CRIME--HOW MANY POLICE OFFICERS DOES ANNAPOLIS NEED?

CP believes this issue is so important that we must bring up the point again--WE NEED MORE POLICE OFFICERS. Whatever Mayor Moyer or Police Chief Johnson or their spokesperson Ray Weaver may say or not say, we are in need of more police officers. Mayor Moyer has made a mantra out of saying that the national ratio of police officers is one per thousand residents. She has made this point over and over while saying in the other breath that our city has three officers per thousand. THIS IS WRONG, and unfortunately, our news media are swallowing her statements like a Bay Rockfish takes the lure. It happened again most recently in The Washington Post. CP contacted the reporter and made his concerns known. If you wish to know more, see the Aug 28 CP posting below, "This is the Mayor.....".

The Mayor is wrong and the information to refute her is quickly and easily available on the internet. The Rand Corporation's study is one case in point, but so is that of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

However, in recent days, she is making pronouncements that she is taking steps to hire more officers, but why has it taken so long? And, why does she do this on one hand, and then bring up her misleading and questionable statistic on the other hand?

So our Mayor is either lazy about getting her facts right, or something worse, but what does that make our newspapers who are either ingoring this issue or going along with it??? We need every police officer on the force--except for one--and that is the only officer the Mayor can hire or fire!!!

MAYOR’S LET’S TALK BLOG (LESS TALK?? ME TALK-YOU LISTEN??)

POSITIVE AND CIVIL??? Released a few months back, the Mayor's blog about her “LET’S TALK ANNAPOLIS” scheme, and the Comprehensive Plan due in 2008, is apparently dead. Despite her announced intention on March 15 to make it an interactive tool for discussion about the ongoing Comprehensive Plan, it’s a lot of nothing. The Mayor said, “We’ll talk openly and honestly – not with complaints or criticism – and we’ll try to rediscover our common ground to regain our City’s culture of connection, and advance our collective wisdom.....There are those who contend that talk is cheap. But talk is the most valuable currency we humans exchange because a conversation, forthright and direct, where views are discussed openly and honestly, is an action. Nothing happens, except through conversation. It is always the catalyst, the energizer.”

http://www.letstalkannapolis.org/about.php?page=message

Positive and civil would be a breath of fresh air from the Moyer administration which uses every meeting, every announcement and every news release to blame somebody for something whether it’s the Capital, residents, taxpayers, some vast conspiracy or extraterrestrial aliens (just kidding there....CP--phone home). Visit the site and see for yourself. This is yet another example of attempting to provide leadership by news releases.

MAYOR’S BLOG-Good writing, but dead. PODCASTS ARE POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT!!!

The Annapolis Mayor’s Official Blog contains eight postings from her recent jaunt to Europe but nothing else. It really was a travelogue, despite PIO Ray Weaver’s insistence to the contrary. It now remains but an electronically fossilized memory of a period when the rise in crime in our town came to the fore at home, but which she apparently missed while she was criss-crossing the continent.
http://ellenmoyer.blogspot.com/

The Podcasts are a whole other story. Here we can thank the Mayor and Ray Weaver for actually communicating with us. You can even listen to Police Chief Johnson tell his side of the story at:
http://annapolis.gov/info.asp?page=10922

PLANNING AND ZONING--Who’s in? Who’s out? Why so many staff?

The Annapolis Planning and Zoning Department's web pages are a bit behind the times as Dirk Geratz is still listed as a planner, but he is gone, and fortunately if CP must so say himself. Readers will recall how CP reported that Geratz was the subject of a state criminal investigation for alleged wrongdoing in his official capacity. His departure may have spared him more trouble, not to mention other higher-ups in our government. You'd think they'd want to erase his name asap ( asap-as soon as planned???)
Patricia Blick, who was recently hired as the Chief of Historic Preservation, has not yet been listed, but her predecessor, who retired, is still listed. How hard can it be to get this information to the webmaster? It reflects a lack of concern on the part of P and Z for providing we the people, with necessary information.
CP has often wondered and discussed with other residents why our Planning and Zoning Department seems to be so large. According to the website, it has 16 staffers. According to their respective websites, other Maryland cities showed the following:
Frederick 10
Salisbury 8
Hagerstown 6
Westminster 4
Aberdeen 4
College Park 5
Ocean City 18 (almost half are inspectors or in similar positions which would be in our Dep’t. of Neighborhood and Environmental Protection, so the comparable number is more like 11. )

CP may be on to something. Certainly there are major differences between each city and Annapolis, as CP has noted concerning its police department, is complex and very busy for its relatively small numbers of residents. Annapolis is larger than many of the other cities listed, but what about Ocean City, which on summer weekends, has over 200,000 visitors and which is constantly building and rebuilding with vast numbers of businesses opening and closing all the time?
CP and others have also noticed how often P and Z hires consultants and more consultants to do more and more studies, so its high staff numbers do not really reflect the full story of how many people are working for it and how much money is being spent for P and Z purposes. Has this been studied or reviewed? Maybe that’s one type of consulting job our city won’t be pursuing.

