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Paso Robles police safe mode scrapped

June 14, 2012

Acting Chief Robert Burton

By DANIEL BLACKBURN

A controversial limited response program initiated by the Paso Robles Police Department called “safe mode” has been discontinued.

“The ‘safety and service response level policy’ is no longer in effect,” acting Chief Robert Burton told CalCoastNews in an email this week.

Former Chief Lisa Solomon-Chitty and City Manager James App enacted a police department service reduction plan in January 2011 mandating that officers not respond to a long list of crimes during times the department is short-staffed. The policy was not announced to the public by officials, but was reported by CalCoastNews in February of this year.

Paso Robles had been operating under a reduced police presence for the past year, with stringent new policies requiring that officers not respond to reports of drug activity, driving under the influence, and incidents of vehicular hit and run, whenever the department was operating in “safety mode.”

During safety mode, only two patrol officers were available to take calls. Dispatchers would not send an officer to 18 different types of crimes, including battery that is not in progress, theft reports when a suspect is not in custody, drug activity, family disturbances, and DUI calls.

Despite the change in policy, department personnel numbers have not changed appreciably during the past 18 months.

According to police sources, one new hire — a police officer trainee — quit abruptly, reportedly after complaining about department policies and procedures.

“One of our police officer trainees did resign his position with the city,” Burton said. “The trainee did not indicate it was due to a perception of the department.”

Over the past three years under Solomon-Chitty, the department thinned considerably from an approved 46 sworn officers in 2007, to 28 officers today.

The department’s current personnel roster includes Capt. Burton, acting chief; two lieutenants; five sergeants; two detectives; 16 patrol officers; one patrol officer trainee; and six part-time reserve officers. Burton said city management has now approved a total of 32 sworn officers, and the department is actively seeking the new hires.

Addressing a variety of programs the department has recently abandoned, Burton said a full-time narcotics and gang officer is on his wish list, and will be assigned “as soon as adequate personnel” are in place.


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What, specifically, has changed to justify doing away with the ‘so-called’ safe modfe. I would like to get a very specific answer from our city. If this policy was implemented due to lack of personnel, the only thing I have seen is that the hiring of additional officers has been approved, BUT are they in place? NO! Therefore, it should be concluded that this policy was implemented and now scrapped for political reasons only. Despite some comments to the contrary, Jim App does dictate the actions of our Police Department. A blind person in a dark room can see this. It is most likely that he is trying to curry favor with CPRN or quite down the citizens a little, even trying to sweep the whole Solomon-Chitty fiasco further under the carpet – and to soon announce that a new chief of police has been found – Name : Robert Burton. I will make a decent wager that that is the most likely scenario that will happen – soon (before the election). Well, with no derespect for Mr. Burton – this city deserves BETTER.


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“the only thing I have seen is that the hiring of additional officers has been approved, BUT are they in place? NO!”


And what makes you so sure about this? There are three new Police Officers working the streets and there are one or two in traiing that will be off and on the streets in the next month or two. So that will be five new Officers. To my understanding there are also a few in background, so they will be in training soon, and then on the streets too. So as far as your resounding “NO!”, you are wrong. Maybe the new Officers brought them up to a level where they could stop the safety mode? Gee that makes too much sense….must be something else.


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So, may I inquire, what makes you so sure of your ‘facts’?? My sources tend to support my statement. I do agree with your acceptance that it “must be something else”. Right on, it is something else. If you had read my entire comment, you would have discovered what this is!

Mr Robert Burton will be selected as Paso Robles’ next Police Chief. Why? Because of the same reason Solomon-Chitty was promoted to chief a few years ago. Do I need to draw you a picture?


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Yes, draw a picture. I would like to see that. What makes me so sure of which facts? The staffing one. The same as CCN, “police sources”. I would place a bet that Burton will not be selected Chief. When Solomon was appointed, there was not even a search. There is now. I wouls think/hope that the City would consider “new blood” with new ideas etc. I guess this portion remains to be seen.


