Blade editorial says Mayor is breaking the law – UPDATED with plan
Blade editorial this morning is rather brief:
MAYOR Carty Fink-beiner is breaking the law.
With anxiety about public safety at an all-time high in Toledo because of his order to lay off 150 police officers, the mayor is refusing to make public Police Chief Mike Navarre’s plan to reorganize the police department.
Refusing to release a clearly public record of such import to the citizens of Toledo at this crucial point in the city’s history is yet another example of the arrogance and imperiousness Mr. Finkbeiner has shown over the years that has caused citizens to line up to sign recall petitions.The mayor should release his plan for protecting Toledo and do it today.
From another article in the Blade, it’s stated the report will be released tomorrow:
The chief said a prepared document detailing the plan will be revised today and released tomorrow. The one-page document, which Chief Navarre was prepared to release to The Blade, was pulled back by the order of the mayor late yesterday.
Considered a public record by lawyers for the city, Mr. Finkbeiner refused to release the report until tomorrow.
The officers were notified verbally of the plan Monday and those being shifted to patrol duty already were being scheduled for training. Chief Navarre added that those officers whose shifts will be changing will have their new schedules posted tomorrow, as is required by contract.
Considering we don’t know who had any input into developing this plan, we don’t know if anyone from the community had any involvement in it. All we do know is school resource officers will be cut, with questions raised on those issues never answered as to the contract with TPS and what would happen to the funding that TPS paid Toledo for the officers. I’m also not sure as to the suggestion John Foley has made from TPS to hire laid off police officers, it would impact their unemployment benefits as well as possibly impacting their other benefits and there are some questions as far as legality that I have if they are not currently on the force that haven’t been addressed. Would they be able to be in uniform and carry a weapon if they were laid off, is just one question I’ve wondered and have had others ask me as to procedurally.
Let’s hope that tomorrow some of the answers are provided…
Updated! From the Toledo Free Press, the plan has been released.
OMG! Was that the blade slamming carty? Next thing you know they will slam the stain! Will wonders never cease?
April 23rd, 2009 at 7:37 pmNo the stain will not be slammed. He has been the blade boy and will continue to be. JRB has stain in his pocket, as always in my opinion.
Anyone remember John East, who was peeking out of Jessie Helm’s shirt pocket? Way back when?
April 23rd, 2009 at 8:05 pmBoy, oh boy…you two are amazing.
So much for sticking to content and what is relavent to a topic…absolutely in no way was Jon Stainbrook mentioned in the above article.
Just a wicked, snotty, catty little slam on your parts…and for what purpose exactly?? We ALL know by this time that you are less than thrilled with the chairman…for evermore, give it a rest and contribute substance.
Sheeeesh.
Cordially,
April 23rd, 2009 at 8:52 pmmindy
Mindy makes a valid point, while I understand the shock value from the Blade editorial, this post isn’t about Jon.
April 23rd, 2009 at 9:12 pmOuch, I thought I was complimenting the stain by comparing him to someone that was in Jessie’s shirt pocket. Helms was a great man.
April 23rd, 2009 at 9:13 pmOk back on topic. carty should lay off enough folks to balance the budget. Case closed. Screw the unions.
April 23rd, 2009 at 9:19 pmIf you had a chance to check out the update and read the plan, I’d be interested in your thoughts.
April 23rd, 2009 at 10:02 pmHere are some of my thoughts on the plan. No offense intended, just some things that came to mind at this early hour.
The Plan
“Under the plan, the department’s SWAT unit will lose six patrol officers and two sergeants through layoff and three officers will be reassigned – leaving one lieutenant, two sergeants, and 10 police officers.”
How in the h-ll can a city the size of Toledo justify a 25 member SWAT team. It is about time they mad some cuts there.
“Investigative services will lose a sergeant to layoff and 21 detec-tives and two sergeants will be reassigned to street duty. Remaining will be a captain, two lieutenants, seven sergeants, and 25 detectives.”
25 of 59 lost from Investigative Services. Fifty-nine investigators!!! How was that every justified in the first place???
“The community services unit will be reduced from 12 to 3.”
Nine people out of 12 cut from this unit? I don’t know what they do but it could not have been much, else they wouldn’t have cut so many.
Why has carty been wasting SO much money for SO long??? I say, let the recall begin!