The State of Spa Creek

The Spa Creek Conservancy is inviting Annapolis residents to learn about the "State of Spa Creek" during a special presentation next month. Conservancy members will discuss the health of the creek and what's being done to restore the creek.

7 p.m. , Sept. 10 at the Eastport Yacht Club, 317 First St.

Spa Creek is one of four creeks that flows through the city of Annapolis. The Spa Creek Conservancy is a volunteer organization that works to protect and improve the creek. For information, visit http://www.spacreek.org/. (CP already links to this organization)

“THIS IS THE MAYOR. STEP AWAY FROM THE CAR OR I’LL ISSUE A NEWS RELEASE”

…or I’ll whistle up a horse or a Segway…or maybe, just maybe I’ll hire another officer…

Mayor Moyer wasted no time in getting right back to work upon her return from Europe where she was surprised to learn that we have issues with crime. Now she is catching up by issuing news releases.
Here is the first news release headline:
Mayor Ellen Moyer proposes a five point plan to address concerns being raised about public safety in the City of Annapolis.
Wow--"concerns being raised about public safety”??? Is that different than her being concerned about public safety?
Then came:
Mayor Moyer asks the Annapolis Police Department to partner with State and Federal Agencies to Combat Drugs and Guns.
Wow! CP specifically addressed this issue when he campaigned for City Council at a public debate attended by Mayor Moyer back in December!!! Maybe with federal help, the police will get the right address when they conduct a raid. Well, maybe…
Then comes this news release:
Mayor Ellen Moyer calls for a new committee to expand police recruiting efforts.
At least this has some substance, but it only came after many people raised this issue, including CP and local blogger Annapolis Politics. Amazing! The Mayor who is so concerned with giving jobs to her friends and creating new departments for them to get even bigger salaries is finally understanding that yes, we need to fill the empty personnel slots at our Police Department. Or is she?

BLAME IT ON THE PUBLIC AND THE MEDIA….
The Mayor’s Human Resources Director Kimla Milburn was much surprised to learn, “it is evident that we are all facing a tremendous challenge in recruiting police officers," CP and others have known this for a long time simply by discussing it with our officers. In keeping step with her thin-skinned boss who loves the blame and finger-pointing game, Ms. Milburn had to add the following, “Negative articles and Letters to the Editor bashing the Department simply do not help. We need to work together to increase the level of interest in working for the Annapolis Police Department."
Oh--so it’s the public’s fault? Well, Madam Mayor and Mr. Milburn, where does the buck stop? Who will provide the leadership to do this? If this open sore had not been leaking pus for so long because you and Chief Johnson ignored this situation, there might not have been negativity expressed. Had you and the Chief not been saying for so long that we don’t really have a problem, blaming everything on HACA and not being too concerned about the shortage of officers, maybe you could have controlled the situation.
Of course the Mayor could not leave it at that. She had to add this quip at the end of her news release, “The Annapolis Police Department currently maintains a ratio of 3 officers per 1000 residents. The national average is 1 officer per 1000 residents."

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY ONE PER THOUSAND RESIDENTS??? THE RAND CORPORATION AND INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF POLICE CHIEFS SAY DIFFERENTLY THAN DOES THE MAYOR…but what do they know???
Well, Mark Twain said it best. There are three kinds of lies. There are lies, damn lies and statistics. Where does this one fit in?
IF, and I mean IF, one officer per thousand is acceptable, and we don’t need more officers, what are we doing wrong? The Mayor seems to be sending the message that we’re going to recruit more officers, but we are really okay and don’t really need them. We just have bad publicity from citizens, but what do they know? Now, look at the Mayor’s news release again:
"The Annapolis Police Department currently maintains a ratio of 3 officers per 1000 residents. The national average is 1 officer per 1000 residents."
If we use the figure of 36,000 residents, that means we now have 36 x 3 or 108 officers. However, how many of them are really patrol officers on the streets? CP estimates that there are a dozen Lieutenants and Captains working in the station. And if we believe the Mayor’s quote (which we have just proved to be misleading at best) we should be happy having 36 officers. You be the judge. Is crime up or down? Do you feel safer or less safe than before? Do you trust Mayor Moyer and Chief Johnson? Do you want more officers? AND FINALLY….are you willing to pay for them? But if she and the chief really believe that the current number is okay, why did we ever come up with an appropriate staffing level before?

