Public Notice By The WicBury Crapper Board of Directors

Ladies and Gentlemen in Law Enforcement and To the General Public...

We have a very serious crime problem in progress. Yet another armed robbery has resulted in the shooting of a store clerk at the East Side Deli. This article is an attempt to save officers lifes and citizens lives.

Exceptional Issues

• Until recently the City Police Chief did not request additional assistance from outside agencies and is embroiled in a spat with the Mayor, Jim Ireton, over three reprimands that he received regarding a "video tape" of Debbie Cambell (city council person) that occurred prior to his installment as the Chief of Police.


• Our County Executive Rick wants to make additional departmental budget cuts in order to keep from dipping into the reserve funds the county has at a direct cost to our safety.


• Shift staffing at both county and city agencies continues to be exceptionally low. Sometimes there are only four officers working per shift for each the county or city departments.


• Personnel still continue to lack the basic tools required for effective law enforcement to include rifles, shotguns and taser weapons. These tools are readily available due to the fact that many officers own private Remmington 870 shotguns (typical standard for law enforcement) and can be put into service immediately. Most officers have already been qualified previously.


• Officers in the past have been ordered to conduct "patrol checks" in the wake of robbery increases. This is a serious tactical safety issue instead of a deterrent. Police administrators we are directing this statement directly to you. You are asking officers to engage in a serious lack of tactical safety. Just like alarm calls 99.9% of the time officers will ride to the patrol check not expecting something to happen and more then likely drive directly through the front parking lot or park in front of the store entering. Many of the armed robberies have been with shotguns. Eventually, you are prompting a unexpected confrontation between the officer and the suspect whereas the suspect has the tactical advantage over the officer conducting their patrol check. Eventually, an officer (one) conducting a patrol check will run right into an armed suspect. A shootout will occur and an officer may loose their life in the line of duty. At this point departments will "review" their policies and make shotguns available. This practice will cause an officer their life. While it is an essential job function of officers to protect the public from criminals bear in mind that you must conduct yourself with the utmost tactical safety in mind. It is clear that the criminals are ready to engage in deadly confrontations with the public so it is clear to assume that they will not hesitate at killing a police officer.


• Although some administrators have made it clear to render assistance when required typically in the past rendering assistance has unofficially been highly discouraged, even reprimanded. Do not believe everything you read.

Requires Immediate and Exceptional Solutions

• It should be relatively clear by now where people's political priorities lay. Clearly both Jim Ireton and Chief Webster, while engaging in on going pissing contests, including law suit by Webster against blogger Joe Albero, are not engaging in effective policing strategies. While Webster makes it a point stating that they need more officers, everyone needs more officers. Both of these politicians must be removed. We must elect a mayor that is not afraid to take action and terminate the police chief. This type of pissing contest can not be allowed to continue and is indicative of our overall government (both local, state and federal) failure to effectively lead.


• We do not endorse the reelection of Jim Ireton or Rick Pollitt. Both these people are ineffective. We support the termination of Chief Webster.


• Do not sentence officers to death by sending them to patrol checks of establishments without stressing the importance of tactical safety or giving them the tools required to maintain their safety and the safety of the citizens. All officers need shotguns, rifles, and tasers immediately. This lack of priority in this area is completely a failure of government leaders. You want personnel to risk their lives for less money without the proper tools required to defend themselves. An officer will die in a shooting situation if not mentally prepared and have to tools to combat the criminals because of a direct failure of departmental leaders to institute basic safety tools to the field troops.


• Departmental leaders, do not be afraid of liability or press. People cry when there is a crime problem and the media crys when criminals are "mishandled" by the police. It's the name of the game. Sheriff Mike Lewis has done an excellent job of publicly defending some of his troops. Strong articles should be written or PSA's done about criminal enforcement across the county.
  
• A Mutijuristicational jump or zero squad must be enacted immediately.


• Police administrators in some departments are an untapped patrol resource. All police administrators should immediately take up patrol positions several days per week to augment their staff shortages. These administrators should answer calls for service and work as temporally reassigned "PFC's" without rank several days a week.
• "Deputize" former retired volunteer law enforcement officers to augment patrol deficiencies.