Y'know, the irony of this thread right now would be downright humorous if the subject wasn't so serious.
Here we've got a bunch of folks jumping the gun and calling our new police chief a woman-hater and a tyrant who rules through intimidation. Did anyone else get a kick out of Delmonico's quotes in the Strib? Boy, can you say "Pot, meet kettle?" But the primary evidence these folks (who coincidentally were also nearly all dead set against McManus getting the job to begin with) have? They point to a report that says there was insufficient evidence to charge a crime over the handling of the Ngo memo and claim that McManus jumped the gun in suspending Officers Gerold, Martin and Carlson. Now, note clearly what that report concluded - there was insufficient evidence to charge a crime. That could mean no shenanigans took place. Or it could mean that tracks were well-covered. Regardless of which of those theories most appeals to you, the bottom line is that when allegations of the nature involved here are made against a cop, you suspend them pending investigation. I think that's pretty standard operating practices, regardless of the likelihood of guilt. Just like it would be if a teacher were accused of something serious. David Brauer is right on the mark when he mentions higher standards for certain professions and the accountability that comes with higher ranks. Similarly, McManus has been accused of making some statements about retribution against officers for not supporting him for chief. Putting aside the foolishness of the notion that an outsider would get particularly upset by his insider competition not supporting him, I suppose it's actually possible McManus said what he's been accused of. Or maybe it's possible that Gerold, Martin and Carlson hatched a scheme to discredit this new chief. I don't know who's right or who's wrong and I don't know who (if anyone) is guilty of anything and who (if anyone) is squeaky-clean. That's why I'm not going to jump the gun - it has a tendency to end up making people look like idiots in the end. Mark Snyder Windom Park REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ 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
