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City of Flint Dot Net |
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I just read in the Flint Journal about our “Acting Chief” Gary Hagler testifying before your committee. I was astounded at how far this city will go in an attempt to extort money out of the Federal Government for issues that our elected officials are causing themselves. Flint was on a ten year trend in declining crime rates. Until 2004. This is when the Mayor Don Williamson took over as the City’s Police Chief! Yes, he considers himself the police chief. Thus the reason that Gary Hagler is an “ACTING” police chief. If anyone on this committee truly understand what leadership is, and what it means, http://www.cityofflint.net/integrity.htm (esp from a military stand point) you’ll understand where Flint’s biggest problem is. Flint is probably the only city in the USA that Fines it’s citizens for getting their cars stolen in Flint. I called six other municipalities in the Genesee County area. Not one of them have a policy of fining victims for their cars being stolen. Only in Flint. Then to top it off the Flint police will not even investigate the theft. When Police fine a stolen car. It is labeled an abandoned car. Then immediately impounded. This is not the case in any of the other municipalities in the county. It’s all about getting more money for the City. Instead of fighting crime and saving money by reducing it overall. http://www.cityofflint.net/still_at_it!1.htm If we look at the Numbers for the Flint police Dept. Take the Incident rate in 2005 of 86,616. (That sounds like a lot of incidents). However, when you break it down into incidents per day. That is 237 which still sounds like a lot. However, With a police force the Size of the City of Flint of 177 patrol officers 59 Sergeants and 9 lieutenants 3 captains it really isn’t that much. Just based on a 260 work day a year and forty hours a week. That would amount to each officer having to be responsible for 1.88 incidents per day. YES THAT IS PER DAY. The problem is. There are many officers, but only a few utilized for handling calls. http://www.cityofflint.net/honest_statistics.htm Flint has a “Community Policing” fund that is paid for by a citizen tax that we pay. Only we do not get those forty officers for Community Policing. The mayor is using them for his own personal use. A few examples. The arrest of a Flint Journal carrier at City Hall which made the Papers across the nation. Then there was the recent “Show of Force” when the mayor determined that he had the power and authority to violate City Charter and attempt to illegally remove the Flint Housing Commission President Willie Duncan. For the First time ever, Flint police were out in force at the Housing commission meeting. If Crime is so high in Flint and we are so short in the number of officers to respond to crime. How did the Mayor find 7 patrol cars and 12 patrol officers on duty to have at the commission meeting? During the three hours these officers were tied up at the meeting in an attempt to intimidate members of the commission. Not one criminal was arrested or even questioned at the meeting. Not one crime was committed that legitimized the need for this type of police presence. It was clearly an attempt by the Chief of Police, Don Williamson to intimidate members of the commission. This was more officers than was used for a drug sting on the eastside of Flint 4 years ago. That netted around a quarter of a million in drugs, weapons and cash. Yet the fruits of the officers at the commission meeting didn’t even result in one arrest. Let me reiterate. There has never been a police presence at these meetings before. So why is crime high? The acting Chief quoted some numbers and stats that were slanted In his favor. Yes Crime was on a TEN YEAR TREND in flint of going down. Noticed I said WAS. For the ten years prior to the Mayor taking over the City of Flint we had an averaged ten percent per year drop in Crime. Every year crime was lower. Except for 1997 which had a .31 percent increase. Barely even mentionable. But, this is looking at the numbers honestly. Since the Mayor took control and fired the last police Chief. He refuses to hire a new one. He has said, he will not because he would do the job. So far, his new policies that Violate State laws against the city making a profit off fees (namely fining people for getting their cars stolen) are designed to increase the city’s coffer’s not decrease the city’s crime. The mayor has not allowed officers to respond to calls when they are on “The Mayors Business” (his own priorities) (ie 12 at housing commission meetings) Response times are stretched out because officers closest to the scene are not allowed to respond. The Mayors personal agenda is more important than protecting the lives and property of the Citizens of Flint. His agenda is to make the city money. And he is doing it at the expense and safety of the citizens. http://www.cityofflint.net/honest_statistics.htm We have no recourse. It cost the average citizen big money to take a government official to court for violating laws that the local law enforcement is willing to over look for political reasons. Ie, the mayors obvious election Law campaign violations, obvious zoning violations for the City run impound lot, the blatant misuse of police resources (arresting a paper carrier at city hall). You all in Government understand well how BIG money can affect people’s mindset. Because of the Mayors Multimillionaire status, It is clear that he has control over media in Flint (advertising dollars given or pulled from local multi million dollars advertisements) which affects the slant of how the media report his or the city’s accomplishments. http://www.cityofflint.net/the_journal%27s_slant!.htm Here are some real facts. These are taken directly from the City’s own published statistics. Crime was one a downward trend for ten years. Until the Mayor took over in 2004 when Crime for the First time took a major increase. 