Balloons and Aspirations

The Criminal Justice System is not perfect.  I've covered that fact in earlier blogs.  While in conversation the other day with a co-worker, we were discussing the changes that individual police officers experience during their careers.  Other that going pre-maturely gray and bald, and we go through other changes.  My co-worker made the following analogy:

John Q, its like this.  When we graduate from the police academy, they give us this large, inflated balloon.  When we hit the streets, we are carrying this balloon around, being very careful not to let it get punctured.  We were told not to let it deflate; so we protect it from danger.  We do our very best to keep it blown up.  Slowly, as we go from call to call, and months turn into years, the balloon begins to deflate.  After a couple of years, we are carrying around a half-inflated balloon, that is a little wrinkled, but still has some air in it.  After a few more years, the balloon is sagging and although there are no holes in it, most of the air has escaped.  And by the time we get to 10 or 12 years, we are carrying around a completely deflated balloon.  Its stretched out and wrinkly and won't hold air, but we still carry it around, because we think we have to.  


So, I thought about it.  Am I carrying around an inert, deflated balloon that once represented everything right with the system, but now is a sorry reminder of what is wrong with it?  Perhaps its true.  Maybe I can even remember the first time my balloon lost some air.  Should I try to blow the balloon back up, or would I be wasting my time?

Moreover, when I see a new officer protecting his still robust balloon, should I save him the time and aggravation, and just stick a pin in the balloon, speeding up the process?

Police Lay-Offs Considered

Tuesday night, at the East Fallowfield Township meeting, township supervisors will be considering laying off police officers.  We've heard it a million times, "In these tough economic times..."  It looks like the East Fallowfield politicians will be using "these tough economic times" as an excuse to cut the size of the police force.  Does it make sense that when the economy is bad, we decrease the size of police departments?  I don't think so. 

Obviously, I am biased.  I am a police officer, and I wouldn't want my job to be cut either.  But moreover, I am a citizen.  I would not want the cops that protect my neighborhood to be stretched any thinner than they already are.  I can think of a dozen places local governments could cut-back before cutting police officers.  I wonder how much money the East Fallowfield Township manager makes?  I wonder what type of benefits, health insurance, take home vehicle, retirement plan, etc, he gets.  If he (or she) gets any of the above, I suggest he give them back before the township cuts its police force.

story at DailyLocal.com


 

The Blog is Back

Thanks to any patient readers out there.  The last month has been crazy, and the blog has suffered.  I apologize.  Rest assured, if an of you are still checking...I'm back.

Some humor to lighten the mood

Very funny clip, click here.  Cops can laugh too

Another Campus Shooting

A student-gunman opened fire with an AK-47 rifle this morning at The University of Texas.  Fortunately, before he was able to injure anyone, 19 year old Colton Tooley shot and killed himself.   It is the same Campus that suffered the first infamous campus shooting in 1966.  In 1966 another crazy U of T student shot and killed a dozen people from the campus clock tower.  Needless to say, I'd bet that the U of Texas Campus has been one of the most prepared campuses across the country.  Perhaps, lessons learned from the horrific incident in 1966 were applied today and helped to save lives.

This story is particularly interesting since there is a college campus within my jurisdiction.  Moreover, off the top of my head, I can name 25 college campuses within a 30 minute drive. 

As Phillies Head to Postseason...

With the Phightin Phills  seemingly headed to the postseason, are we in for more mischief and misbehavior from our exuberant residents?  How could any citizen of West Chester forget the mess that occurred in the during/after 2008's Call Classis?  Click here for a reminder, or here for a video reminder.

It almost made me, one of the world's biggest Phillies fans, wish they didn't do well this year. 

By the way, in keeping with my disappointment in the criminal justice system, all of the people that were arrested and charged with Riot and related offenses after the celebratory melee in 2008 were allowed into ARD, the court's diversionary program, and were able to escape any actual jail time and will be allowed to have their criminal records expunged. 

Baseball Stadium Coming to West Chester?

I'm not sure how I feel about it, but there is a chance that the former Wyeth Pharmaceutical cite in the southeast section of West Chester Borough will become a new home to a Phillies minor league affiliate. Story here at the DailyLocal.

I wonder how neighbors would feel being walking distance from a 5 or 6 thousand seat stadium. I also wonder who would REALLY end up paying for the stadium. Who would pay for the added polo e service it would require? State grants (Aka tax-payer dollars) might pay for start up, but what's the long term impact?

If the stadium does become a reality, I hope the Phillies are still competitive when it's built.