we try the British model of cops not carrying guns. > Who polices the police? No one. At least not right now. And > that is a sad commentary on how we govern ourselves. We know we are having a change in police leadership, it gives us an opportunity to change the attitude at the top. Are the Mayor and Council to afraid of the Police Federation to make any changes, the Police Federation which is one of the first places they all go for endorsement when the decide to run for office? If a change at the top of the Police Department doesn't fix our problems, maybe we need to change the person in the office that selects the Chief. Terrell Brown Loring Park Now on the web at: http://home.earthlink.net/~terrelljbrown/ 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, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
