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Sunday, April 06, 2008

Public is asked to tell it like it is

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29 Comments:

Blogger Bob said...

City wants to know how police are doing
By Mara H. Gottfried
mgottfried@pioneerpress.com
Article Last Updated: 04/05/2008 12:27:07 AM CDT


St. Paul residents: Do you want to weigh in on how the city's Police Department is working?

A "best practices assessment" of the department is under way, and public hearings will be Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Deputy Mayor Ann Mulholland said officials hope to hear from St. Paul residents about:

-- What's most important to you from a public safety perspective?

-- What's your expectation when you need help?

-- How do you feel about the service you're getting?

-- What's good? What's missing? What do you want to see more of?

"We're looking at this assessment because we know we have a great department and we're investing in it, but it's really important to be looking and saying, 'What could we be doing better?' " Mulholland said. "We're hoping people come with their stories of, 'This is great; this isn't so great.' "

Reviews of other city departments have been completed or are under way. An audit released last year of the St. Paul Fire Department recommended sweeping changes, but Mulholland said she doesn't think that will be the case with the Police Department.

Because the police force has grown — and the plan is to continue to add officers — the city wants to make sure resources are being used wisely, Mulholland said.

Dave Titus, St. Paul police union president, said he hopes the assessment is being completed with an open mind.

"Our research has shown that when a 'best practices' is implemented, there was a predetermined outcome by those who are paying the bill," he said.
Whatever the study recommends, "it needs to keep our officers and our citizens' safety as priority
No. 1," Titus said.

The largest portion of St. Paul taxpayer dollars goes to the Police Department. The department's 2008 general fund budget (from taxpayers) is $71.4 million. The total police budget is $95 million, with the difference coming from grants.

"We want to make sure the dollars are matching what the residents want and need," Mulholland said. "Budgets are tight, and we have to make some tough choices."

The Civilian Review Board is one area the city requested be examined in the assessment because "it's such an important entry point to the public when they have a complaint or issue," Mulholland said.

"We want to make sure that it's working," Mulholland said. "We've heard rumors that some think it's not. We want to know so we can fix it."

Nathaniel Khaliq, president of the NAACP's St. Paul chapter, said he welcomes the assessment, particularly the study of the Civilian Review Board. He said he doesn't believe it's effective and thinks there ought to be recommendations for change.

Khaliq said he hopes police use of force, especially against people of color, will be studied as well.

The city's request for proposals also asked for evaluation of the department's:

-- School Resource Officer program

-- Parks and recreation facilities security

-- Technology

-- Management structure

-- Training.

Berkshire Advisors Inc., which is based in Ohio and has experience in police department assessments, is completing the assessment for $176,600. Mulholland said she expects it to be finished this summer.

Mara H. Gottfried can be reached at 651-228-5262.

IF YOU GO

Public hearings on the St. Paul police are scheduled in a "best practices assessment" of the department.

-- Monday, 6 p.m., Wellstone Center for Community Building, 179 E. Robie St.

-- Tuesday, 6 p.m., Martin Luther King Community Center, 270 N. Kent St.

-- Wednesday, 6 p.m., Metropolitan State University, Ecolab Community Room, 645 E. Seventh St. (third floor, inside the library). Park in lot at Maria Avenue and East Seventh Street.

4:07 PM  
Blogger Bob said...

Hi All,

A few weeks ago I spoke of a man here who was intoxicated and aroused by the police using 2 tasers.

I interviewed a man last week who was intoxicated and had been aroused by the police with a police dog, leaving this man with serious deep puncture wounds.

I could say a whole lot more. I'll leave that for others.

I don't think I really need to attend any of these meetings due to the large number of law enforcement officials who read here. I know my voice is being heard. I may have someone tape one of these meetings. I'm thinking about that.

An update on the A Democracy News Letter- I didn't publish the A Democracy News letter covering the Mayors Town Hall Meeting with SPIF. I tallied up the cost of distribution and feel the money could be spent on a better project. Sorry, I won't open my mouth again without knowing my limitations. Hope you all understand.

4:18 PM  
Blogger Nancy Lazaryan said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

4:29 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It doesn't really pay to tell this City Council what the people want, as they do as they please. Waste of money if you ask me. We need some honest leadership before we can expect honesty and fair play from those employees down the chain.

4:40 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Listen people, this is just like the AD HOC committee. "FLUFF"! It is designed to be used against the plaintiffs in the RICO suits.

These flubber heads are counting on years of the blame game brain washing to play out here.

4:47 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Nancy, I'll be there but listen:

I worked with my neighbors on the east side last year to get our cops to hold community meetings monthly. They get direct input regularly from us.

I also as an individual try to meet with the cops leadership regularly to give input and receive updates.

So, I'm ahead the curve on this one.

Truth is, until we got more cops and activites for young people to do, not a lot will change. It will only shift from area to area.

