Missouri town responds to officer exodus after election of black female mayor

yahoo.com ^ | April 22, 2015 | Michael Walsh

[SeaHawkFan]

Those racist Republicans elected a black woman and corrupt Democrats run for cover?

Who are the real racists?

[jstaff]

You are correct, and they reinforced the media’s point of view by reacting just the way they accused the people in that little town of reacting. They let themselves be used. The media is not a friend to conservatives and we have to stop letting them set the narrative without challenging them.

[Slyfox]

Like Martin Luther King, I prefer to notice someone by the content of their character, not by their skin color or lady parts.

[lapsus calami]

 

Here's something interesting -

 

Speeders beware: Grant funds new police car for Parma

Monday, February 10, 2014

http://www.standard-democrat.com/story/2050083.html

 

PARMA - Two grants enabled a small New Madrid County community to update its aging police vehicle.

 

The city of Parma received an Economic Initiative Impact grant for $10,750 and paired it with a Missouri Local Law Enforcement grant for $7,482 to purchase and equip a 2012 Dodge Charger.

 

While the Dodge Charger isn't new - it was previously used by the Missouri Highway Patrol until the odometer reached approximately 50,000 miles - it is a big improvement on the city's former car, said Parma Mayor Randall Ramsey. The Charger replaced a 2006 Ford Crown Victoria which had traveled some 175,000 miles.

 

 

 

Their "aging police vehicle" - in the singular, as in ONE patrol car? For 6 cops?? No secondary patrol unit in case the main one goes down?

 

Sounds like ghost officers to me. I don't know what the law is in Missouri concerning cops moonlighting as armed security in their off hours, but in Texas the criteria you have to meet is to be registered with TCLEOSE as a paid full time officer working a set minimum hours per week and you cannot be the contractor yourself. That's something like $20-$30 bucks an hour depending on the venue they are providing security for, which is so lucrative that it's an ongoing problem of officers conspiring to send pencil whipped paperwork in to TCLEOSE listing part time unpaid reserves who never show up for any work as full time paid officers. They've caught cops doing that and sent them to jail. Am wondering if this is what was going on in Parma.

 

 

[terycarl]

I would have to have a DAMNED good reason to give up my decent city job and paycheck because I didn’t like who the citizens elected to be my boss.....

[terycarl]

Kirk said her shop has been burglarized nine times over the past decade.

Could possibly be the reason that a town of 700 needs 6 PD employees.

[MaxMax]

SO it's not about Race, it's about Slime and corruption. They left so they
could try to avoid prison time?

Throwing color in there is old antics already. Does the media know she's Republican?
I don't know of any Republican colored who use their skin for gain. In fact they detest it.

[kanawa]

Six police officers in a town of 700 people? That is very odd.

Three 8 hour shifts, 2 officers per shift, 3x2=6

[SampleMan]

Who needs 2 officers per shift in a town of 700? One cop per 350 people?

My neighborhood inside of a large city has about 5,000 people in it. Generally there isn’t a single cop there, but one cop would be able to cover the whole area without any problems.

I’ll bet you that most towns of 700 in the U.S. don’t even have 1 town cop, and if they do have one, its a constable that does not provide anything close to 24/7 coverage.

[wildbill]

Ferguson Missouri officers should have done the same thing. The town was highly criticized for having more whites than blacks on the force because the demographics changed over the past few years.

Once you start allocation jobs by racial makeup of the population, then the new minority should just say, “Take it.” and move on.

Presumably, the population will grow more law abiding if they have all black officers.

[Rockpile]

Looks like there was a woman Chief named Cohen, an Assistant Chief named Medley and four reserves. Don’t know if those four were paid or not.

The city clerk, city attorney and the water/sewer head have also resigned.

The old mayor was 78 and had stints of 12 years and later 24 years in that office.

Most curiously the crAP and most other news outlets accidentally forgot to mention any party affiliations. Fancy that.

[DoodleDawg]

Perhaps these officers knew what an incompetent she is.

From the article: "Lisa Kirk, 58, who owns a convenience store in Parma, was surprised that the town even had six people on its police force. “There was never police around in town,” she told the wire service. “We have no idea where the six officers worked or who they are. If they did work, I don’t know where they were.” Kirk said her shop has been burglarized nine times over the past decade."

Could it be that the 6 police officers basically got paid for doing nothing? And that with a new administration they were afraid that there might be trouble over it?

[lapsus calami]

 

 

Thanx for the info - did some looking around. Seems the chief is very snarly and defensive, which is raising suspicions with me. Also it seems the part timers were paid, maybe that's the way it works in Missouri, I don't know. The clerk, attorney & utilities department honcho bailing out is setting off alarms, bigtime. It would be interesting to know the condition of the city finances - fielding a single high mileage patrol car nearly a decade old is raising a flag in and of itself. Curious as to condition of the town infrastructure - streets, water & sewer, whether any of that was properly maintained, and whether they ever received state/federal grant monies for city infrastructure and if so, how was it used, was it spent properly - or did contractor companies that existed only on paper gobble up the funds with phony invoices for work and materials that never existed? Lots of questions.

 

 

[Rockpile]

One account said that they got state and fed grants to buy a used Missouri HP Charger to replace a 2006 Crown Vic. The treasurer did not resign and has all the important city records and accounts in his office safe at his cotton gin job. May or may not be anything wrong but it is the kind of thing where an auditor should be sent in to confirm that. Oh yes, they used ity credit cards to make personal purchases which were paid back out of paychecks. Old mayor said it was allowed due to low pay and no benefits. Did not see mention of political party in this threads Yahoo story. Odd.😙

[Yashcheritsiy]

I APOLOGIZE

Er...it's ok. I forgive you.

[kanawa]

Who needs 2 officers per shift in a town of 700? One cop per 350 people?

If I were a cop I would want a partner to watch my back.
Wouldn't you?

[fieldmarshaldj]

It’s curious, Parma’s demographics indicate it went from 57% White in 2000 up to 67% in 2010, all while electing a Black Republican lady Mayor. This seems like a positive development, not a negative.

[GeronL]

How many officers should a town of 700 have? 2 or 3?

[Osage Orange]

700 people???

Is that even a "town"?

[Osage Orange]

Maybe the new Mayor...is/was going to expose the corruption in town!!??