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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Flint emergency manager to unveil public safety plan
Published: Thursday, May 03, 2012, 10:17 AM Updated: Thursday, May 03, 2012, 10:18 AM
By Kristin Longley | klongley1@mlive.com
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FLINT, MI -- Flint emergency manager Michael Brown is expected to unveil a comprehensive public safety plan for the city on Friday.
The press conference with police Chief Alvern Lock and new Public Safety Administrator Barnett Jones will be held at 10 a.m. in the dome at Flint City Hall, 1101 S. Saginaw St.
Officials have said that the plan will address the closed city lockup, as well as increased partnerships with Michigan State Police and other collaborative efforts.
Representatives from federal, state and local law enforcement agencies are expected to be in attendance, according to Brown's office.
The plan comes on the heels of the emergency manager's budget plan, which he presented to the public on Monday.
The budget could include a reduction of Flint police officers and firefighters depending on whether expiring public safety grants are renewed in the next few months. |
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Thu May 03, 2012 11:27 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Editorial: Flint needs changes outlined in public safety plan -- and more
Published: Sunday, May 06, 2012, 6:48 PM Updated: Sunday, May 06, 2012, 6:50 PM
By Editorial Board | The Flint Journal
It is without a doubt that the city of Flint must have a plan to deal with its public safety crisis and Emergency Manager Michael Brown rolled out his much-awaited proposals on Friday.
There is a lot to like in this well thought out agenda.
We welcome the return to community policing and hope that the switch to 12-hour work shifts allows the city to have a robust enough police department to implement the quadrant patrols proposed by Public Safety Administrator Barnett Jones and Chief Alvern Lock.
It also outlines ways the department will use technology and data to fight crime better, expand its partnerships with the Michigan State Police and other law enforcement, and open the city lockup.
The city has seen lots of plans over time. In fact, several of the items in Brown's plan are not new. City leaders have talked about some of these ideas for years, even a decade or more.
The 9-1-1 re-consolidation and the conversion to an 800-megahertz communication system – which will allow Flint police to collaborate better with other departments and get much-needed assistance from them -- are two examples.
This time, these reforms must happen. They should have already happened.
And, frankly, that no other elected officials have made these basic, common sense changes underscores exactly why this city needed state intervention.
The bottom line is, though, that the city must maintain its police department so that it can sustain a community-policing model. That's going to be tough – an issue that officials raise and acknowledge in their plan, but one for which they do not yet offer any solutions.
We have grave concerns about shrinking the size of both the police and fire departments, where 39 firefighter jobs are paid for with a soon-to-expire grant. The city simply does not have the revenue needed – nor would other cities our size -- to operate at the level needed to reverse the tide of violence, arsons and drugs that has taken hold.
This is a complicated problem for which more solutions will be needed, especially to obtain what city officials outlined as goal No. 1 – which we think everyone can agree is at the core of what we all must do:
"Re-establish Flint as one of the safest cities in Michigan – both in reality and perception."
fedupinflint May 07, 2012 at 9:35AM
Instead of being a responsible press and educating the people they prefer the mushroom method. Keep us in the dark and feed us manure. They attempt to manufacture nonexistent controversy and resort to tabloid journalism to sell "the news" and then shove sunshine up our rear ends. They prefer people to be dumb as evidenced by 90% of the MLive postings. Their agenda belongs to their patrons and is not for the people. |
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Mon May 07, 2012 3:20 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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There was obvious tension between the new Director of Public Safety Barnett Jones and Police Chief Alvern Lock. That is probably to be expected since Jones is so much more experienced than Lock.
Nothing new was revealed. The use of the four quadrants was an old process being newly revisited. The city does not need a mini station per ward, so I hope I understood correctly there may be a reduction. They cen't man the stations they have.
Steven todd has been slowly and methodically moving the city towards a 800 MHZ sysyem. It is good news that there is a grant to help.
The city should never have left the county 911. The establishment of the Flint 911 came at a cost of more than money. There has been ongoing arguments over who should have control, the fire or the police. The hiring process was fraught with allegations of misuse of power mixed in with sexual harassment and retaliation complaints andl lawsuits. The grandson of a prominent contributor and mayoral supporter had his mothers car when he was pulled over. The moher was a 911 operator and the boy, an alleged Cobra gang member, created headlines when the 911 books with police officers numbers were found in the trunk. A possible case of the benefits of political patronage. |
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Mon May 07, 2012 3:38 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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What was most disturbing was the comments from Jones that having 40% of our police and fire paid for by grants was unacceptable. Brown has made similar statements. Walling once said the citizens of Flint would have the best police and fire departments that we could afford.
Without grants there will be fewer and fewer police and fire. Haven't these administrators looked at the poverty levels and the median income levels for Flint?
Brown has brought up the 6 mills available for taxation and Jones appeared to be referring to that also. Citizens I have spoken to say a vote on a millage increase is DOA (dead on arrival) Low income and those on a fixed income are already lamenting they don't know how they can pay for the increased fees for service (trash disposal and street lights) as well as the ever increasing water and sewer bills.
Without better public safety there will be no new businesses and residents will continue to leave the city. I look at all of the arrest records for some of those named by the US Attorney in the Howard block RICO (racketeering) case and I sympathize with the police. Some of these guys have had multiple arrests and were only given a slp-on-the-wrist probation. It has to be disheartening to feel like the criminals keep on winning. |
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Mon May 07, 2012 3:51 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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This event was a "dog and pony' show that allowed the law enforcement agencies to demonstrate how hard they were working on public safety.
Did we really need 6 Michiga State Police present. One was the new head of the local post, but when asked with a question he basically said no comment.
The FBI was not present, nor were the officers from the two task forces that have been working in Flint with them. The Sheriff was not there either although he has allegedly been an integral part of the planning.
The image of Brown standing on stage flanked by his two leaders in the Flint police department said a lot. They looked like his two bodyguards. Brown seems to be afraid of the public and he displays that fear publicly.
Other blogs have indicated the state police and other law enforcement agencies are not pleased with Lock and allege that is why we have Jones. Brown says Lock isn't going anywhere, but then they are said to be close friends. US Attorney McQuaid seemed pleased with Jones as she stated she has worked with him in both Ann Arbor and Sterling Heights. |
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Mon May 07, 2012 4:06 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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When school is in session and the Haskell Center is not being used-why do we have a PAL officer ? Other individuals manage the building and make sure it is open for community meetings. This individual does not wear a uniform, but he is in an area that receives a large number of priority one calls.
It is hard to imagine what officer Tanya Meeks does. training of blue badge volunteers was being passed off to individuals in other mini-stations, such as the south side mini-station. She is always with the MSU criminal justice program people. Has she been able to develop more block clubs.
Brown just hired some one to do training of these volunteer groups. So just what is it she does?
I have heard volunteer groups complain that they are being left out of the loop and she does not communicate with them. She inventoried the equipment in the mini stations but the supplies that came in did not match waht was needed for their printers and copiers. Mini-station personnel that did not favor Walling were replaced.
Under Walling everything that had been donated to the mini stations by Williamson was to be replaced. Those thins such as the tv's and DVR's have since been stolen. |
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Tue May 08, 2012 8:17 am |
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