This next email came directly after the Council meeting during which Capt. Long used the phrase, "Bring it on!" in reference to the potential additional investigation of the police department's management policies with respect to l'affaire Dringoli.
Capt. Long is right in his "bring it on" comment. What professional would say that to his/her governing body? His attitude was very professional before the council. Do you like my humor? Sounds like another politician who said the same thing. I could not disagree with him more. The police department needs an overhaul front the top down. Citizens are fearful of speaking in public just because of what you saw at the council meeting. I have seen and heard enough.
RW
Neenah, Wis.
I reacted fairly strongly to this email:
Dear Mr. _____,
No, I don't like your humor, mainly because you're not attempting to be humorous. Your message is bitter.
The police department needs an overhaul front the top down.
That may, indeed, be so. The Council cannot perform that function. There is a Police Commission for a reason. That reason is to act as a buffer between the high emotions of the electorate and the effective functioning of the police department. If you don't believe that the Police Department is effective any longer, than we might as well end this discussion right now.
I agreed very strongly with at least one thing that Tom Long said: the high emotions and strong opinions concerning the police department and the prosecution of the Drigoli matter have been formed with incomplete information. Why MUST the Council or the Police Commission take action based on that?
The Council did the one thing that it is really and truly empowered to do: we commissioned the Police Department Management study -- which did not focus on the Dringoli affair. There were quite a number of things identified in that report that needed addressing. In no way, shape, or form did the report recommend firing anybody. Why is it that the Council should now jump to "overhaul front top to bottom" the entire force because charges against Mr. Dringoli have been dismissed? Because he says so? Because you say so?
Citizens are fearful of speaking in public just because of what you saw at the council meeting.
What I saw at the Council was citizens speaking in public. Do you honestly believe that someone would be in jeopardy because he spoke against the police department at the Council meeting? Is Mrs. Radtke in jeopardy? If you don't believe that then I can't imagine what you're suggesting.
Tom Long was, indeed, impassioned. So was Mrs. Radtke. I think Mr. Kunz grand-standed with his faux fear. Those are MY opinions. YOUR opinion is that the police department should be overhauled. You may, indeed, be correct, but I would not want to act without complete or near-complete information. Right now, what I've mostly got is newspaper stories. Do you want me to make a decision based on those?
What the Public Service and Safety Committee is going to do is to consider just what it means when people in the community like you say "overhaul front the top down" and what that would entail in dollars, time, and personnel. It may be very satisfying to say, "Fire the whole kit and kaboodle!" ... but what then?
I apologize for sounding impassioned myself. I have incomplete information, too. That is what Alderman Piergrossi's resolution was meant to address: this not knowing what the whole story is. It will require patience with a capital P.
I have seen and heard enough.
I haven't the faintest notion of what you mean by that. Do you mean that the incomplete information you have is enough to set your mind at rest over this whole business? Are you never coming to a Council meeting again? Will you never write me an email again?
There is a process to follow. That process has been hammered out over centuries to allow elected officials at all levels of government to make decisions without the hot needle of public opinion forcing a hasty leap into the unknown. Don't you want to KNOW for sure what went on? I sure do. That is what we're after.
Sincerely,
Steve Erbach
Neenah 3rd District
And my constituent's response:
Thank you for your reply. I apologize for my attempt at humor. I have attended meetings and will continue to do so. The Police Department Management Study focused on improvements suggested for the police department. Because of the wide scope of problems identified some management capabilities / oversight need to be addressed. The rank and file members are the ones forgotten in this situation.
I support the police department but not in its present management situation.
Once again, thanks for your reply.