Eric

5:15 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I remember those ADHOC hearing. They were a sham. They didn't get the input they wanted because landlords showed up and told them all the things that were wrong. When they had their committee meeting they stacked it with people like Queen Lantry and all kinds of other ass kssing city officials with a few token civilian members. When it got to the point where they had to talk about the behavior compnent of code enforcement they side stepped it and made some reccomendations and called it a day. They used it to get the end result the city wnted with no regard to what the input was during the meetings. These meetings will be the same. They have an agenda and they want to make it look as though it was put through with the input and approval of citizens. Down the road they will use it to say this is what the people want.

You want to know how the Police are doing? Well.....so glad you asked. They'r ea bunch of fucking NAXZs who've already taken a side and they don't give a damn if your law abiding or not. If you don't fit with the current political agenda, they'll find a way to criminalize you for something. You call them for help, they turn you into code enforcement and make your life more miserable. Right Dean? Go fuck yourself Kenan, you and you cop bussies are nothing but a bunch of jack botted thugs. You're worse than the people your supposed to be chasing.

5:18 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It keeps changing from area to area Eric because people like you think it prudent to blame landlords rather than deal with the real problem.

5:22 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

you would think the cops would have some sympathy for drunks with all the incidence of the police being caught drinking on the job.

5:34 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

When you go and find where I said code enforcement was a good tool for managing crime- let me know.

I never did.

I never said 95% of things that I seem to be asked to answer for.

So, its not people like me. I blame landlords for shitty unsafe property. I blame criminals for crime.

You can always sit back and bitch about things or take advantage of the avenues opened by people like me (you're welcome, jackass), and find out if people are willing to work together for some solutions.


Eric

7:50 PM  
Blogger Nancy Lazaryan said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

8:45 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Eric is right, some of you posters
are to caught up in this RICO stuff
and are brainwashed into believing that every landlord is a victim.
Just drive around the east side and slums in Minneapolis and see for yourself.
How does code enforcement work in Minneapolis ?
Think about it, can we at least make our capital city the best ?
East side is a perimeter city to our capital and needs to clean up its act.
Get going slumlords !!!!!!!!!!!
( some of you ).

9:03 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Eric Said -- until we got more cops and activities for young people to do, not a lot will change. It will only shift from area to area.

We herd that until they get more police and more recreational activities for the youth for 40 years, nothing different in this city yet.
Just taxes going higher and higher, this is the deadest town in Minnesota and we pay our politician high wages and most of our police officers on the St.Paul's Police Force live in other towns.
The Cops on the streets don't care if they live in areas that are safe from crime.

9:52 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

East side is not a city, its an area of the city.

10:43 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Let me get this right, the city doesnt know how the police are doing so they ask the public ?
Dont they know how many citations they wrote ? They get the revenue.
Dont they know the murder rate compared to last year, call the coroner .
The cops asked for tasers does that tell you anything !
There calling lanlords crimminals and tagging along with code enforcement isnt that saying something ?
What do they expect the public will say.
Cops treating citizens like shit because there concerned about crime and people down at the impound getting verbally bashed !
Read this city, now you know.
Meeting canceled.





Harold S.

10:54 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Eric you may not have said 95% of those things directly, but you stick up for the status quo in the city which is do nothing but blame landlords for everything while the city gives a free pass to the tenants. That's the city council's crime strategy, and it's not working nad you do go along with it in every argument that you get a chance to. You're so in agreement with the city that you don;t even think there's anything wrong with the city violating the civil rights of the property owners who are suing them.

11:10 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

To 9:03

We're not brainwashed into thinking that all landlords are victims, just the landlords who rent to the low income crowd.

11:48 PM  
Blogger Nancy Lazaryan said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

11:48 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What have you got against low income folks ?

12:03 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Eric is correct about one thing, and wrong about the other. But, I think I know what he means.

I agree that if youth have productive and constructive things to do, they will be far less likely to enter in to the criminal justice system.

If youth are less likely to get in trouble, we will not need more police. We would need less.

But Eric's main argument is that kids need something to do. He is 100% correct about that. Whether you agree with Eric on anything else or not, you really cannot deny this.

As the old saying goes, "Idle minds are the Devil's workshop".

3:41 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

And idle neighborhoods are the devils playground......bring back the slumlords!

7:02 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Someone get 7:02 a straight jacket.

8:16 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks for making room on this post Bob.

9:36 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Am I on the moon ?

10:58 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Every on should go, I hear they handing out rose colored glasses !
Bob, where are your people ?

7:24 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

One has to wonder if all the negative comments by Mayor Chris Coleman and the St. Paul City Council towards the Governor over the last two years had anything to do with this outcome (4208 million cut from th ebonding bill)?

2:36 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

We dont need lite rail anyways.

3:13 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey corrupt city officials - it's time to pay the piper. All the negative methods you use can only result in negative results. And you point to extremely narrow areas trying to claim there are actually positive results -Hah.

The governor's budget message is the first domino of many others to fall. How can he possibly justify giving resources to the frankenstein monster the city has become?

St. Paul will be left a broken city, and it's all your fault. And all you had to do was to treat people with decentcy and respect!

5:43 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

St Paul doesn't know the meaning of the words decency and respect.

10:52 AM  

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