April 24th, 2009 at 6:48 amMindy wrote:
Pure entertainment! And look, it got you all worked up so my evil plan is working!
April 24th, 2009 at 8:19 amLisa Renee – Before you say bad girl, I was just responding to Mindys question.
So the Fink is flagrantly violating a law. Like that’s new for him… knowing many current and retired TPD, I’m also aware of times when Carty went directly to the Chief to demand something be done HIS way; even in violation of the ORC.
Even Chief Felker didn’t have the backbone to stand up to Carty, (not that that’s a surprise) but there certainly were a few officers with enough knowledge to CYA and get orders in writing.
Funny how people don’t want to have things like that documented…
April 24th, 2009 at 8:25 amThe blade is not complaining about the layoffs. Their complaint is that they were not given the information they requested as a public information request.
I hope the citizens of Toledo think long and hard before this election. They have voted for the blade supported candidates for decades. Obviously from the way their business is being run into the ground they are equally bad at running a community and business! The blade pushed for this strong mayor form of government. Much easier to control one mayor than 12 councilmen plus a city manager.
My recommendation for those of you in Toledo would be – if the blade likes a candidate vote for the other guy/gal!
April 24th, 2009 at 8:31 amhenri wrote:
Really makes you miss former Chief Jack Smith! The only one I knew of that had a pair. He also had a brain and got the heck out.
Lets also give kudos to the Toledo Free Press for scooping the blade!
April 24th, 2009 at 8:38 amMeghan – well said!!!!!!!!!
April 24th, 2009 at 12:45 pmDon’t think that criminals are missing what’s going on. Along Glendale from Detroit to Byrne there are two different gang tags – showing the ongoing discussion about who’s going to ‘own’ this area. I’ve lived in the neighborhood since 2003 and not seen gang tagging.
Alot of people already will know this, but for those who don’t – each gang has it’s own ‘tag’ or design. They mark the areas that belong to them with their tag to let other gangs know who owns what territory.
When you see two different gang tags in the same area that means a dialogue has opened up and there’s a dispute about who’s going to run that territory.
The gangs are already divvying the area up.
April 24th, 2009 at 1:49 pmWe’ve had graffiti that appeared to be gang related as a problem over here for a while now in my part of South Toledo, most of it has thankfully been related more to kids “claiming” to belong to a gang as opposed to actual gangs.
There are at least two or three groups of kids over here that put on a nice pretense, but I wonder what they’d do if they were faced with real hardcore gang members. I don’t doubt that there are those who are looking forward to a lessened police presence, and even some of these wannabee’s could progress into deeper crime than spray paint, it’s time for people who don’t have block watches to consider forming one and those that have one? To get involved….
April 24th, 2009 at 2:03 pmBuy a hand gun before king obama bans them. Or else you will be totally helpless.
April 24th, 2009 at 2:09 pmThat dialogue is going on in the neighborhood here, not again. I just came in from such a discussion with another neighbor.
Not too many other options when City leadership is making the decisions they are. And per usual Carty thinks if he can get people to keep quiet about the problems – it’s the same as solving them.
The block watch idea is worthy of pursuing – I went to the Toledo Police site to see when/where there are meetings and there aren’t any listed. Maybe the TPD isn’t doing the block watch anymore? If it was a budget item that was cut that would explain it and we’ll have to organize ourselves or hire some outside help as a group.
http://www.toledopolice.com/blockwatch.html
(also of interest – I googled private police force and found this: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/01/AR2007010100665.html .. from ‘07. North Carolina and it mentions Florida giving private police forces authority within the state.)
April 24th, 2009 at 2:26 pmKate, the Blockwatch page has not been updated for some time, even before the cuts were discussed. A few notify me when they are meeting and I post about it, but I totally agree there should be an online location that is updated letting people know if they have an active blockwatch and if so? Where and when are they meeting.
April 24th, 2009 at 2:50 pmI agree with you about Marti Felker, henri. That fraud had a spine weaker than a stream of water. You should have seen how shitty he treated his family too.
I remember him inviting me and his kid to lunch one day and that’s when he flipped his jacket aside and hipped out his revolver, wanting me to marry his daughter. lol couldn’t talk to me as a man and threatened me with his piece.
how’s your weather, henri? reminds me of New Year’s Day, all warm and begging you to splash in the ocean…remember when it was just too damn cold to go out there up there back then?
April 25th, 2009 at 6:06 am