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Congrats! You must be part of the city’s inner circle; you obviously have more faith that many others in what this City will consider. And why didn’t they have a search when Solomon was appointed – after all, this City has been using this outside search firm for over 10 years to find the absolute best candidates for open positions (according to Mr. App). Probably wanted to save the city a few dollars, right?


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We at “police sources”, are proud to be of service to the Paso Robles community through the media. Paso_citizen you are correct Dogpound is part of the city’s inner circle. More specifically the PRPD Administration circle. With regards to the search for chief when Solomon was appointed, we at police sources can confirm there was no search.


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Hahaha that’s funny!


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We are tired of Jim App and his administrative and police employees using work time to garner support for themselves by blogging and blocking complaints on KPRL. When the discussion was opened on one radio program, Jim App called in and monopolized the entire program before even one person had a chance to respond. This is an arrogant misuse of power, Mr. App.


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Mr. App will not find favor with CPRN as long as I am the Chair. We will continue to question boldly and bring to light important issues that must be addressed to bring change to Paso Robles.


As an update:


There are still drug related activities ongoing in my parking lot, just not as frequent. We continue to utilize our surveillance cameras and are gathering useful evidence. The police do not patrol during the hours my office is open for business. My staff continue to lock the doors when we are gone and I personally walk my clients to the front door to make certain they return to their vehicles without incident.


Not much seems to have changed with the hiring of additional officers. But we can hope.


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Clarification: the police do not patrol my parking lot during the hours my office is open for business.


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I would assume that would me M-F 8 to 5ish?


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Dogpound, my concerns are for the SAFETY of my staff. I REQUIRE my city police to come to my aid when my staff’s safety is in ANY WAY jeopardized and I call them to assist. That would be whenever we are working in the office, even weekends, if that were the case. The fact remains, drug related activity calls are still low priority. Assume what you wish.


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Hahah that is funny too!


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Why do you continue to slander PRPD with these non-truths? Let’s be honest here. When was the last time you called PRPD because of a drug deal going down? The way you characterize the outside of your office is of a lawless island in the city. Walk your clients to their vehicles? Drug related activity? Why don’t you call? If you do not call are you not part of the problem? Are not the citizens the eyes and ears of the police since they can not be everywhere at once? Do not you take sme responsibility in alerting the police in order to make the area safer for your clients and yourself? How is shutting yourself in and “collecting evidence” helping anything but your own agenda?


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It is not the fault of the citizen when the police department ignored multiple calls for assistance, and, after months of being publicly humiliated, they still can’t get it together to patrol an area where those who do business experience security issues.


How many PRPD officers were at the wine festival?


How many PRPD officers have patrolled areas, such as the one Danika has posted about, where citizens have reported multiple complaints, over time, about security issues?


The priorities of Paso Robles government, including Solomon and apparently Solomon2 (Burton) stink.


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I like how you come to Danika’s rescue. So because Danika claims there are still no police patrols in that alley that is gospil? I asked her if she has called recently after observing “drug deals” in the alley and she did not repspond. Isn’t it safe to assume that if she has to walk her clients to their cars that this would mean the area is really bad and there are low lifes there all the time? If that were the case, why doesn’t the PRPD get complaints from nearby neighbors? Other businesses near her? Do they complain too? When WAS the last drug deal and when WAS the last time you saw a patrol car? And when WAS the last time you called and PRPD did not show? Simple questions.


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I like how Danika simply avoids answering a simple question (see above post). Why won’t you talk about what is going on in the alley? Simple questions. You won’t answer simply because I am the person asking? I am sure other people would like to know too. Come on, answer the questions. I want to know if the alley is still bad and if PRPD does not patrol it regularly.


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Burton is a bottom feeder who was scraped from the bottom of the talent barrel. There are witnesses who can testify how Burton the Bastard has threatened witnesses who have witnessed the commission of violent crimes by Burton’s buddies.


