"Hopefully, within 45 days we'll have a news conference and we'll let everyone know that everything has taken place," Chief Harper said. (P-G, Lord & Silver)Whatever they come up with, it won't be good enough.
The women's advocates want automatic, exhaustive and open investigations of every allegation of a domestic disturbance, with any wrongdoing resulting in harsh disqualifiers and penalties.
The police want everything to be handled internally by the Chief, in whom we must put all our faith, who will bear in mind how tough it is to ever really know what happened (maybe she tried to hit him in the head with a frying pan!)
The politicians want to be seen to care.
Yesterday's meeting "is the beginning, not the end," said council President Doug Shields. "Change is in the wind."
Maybe some of them do care, but for now all they can do is be seen to care.
Mark DeSantis was in attendance for most of the meeting. Do you think he'll be able to craft a proposal that is legitimate, popular, and makes Ravenstahl look bad by comparison?
Because it takes a mayor to put real pressure on a police department, and for the next two months, DeSantis is the closest thing we've got.
Otherwise, we just don't like the odds of anything happening for another couple of years.
I don't agree with the statement that it takes a mayor to put pressure on the police department.
ReplyDeleteAnd, I don't agree in the statement that DeSantis is the closest thing we've got, for the next two months.
Sure, DeSantis has some leverage. And, sure, there is an opportunity with some potential there. However, ...
That room was filled yesterday -- without the Mayor. And, that was good old fashioned pressure and power. It was intimidation-like on some levels. But, I liked the event as it was EDUCATIONAL.
There is power and leverage in real education.
We (the city) was called to "Think Again." -- I love that approach.
To continue with your 'closest thing' thoughts, I'd ask: What does DeSantis say about the Citizens Police Review Board. And, What type of funding is headed to the Citizens Police Review Board for 2008? That is a budget item.
City Council starved the CPRB, as did the mayor. For a long time there were not enough members appointed and approved to serve there.
I've always been a SUPER STRONG advocate of the CPRB. I'd like to have all of those meetings on cable TV, for instance.