Posted inCity of Salem Police reform Salem Police Department

One Salem Police Chief candidate seems better than the other

The City of Salem has narrowed the search for a Police Chief to replace retiring Jerry Moore to two candidates, Malik Aziz and Trevor Womack. (That link allows you to submit a question to be asked of Aziz and Womack during their October 30 interviews in Salem.) I spent some time today Googling Aziz and Womack. Obviously this is a very rough way of coming to a conclusion about which man would be best suited to lead Salem's Police Department.  But, hey, us bloggers are opinionated, and I came up with an opinion: Malik Aziz. First, and most obviously, Aziz…
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Posted inCity of Salem Salem Police Department

Rubber bullet lawsuit undermines credibility of Salem Police Department

I'm changing my mind about the Salem Police Department. By and large, I've believed that Salem has been fortunate to have a well-run department marked by honesty, integrity, and a willingness to admit mistakes. Sure, the department's actions during this year's Black Lives Matter protests following the murder of George Floyd were questionable at best and outrageous at worst. Using tear gas and playing nice with armed counter-protesters put chinks in the Police Department's "well-run" reputation. To me those chinks widened to a crevasse after I read the front page story in today's Statesman Journal by Whitney Woodworth, "Protester sues city,…
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Posted inPolice reform Salem Police Department

Salem Police Department job summary points to danger of militarization

Should police officers see themselves as warriors or as peacemakers? Most experts I've seen who have weighed in on this question argue for peacemakers, not this sort of officer. After all, most of what police officers do has nothing to do with violence. Here's one of the images in a blog post called "Policing Explained in a Few Graphs" by Jerry Ratcliffe, a professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at Temple University. Ratcliffe says: 1. Policing is overwhelmingly a social service Graph no. 1. This is from the second edition of my book “Intelligence-Led Policing“. The area of each…
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Posted inSalem Police Department Salem-Keizer school district

Superintendent calls out Salem-Keizer school board for not being anti-racist

Wow! Last night, for the first time, I watched a Salem-Keizer school board meeting. It was gripping, almost like a soap opera, filled with emotion, inspiration, and, yes, aggravation. It was clear that the school board is dysfunctional under the inept leadership of chair Marty Heyen. There were more than 180 people signed up to testify at the meeting, where the district budget was to be approved, including money for the highly controversial school resource police officers. Yet at the beginning of the meeting Heyen took the time to engage in a pity party for herself, talking about how unjust…
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Posted inCitizen involvement City Council Salem Police Department

Looks like Salem City Council wants to reimagine the police

l understand why "Defund the Police" has become a rallying cry for Black Lives Matter protesters. But it can be misunderstood as calling for the abolition of police departments, which very few people really want to do.  "Reimagine the Police" strikes me as both more accurate and more politically palatable.  A Washington Post opinion piece, Don't "Defund the Police". Reimagine the Police. makes a case for the latter slogan. “Defund the Police” is candy to the one-liner simpletons. It’s a cry that launched a thousand memes about the lawless anarchy to come. It’s a loping softball to the grumping Trumpers who…
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