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Safe mode is what you use when you have a virus……


Burton is a good man. You have to admit he has guts to take over after the mess that Solomon left. The department will gain it’s balance once some time has passed.


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Burton likely ran the department under Solomon who was at official functions and doing other things….


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The fact that Burton was hand-picked by app and the city council makes me question the unsupported statement “Burton is a good man.”


If “Burton is a good man” why didn’t he stand up to Solomon and tell her to stop sexually assaulting her subordinates?


Why hasn’t he taken a public stand for the police officers?


I see “Solomon 2”–someone who remained quiet while solomon, app and the city council ran the PRPD into the ground.


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I don’t know him well, but ten years ago when I was thinking of working for the Department Burton seemed like a good officer that could talk to people effectively. He was a just a patrol officer back them but seemed like a good guy.


Sometimes when you work at a small agency, you have to put up with stuff you don’t agree with and if you and your family depend on the income you cannot just walk off the job.


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1. “Ten years ago”? When “Burton seemed like a good officer who could talk to people effectively”? THAT is the basis of your opinion on the fitness of Burton for being police chief?


Really. Don’t you think we need to aim a little higher than that?


As I am sure you are aware, it takes a lot more than seeming to be like a good officer and seeming to be able to talk to people effectively to be an effective police chief who can heal the wrongs in the PRPD.


To tell you the truth, I don’t think anyone who is currently working at PRPD is suitable to be police chief simply because they have been able to work “effectively” with lisa solomon–something that would take being able to “effectively” abandon the very morals, ethics and care for the community that are necessary for the new police chief to fix what is wrong with PRPD.


It is the same reason that james app, iris p. yang, and the current city council members are unfit to participate in the selection process for the new police chief.


Their lack of morals and ethics is actually far, far worse than those of the current current PRPD officers because app, yang and the city council actually supported, enabled and facilitated lisa solomon’s reign of sexual assaults, harassment and illegal policies. HeII, they PAID her (so far) $330,000 extra for doing it!


2. I well understand the demands on those who work for a small agency, especially if your family’s financial well being depends on it.


However, I don’t think the people of Paso Robles should have to settle for anything less than an ethical and moral police force because a person with the kind of power a police officer has, if that officer doesn’t have ethics and morals, paves the road to police-state tyranny. Just because the PRPD is small does not mean the citizens are at any less risk for a Rodney-King incident if their officers do not have the basic humanity required to stand up for what is right, even if it is not financially or professionally advantageous for them to do so.


Believe me, I have a lot of compassion for those who depend on their government jobs. However, just because an officer cannot make a living in another way besides enabling and supporting a lisa-solomon-esque regime, does not mean the citizens of Paso Robles have to accept the kind of behavior that was tolerated, enabled and supported by the city of PR and the majority of its police officers.


When the current PRPD officers’ fellow officers were being sexually assaulted and harassed by their police cheif, lisa solomon, the majority of the police officers FAILED THEM.


If the majority of the PRPD officers would FAIL to protect their fellow officers, what hope do the citizens of Paso Robles have for the majority of the existing police officers to stand up for the citizens?


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But how many cops around the country are using the same excuse for putting up with the lawbreaking in their departments?


There must be TENS OF THOUSANDS of them who are looking the other way and maintaining the code of silence.


Remember the Nuremberg Trials? What was the “Nazi Defense”?


“I was only following orders.”


Did it keep them from getting hanged?


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How much are you willing to ignore at your job before you leave and have no chance of being re-hired for months or even at all? Many things might not be illegal, but you may believe them to be unethical.


Police jobs take some serious time to get. All the backgounds, interviews, tests, and funding needs to be in place for a municipality to hire. You can’t just stomp out the door and throw some accusation out….you would NOT be hired anywhere else. Guess what! Any future agency’s first call is going to be the Chief and agency that you just criticized to see what type of employee you are!


Sounds great to say “well I would have done something!” but in reality unless you happen to be independently wealthy it is not a serious option unless there is real criminal activity that can be documented by you.


