-------------------------------------------------- Last Chance to Offer Input On New Chief of Police!
May 3rd at Harding High * May 4th at Humboldt High Info: http://www.e-democracy.org/stpaul/chief.html --------------------------------------------------
What special skills and/or qualities would you like to see in our new chief of police?
I'd like to see a police chief who made sure that complaints from the citizens were heard. I'd like to see one who didn't practice nepotism, cover up for his people's mistakes or play politics to the detriment of the people the police force is supposed to protect (and no, I don't mean the rich folks - I mean ALL the folks). I'd like to see one who focussed on prevention rather than prosecution. I'd like to see one who was soft on crime and hard on removing the situations and circumstances that facilitate crime. Stop giving speeding tickets unless the driving is reckless or hazardous. Participate more in community outreach. Seek proactive ways to interact with the community. I grew up in fear of the police and nothing I've seen here in St. Paul has changed my opinion. I'd love to see the police force act in a way that taught me they were the good guys. I want them to be someone I can trust. I'd like to think that if I ran out of gas or had a flat tire, that a cop might stop and help me, instead of stop and give me a ticket for being parked illegally on the shoulder. I want a police chief who can make the cops trustworthy.
I don't want to hate and fear the police. I want someone as police chief who can turn that image around. I want someone I could look up to and think "Wow, this is a great guy! He's a really good person."
What if anything do you know about the candidates that are being considered?
Next to nothing. I know they all come from within the current police force, which seems to me to be very bad. The current police force exonerated one of their own for involvement in the Lucy's lesbian-beating. From what I read in the papers and talk to other city residents, the current police force is very bad.
The current police force came to our house a couple years ago when a drunk woman down the street stole our dog, then threatened to shoot my husband with a shotgun when he asked (politely under the circumstances, in my opinion) for her to give it back. The first cop who arrived refused to get the dog back, refused to take a complaint, told us we'd be more emotional if we really cared about the dog, then called us jerks and left. The second call to the police eventually produced the first cop's supervisor, who did get the dog back, but refused to take a complaint against the woman or address the brandishing of the shotgun, refused to take a complaint against the first cop and refused to connect us to internal affairs. Then he left. Not knowing what else to do, we were forced to get rid of the dog for fear that next time our neighbor got drunk, she'd carry out her threat to kill us. After all, the cops weren't going to do anything about it.
I want a police chief who will do something about it!
Mary Baker East Side
PS - I wish I could write the above without fearing persecution by the cops. But as it is, I think I'm being incredibly stupid to speak my mind on this issue. We live in a police state. It strikes me as very naive to think otherwise. I want a police chief who listens to criticism and acts to correct the problem without seeing the person doing the criticizing as the "problem".
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