2004 saw a 17 percent increase and 2005 took another 12 percent increase. Overall since he took over crime has gone up almost 30 percent. Now to prove what I’m saying. The mayor announced in his 2006 (for 2005) State of the City Address that “IN 2005, WE SAW MAJOR CRIME REDUCED. THE RATE OF CRIME ALSO WAS REDUCED. AND WE SOLVED MORE CRIMES IN 2005.” This is exactly how he has it published on the city website. Now we the people cannot sue government for lying to us. And it is not sour grapes to bring this up. It is a fact as to how Flint leadership is molding and guiding police work in the City of Flint. Crime is going up. Because the leadership isn’t even in tune with what is happening in the city when it comes to crime. Now, if this statement were true? Why would Flint need more federal Dollars to help fight crime? If Crime was actually going down… Why would we need more officers? http://www.cityofflint.net/2006_state_of_flint.htm The Chief made the argument that the Police Force has shrunk. This is true. However, So has the City of Flint. In 1970 when Flint had almost 200,000 people maybe we needed or could sustain a Police force of 350. However, Flint is down to 118,000 people current figures. Doesn’t it seem reasonable that we shouldn’t need as many officers? We are currently budgeted for almost 260 now (2006). It appears to me that since crime is going down, the violent crime rate should be much lower from his example. Just based on the true numbers. If you can get you to give you which ones he really used? It appears he twisted or slanted them from what he attempted to get you to believe. So why can’t we fight crime. One of the most obvious reasons is the leadership. The police respond to the Mayor’s Whims and not crime. This wouldn’t take much to prove. Just call and talk to a Flint Police officer. Not the acting Chief. Also, The State of Michigan has stepped in to help. Only, they have a hard time helping since Flint refuses to use any of the technology that we have already paid for and installed in the Dept. GIS tracking, we have the capability, but don’t use it. Communications, we cannot talk to any other department in the area. Flint officers cannot talk to State or County officers from their vehicles. Flint’s police vehicles have Satellite tracking ability in them. Yet Flint won’t use it. We have computers in the Police Vehicles, but it isn’t being used nearly close to what it was supposed to be used for. Flint has the technology, but the Mayor refuses to use it. We have the Manpower. But the Mayor is too busy using the police as his personal “Hit Squad” Then there is the blatant management FUBAR of overtime abuse. The amount of Money wasted at our court house for Officers having to show up for court appearances for dockets that never materialize for the day they were subpoenaed to appear. Almost 50 officers a week, of which only 10, may actually have to be there. The remaining 40 will have to return at a later date, in which they will probably not have to appear again either. Which each appearance at court, cost the City tax Payers a minimum of three hours overtime. That’s a lot of Overtime. That’s a lot of money out of the city Budget. Does Flint have problems. Yes. Could we use some Federal Help, Possibly, Do we need federal Dollars, Maybe. But, not for any of the reasons the “Acting” Police Chief in Flint has eluded to. Flint Police have many problems of their own. Some of which are finally being brought into the open. We’ve had almost 13 arrested or prosecuted in the last 3 years for Drugs, Extortion, racketeering, and that’s not counting the officers that the County Prosecutor won’t bring charges against because they were stealing (excuse me borrowing) evidence from alleged criminals. His reason was "We discovered that a number of Flint police officers had borrowed DVDs (taken during raids on suspected drug houses and other places) for personal use," Leyton said. "It would be a miscarriage of justice for Antonio Barber to be singled out for prosecution." Now I don’t know about you. But, my opinion is they all should have been prosecuted! All of them fired. If the citizens of Flint cannot rely on the Police to live by the same laws they are supposed to enforce. Why have laws in the first place? http://www.cityofflint.net/larceny.htm Crime had been going down for almost ten years. But, what our leaders don’t want you to know is how Crime is going up in the last two. And that their policies are the reason behind it. Their mismanagement of Manpower and tangible resources is putting the lives and safety of the Community at risk. The Governor of Michigan has refused to help, We have a prostitute that was killed just shortly after testifying against a Flint Police officer. Yet the State Attorney General isn’t taking over the investigation? WHY? That would seem to me to be a no brainer. Then there is you guys in the Federal Government. Isn’t there anyone, in government left that is willing to put aside politics and do the job they were elected to do? Support and defend the Law! Protect the innocent; provide the services that government is supposed to? We have many problems in Flint. MANPOWER AND MONEY isn’t one of them. The effective use of that manpower is. It shouldn’t take the Federal Government stepping in and taking over the City. But, who else can we get to help if no one else will? When politics rule, and the safety of the public at large is not even a concern. http://www.cityofflint.net/crime_rate_comparison.htm Ted Jankowski Home 810-235-6601 Ted Jankowski 2230 Levern St Flint Mi 48506
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