General Discussion

MineralMan

(146,318 posts) Fri Dec 5, 2014, 10:52 AM Dec 2014

Bad Police Department in Your City?

You read the news. You see the videos on your local TV news. If the police in your city are unfairly targeting people of color where you live, there is something you can do about that:

Get in touch with your elected city officials!

No elections have as much influence on your lives as the local elections. Often, those elections are in odd numbered years, and have dismal voter turnout. That's the case in St. Paul, MN, where I live. Our city elections are in 2015. The turnout will be low. So what does that mean for those running for office?

It means that every last one of them is vulnerable in those elections. Tell them so. Remind them of that. Explain that you're unhappy with what's going on and that that you will work to elect city and county officials who agree that something needs to be done. If you're already politically active in GOTV efforts or in your local party organization, you'll have more impact.

Cities are the ones who have to pay when civil lawsuits for police brutality cases award large sums to victims. Cities are the places that run the local police department. Cities are run by people we elect to local offices. We can leverage that in our own cities, and in the surrounding counties by taking political action to support only those who share our views.

GOTV matters more in local elections than in any other elections. A relatively small turnout of voters who will vote as a group can have a huge impact. We can remind city officials of that, and we should.

5 replies

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Bad Police Department in Your City? (Original Post) MineralMan Dec 2014 OP

Yes but in a different way gwheezie Dec 2014 #1

I happen to live in a very rural conservative county of Colorado randr Dec 2014 #2

Its not all about cities or people of color...we had big movement in our tiny rural town. hexola Dec 2014 #3

Ours seem to be OK but I am starting to wonder about the chief since hollysmom Dec 2014 #4

They are very fair here madville Dec 2014 #5

gwheezie

(3,580 posts)

1. Yes but in a different way

Reply to MineralMan (Original post)

Fri Dec 5, 2014, 10:58 AM

Dec 2014

I live in the county. We have a ft sheriff who is elected and 2 ft deputies and some part timers. I think you can make more money at Burger King. Anyway one of the recent elections there was a debate among the 5 people running for sheriff but 2 didn't show up on the advice of their attorneys due to being indicted for some kind of shadey real estate deal. Always a confidence builder. Any major crime I'd handled by the state. One of the officers in the past was a meth head and another was starving his dogs and horses. For a small population there's lots of politics going on here.

randr

(12,412 posts)

2. I happen to live in a very rural conservative county of Colorado

Reply to MineralMan (Original post)

Fri Dec 5, 2014, 10:59 AM

Dec 2014

All law enforcement officers have had cameras on for quite some time. The recordings have been used to defend the actions, or not, of both the officers and the accused.
It is a great way to hold all parties accountable.

hexola

(4,835 posts)

3. Its not all about cities or people of color...we had big movement in our tiny rural town.

Reply to MineralMan (Original post)

Fri Dec 5, 2014, 11:09 AM

Dec 2014

The police were sitting outside restaurants, clubs and bars.

And they were beginning to start inspecting commercial vehicles.

People got fed up - and acted.

The commercial inspections were shut down - and police hours were cut, and officers were let go.

http://www.abc27.com/story/20787070/mercersburg-businesses-complain-about-police-enforcement

Several local business people in Mercersburg say times have been tough lately.

Gary Smith, who is the Commander of the Mercersburg VFW, said he's not seeing nearly the amount of customers he used to.

"They won't come in, they won't stay late in the evening, they leave early, " he said. "The business is down, we have had to lay employees off."

Todd Sixes, who runs the local VFW, said he is seeing the same issue at his establishment.

"The customers come in and get their food and they leave because they won't stay, if they don't stay, they don't spend money," he said.

The reason? They say it's not the economy, but the way the borough police department is patrolling at night.

Jeremy Jones, General Manager at Flannery's restaurant, said his customers are reluctant to come into town anymore because they are afraid of being pulled over.

Other businesses are also not happy with the police department, but site a different reason. They say the borough's implementation of Department of Transportation tractor trailer inspections is causing issues with supplies getting to them on time.

http://articles.herald-mail.com/2013-02-11/news/37045579_1_food-and-asphalt-chief-john-d-zechman-borough-council

Perceived issues with the community police department drew a significant percentage of the Borough of Mercersburg’s residents to a town council meeting Monday.

More than 30 people packed into council chambers, while dozens more waited in the hallway and on the sidewalk outside Borough Hall. Represented were residents and business people from the one-square-mile municipality that about 1,500 people call home.

Jeremy Jones, who lives and works in the borough, described what he called “willful and purposeful, aggressive policing,” which he said includes officers waiting outside establishments with liquor licenses to target their customers for potential driving under the influence arrests.

The borough council reached a temporary resolution on one of the crowd’s main gripes. The council voted unanimously to recommend commercial truck inspections cease for the first half of the year.

http://www.publicopiniononline.com/ci_22419341/mercersburg-mayor-police-chief-hear-years-businesses-gripes

Mercersburg Police Department recently hired a retired state trooper certified to conduct truck inspections. The part-time officer conducted at least 32 truck inspections in the final three months of 2012.

Commercial haulers and their customers have complained to borough council that on-road inspections have impeded commerce in Mercersburg.

The truck inspections resurrected an issue of several years ago from the business community. Borough police lie in wait, then trail patrons leaving restaurants and clubs, according to managers and owners who have written to council.

hollysmom

(5,946 posts)

4. Ours seem to be OK but I am starting to wonder about the chief since

Reply to MineralMan (Original post)

Fri Dec 5, 2014, 11:16 AM

Dec 2014

I met a woman who said she knew our police chief and he was good guy - this was a woman who was moving to North Carolina where the know how to keep THEM in check and that THEY were moving in to take over our towns.

madville

(7,412 posts)

5. They are very fair here

Reply to MineralMan (Original post)

Fri Dec 5, 2014, 11:42 AM

Dec 2014

They beat the crap out of or kill all races here, last officer involved shooting was a white homeless guy camping on the side of the interstate.

The city police and sheriffs department are about 60/40 white/black which are in line with the county demographics.

The arrest rate is about 75% black people, but they only make up 40% of the population but I don't attribute that to racism by the police. It has more to do with the fact that the vast majority of the black population lives in the city limits which has a constant police presence concentrated in a relatively small area with high population density. Most white people live out in the county areas where there are only four deputies on duty at anytime so law enforcement presence is pretty sparse and the population density is low.

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