ONE PER THOUSAND.....

This one per thousand is a misleading statistic for a variety of reasons, and if Ellen wants to bolster her argument, she can go to College Park where a nationally recognized criminology program could supply a professor or two to comment. For example, are these patrol officers or administrators in the headquarters? And why should we even trust her numbers?
According to James Quinlivan of the Rand Corporation, writing in 2003, “The United States as a whole has about 2.3 sworn police officers per thousand residents. Larger cities tend to have higher ratios of police to population.” In Florida, in 2004, the ratio was between 1.67 and about 2.5, based on statewide studies.
Most telling of all is a study from the International Association of Chiefs of Police Research Center Directorate (from data in 2003) categorically states:
Ratios, such as officers per thousand, are totally inappropriate as a basis for staffing positions. Accordingly, they have no place in the IACP methodology. Defining patrol staffing and deployment requirements is a complex endeavor which requires consideration of an extensive series of factors, and a sizable body of reliable, current data.
This report, which is so straightforward and to the point that it takes up only one page and even looks at national averages for all US cities which is 2.5 officers per thousand, while cities ranging from 25,000 to 49,999 average 1.8 per thousand residents. This information is instantly available on the web. Apparently the Mayor and staff did not have time to review it. http://www.theiacp.org/documents/pdfs/RCD/OfficerToPopulationRatios.pdf Perhaps the Mayor and Chief are busy looking at horses for sale.

Here is CP’s take on it.
1. Regardless of how many officers we have or don’t have, we still need a new chief to shake things up and bring new energy and ideas. That is up to Ellen.
2. It is patently obvious that the dedicated men and women on the streets are overworked and unable to handle the rapidly rising number of calls. Of this, there can be no rational disagreement. They need more officers and so do we.
3. There is a national challenge in recruiting and retaining officers. Bill Clinton put cops on the street. George Bush sent them to Iraq and Afghanistan and Andrews Air Force Base supposedly to keep us safe. Did it?
4. We are a complex and very busy city with big city problems due to the major governmental and other institutions in our midst, the heavy tourism, late night restaurants and bars, special events, economic activity, proximity to two major cities and big highways, density, inequality of wealth and NOT TO MENTION, hulloah--the huge numbers of people living in public housing (the same place the Mayor has ignored until recently…or so we shall see).
5. Finally, one officer per thousand does not translate to one officer per thousand on the street. We have a chief, many captains and a host of lieutenants focusing on fulfilling numerous complex paperwork, planning, administrative and bureaucratic tasks. CP does not know enough about this to comment responsibly, but surely, this is part of the situation--and these officers are not usually on the street.
CP can only imagine why the Mayor seems so reluctant to hire new officers. What could that be????? Hmmm…I’m thinking….hmmm….Gee, the only thing CP can come up with is that it’s going to cost money.

WE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS...except in Iraq, Afghanistan, Walter Reed and the Naval Academy

LET THEM EAT S.O.S!!!! ---...---...---...S.O.S---...---...---... S.O.S. ---...---...---....
The Capital and The Sun both report that midshipmen at our own US Naval Academy are suffering from food shortages as a result in changes in meal policies. Huh??? At the USNA? As in "Brigade Seats"? As in the meal hall which has been a mainstay of employment in Annapolis for decades? As in the place that prides itself in serving thousands of hungry Mids a day in an orderly and efficient fashion?

No, as in the other USNA. Just kidding.

See http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/08_27-35/NAV

According to The Capital, Mids and parents are becoming increasingly concerned now that all Mids have to eat their meals on campus, more than doubling the meals served. ???? Where did they eat before? At local restaurants? Something is missing and CP is confused.

The Capital writes that, "Mids reported a lunch that consisted only of cold cuts served on - in some instances - moldy bread, supplemented by tortillas after the bread ran out."

Hey, moldy bread they can handle, as do many Navy folks, but the indignity of making them eat the national food of Mexico--a country invaded by US Navy, Army and Marine forces numerous times!

