Actually, STOP it did take officers from the Third as well as other precincts. This according to cops on the street in the Third, the Second, the Fourth, and according to David Brauer from the Fifth. I have not talked to officers from the Fifth, but I imagine that some officers also came from there. I know officers who have been taken, and according to them not replaced.
While the concept is one that should have been implemented years ago, the concept was logically based upon the addition of 50 to 70 new officers to the Minneapolis Police Force in order to maintain the now overtaxed force while cutting loose those most qualified to be directly attacking drug and street criminal concentrations. That increased number could be returned to present numbers by natural attrition as the problem begins to be controlled.
When our last police class is now down to five or six officers on the street because of internal problems, I believe it is time to bring a larger class on track before the problem becomes critical. Even if the Mayor and Chief started today those officers from a new class would not be fully operational for almost a year. My advice to the Chief and the Mayor would be to get that started now. It will not actually help before the election, but it sure would give some "REAL" ammunition for RT's campaign people and not empty rhetoric as they palter to offer political cover for the real situation. Stupidly palter I might add, when Brauer's Newspaper has published a different reality.
I wish Zack had named the Rybak campaign member so we could ask that RT curb false political rhetoric being pumped out. Or has the new Chief stripped the "desk riders" from City Hall and sent them out to ride herd in the Precincts? This is of course an even scarier thought.
It does demonstrate some creative mathematics when you can subtract seventy from 750 and still get 750. Perhaps RT should apply the same wonderful magic to the City"s deficit.
The same goes for the premise of the number being mainly sergeants. Exactly how many of each David? I think that statement was also empty rhetoric given by "Communications" to the reporter. I must believe that there are some privates, and corporals going along with all those sergeants. Of course I know a couple of cops who will be glad to hear they have had promotions given to them because of the story.
The last two Minneapolis administrations have seemed to have a problem with dealing with crime and other police things on a proactive basis rather than on a PR one. The people of Minneapolis deserve a lot less "BULL and a little more beef! Some of us are long term veterans of the "crime wars", we KNOW when downtown starts shooting blanks and when they actually know what they are talking about. After a few salvos of bull we stop looking for zebras. When you hear the sound of hoofs we look for horses NOT zebras. We know when its horse manure we have just heard or stepped in. The Mayor's communications staff can say its zebra-apples if they wish, but we know plain old horse---- when we hear it.
Jim Graham, Ventura Village
"If you're ridin' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there."
- Will Rogers
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