No Gregory, Minnesota does NOT have to relax the licensing standards. All
Minneapolis has to do is make a priority out of hiring those residents of
Minneapolis who are licensed by the State of Minnesota who have gone to our
colleges and have passed the exams. No special treatment other than
recognizing that having grown up and actually owning a house in Minneapolis
makes one more qualified to be a police officer in Minneapolis. Just as
having grown up in Detroit should make someone more qualified to be a police
officer in Detroit. And by the way, it takes more than a few years to teach
someone to be part of a community and to feel that City and community is
his, hers, or theirs. I am not sure the Hessians hired by the British to
occupy America ever really thought of themselves as Americans in the several
years they garrisoned New York. I know most of my buddies never felt they
were FROM Viet Nam; even those lucky enough to spend a couple of years
in-country. Ask the GI guys stationed in Germany and Korea for two or three
years if they are now German or Korean.
I am not saying only hire people from Minneapolis, I AM saying make it a
priority to hire those who grew up in Minneapolis and who KNOW Minneapolis
and are PART OF Minneapolis! And Gregory and others, I know for a fact that
there are such people waiting to be hired.
Should officers be given an incentive to by houses and live in Minneapolis?
I think so, lets face it police officers do not stop being police officers
when off duty. It is why they carry guns off duty. We simply would get
more service for our money from an officer living in the City. Both from
actual policing and from the public relations and community involvement
stand point. Since they are giving greater service pay them a little more,
it's only fair. Remember HUD use to make a priority of selling repossessed
homes to police officers who worked in the City where the house was located.
Minneapolis should do the same. If officers like Greg wish to live outside
the City that is fine, but lets realize we get less service for our dollars
because he makes that decision.
We should empower our own residents first! Another good idea. Those living
in a Federally designated "Empowerment Zone" should be given even more
priority in hiring and added incentive in pay. Again because it is our
mission to empower those individuals, and because we get even more service
from them. Greg and other seem to think it adds an additional burden to an
officer to live in the City, and particularly the inner-city neighborhoods.
We should reward those who willing bear that burden! Keep the budget
balanced by slightly reducing compensation for those who do not.
But lets start by giving those who are from our inner-city (and qualified) a
chance to serve us their families and communities.
Jim Graham,
Ventura Village, Phillips Community, the inner-city of Minneapolis
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