THIS IS AN OUTRAGE. Next, they'll be demanding reasonable medical care and even armor or ammunitions and the troops in Iraq will want this too!

WHAT THE ^%$#% is wrong with the leaders of our country and our armed forces!!!! Did they spend all our defense dollars on toilet seats and coffee pots? Here is what the number two officer at the Academy said:

"The Superintendent and I both are committed to ensuring that the Brigade receives the best food service available," Capt. Klein said in an e-mail. "Some issues have come to our attention over the past week and we are aggressively working to correct them."

Sure you are. Like carefully picking the mold off? Folding tortillas into smaller portions? Calling in for Dominoes to deliver? Hey a new take on the domino theory? If only we could channel this aggressiveness in a positive way.

STRANGER THAN FICTION

CP readers know that CP ran unsuccessfully for City Council in the recent special election. Well, it was modestly successful.

He came in second.

Out of a field of two.

But it was close. Not really. But close only counts in horsehoes and hand grenades. Anyhow, CP has maintained a good rapport with the man who came in first, Ross Arnett, with whom he recently had a pleasant and detailed conversation about how to save Eastport, the city and the world...sort of.

So, more or less, this is how the conversation went (mind you that we had not spoken for months). CP did not record or take notes but reconstructs this from his fetid memory, so be advised...

CP: So Ross, how are you?

RA: Not as good as I was last week on vacation in (mid-sized city in a distant US state)

CP: I was there too last week.

RA: Really? Where exactly? ( we then discovered how close we were to each other though thousands of miles from Annapolis)

RA Yeah, I went out there on ____ and came back on _____?

CP No kidding? I went out there and returned on the same two dates.

We then found that we were on different flights, which was fine with me, because his was delayed over 6 hours. Revenge is sweet. We also found out that we went to different places, though on different dates. If we were on the same plane, it certainly would have made us a target for some crazy Annapolitans.

How odd it would have been had we bumped into each other in that distant city or if we were on the same flight? Yes, CP also wonders how often these "close calls" or "near misses" happen to all of us? It has happened to CP before, to run into a friend while many hundreds or thousands of miles in home. It happened twice this summer with Annapolitans in two different locations in Massachusetts and it even happened to him once in London. Yes, as in England. But the big question is how often do we meet up with, talk to or meet our neighbors on our own streets?

MAYOR MOYER AT THE HELM...PLEASE TAKE THE HELM OF OUR GOVERNMENT...This is really Capital Punishment

GET WHEEL!!! The latest issue of The Washingtonian, a snobbishly fancy and elitist "lifestyle" magazine also loaded with political intrigue (not to mention gossip and incessant rankings of who and whom...) features a photo of none other than Mayor Ellen at the helm of the local schooner "Woodwind". It's all part of a feature about vacation travel near D.C. As usual when she is behind a wheel, Ellen is looking, well, a bit uncomfortable, if not geeky. They don't call that type of wheel a "destroyer wheel" for nothing. She has been seen at the helm of sailboats before, mainly to promote the Volvo (formerly Whitbread) Race when she actually took the helm from Baltimore to Annapolis.

On her most recent nautical foray, she was rumored to have taken the Queen Mary or some such fancy liner (maybe it was the Queen Ellen?) on her nearly two month jaunt to Europe. Supposedly, she does not like to fly. CP also knows she does not like to ride buses, as she says she gets sick, nor has it ever been possible to get her on a bike for Bike to Work day. But, she does manage to take the helm of a boat for publicity purposes. Now, if only she could confidently and carefully take the helm of our body politic and sail us into smoother waters. That's what we're all waiting for.

Oh, did CP fail to mention that the magazine is owned by Eleanor Merrill, who also serves as its chairman (chairperson?). The President and Publisher is her daughter Catherine Merrill Williams (Yes--that's the same Merrill of local fame--thanks to co-owning The Capital with her late husband). So, is it any wonder why they would not put in a puffy plug about our Mayor?

BTW, if seeing photos of Ellen tires you, check this startling and important news in the magazine instead:

Nicole Richie Picks Out $275 Shades in Georgetown
During her brief visit to Georgetown over the weekend, Nicole Richie swung through Annie Cream Cheese for some pricey accessories.

Yeah, the future is so bright, she can hardly see. Heck--she does need need sunglasses because she is always in the dark--especially in a locked cell. Anybody got something for "see sickness"?