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“real criminal activity” is what I am talking about, not petty bickering in the department. The latter goes on everywhere; we can disregard that.


Look around on the net at the crimes police are committing. Can the public condone the continuing silence of their partners?


No way. Police officers and the general public both have to start challenging these law breakers and stop them, or they will be emboldened and morph into storm troopers of the type none of us want to run into.


Police officers are SWORN to uphold the law, not break it. They MUST be held accountable. They have too much power NOT to be held accountable.


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Anyone picked by App is going to be a bottom-feeding dirtbag who hides government corruption.


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Just because they say ‘safe mode’ has been discontinued doesn’t mean it’s SAFE in Paso!


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Maybe they will now have time time to drive thru a certain donut shop parking lot on Spring St. Maybe the scrapping of the ‘smile and wave” policy will lead to less crime. Let us us know Karen…


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I have a feeling CPRN was behind this.

Excellent work, y’all!


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CPRN2012 is working very hard to bring change to Paso. We are very happy to see the end of the “safe mode” policy. It made our streets very unsafe.


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CPRN2012 had absolutely nothing to do with this. Nothing. And, please let everyone know what is happening at a “certain donut shop” parking lot. There were supposedly drug deals galore going on daily. What has been happening lately?


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Dogp…your opinion is shared only by you.


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My last POST was deleted, so I will tone this one down. It is not opinion it is fact that CPRN2012 had NOTHING to do with the Safe Mode getting dumped. It is also fact that the police trainee did not quit because of department policies. Did CCN try and speak with him? Speak with the person in charge of training? Easy to fall back on unnamed “police sources”. Sorry, but there is zero credibility to an unnamed source.


But how is the alley?


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Dogpound, You might explain to Mr. App that if he was half as interested in doing his job, as he is in trying to sidetrack public complaints with “plants” at the Tribune and here, that the Paso residents might get their money’s worth from the city. He seems to be more interested in listening to KPRL and then calling in to tell people they’re wrong, and putting city employees to work commenting on the online websites than anything else. What say you, Dogpound?


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I say that it is unfortunate that many on this site are so blinded by their own opinion that they fail to see the entire picture. People are so riled up about safety mode even though they really have zero concept of what it is (was) or how it was implemented. I have a huge problem with people here taking what is written by CCN as gospil when it is far from the truth too often. I also laugh at the conspiracy theorists that “putting city employees to work commenting on the online websites” is even on the agenda. Laughable. I am sure public complaints are welcome, as long as there is foundation to them.


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Explain what isn’t the truth. It’s one thing to make that accusation–another to back it up.


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“According to police sources, one new hire — a police officer trainee — quit abruptly, reportedly after complaining about department policies and procedures.”

That is absolutely not true and CNN continues to hide behind “police sources”. Did they speak to the trainee? Speak to the person in charge of training?

Safety mode also did NOT “reqire Officers not to respond” as the article states. Misrepresentation to be sure.


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This is in reply to Dogpound’s comment of 06/19/2012, 10:02 am.


=================


Dogpound:


1. You are WRONG in your statement: “Safety mode also did NOT ‘reqire Officers not to respond’ as the article states.”


A copy of the document is at: http://tinyurl.com/8yvpjz8


Page 2:


“When Patrol staffing falls to 2 Officers and a Sergeant / AWC, the supervisor will implement the ‘Safety’ level response plan. During ‘Safety’ level response periods, offices will only respond to Priority 1 and 2 calls (see attached priority call listing) for service. Further, cold report and nuisance calls with no ‘conflict’ potential will be handled by a Community Services Specialist (Yarnall / Patenaude). If there is no CSS on duty, citizens will be directed to file reports / complaints online. Reports made online will be assigned for follow-up when potential suspect leads exist.”


2. What are your sources for the info on the officer trainee quitting PRPD?


3. You and App share a similar agenda. That is not a compliment to you.


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#3 I have no agenda.

#1 You constantly rely on the “Memo” that is posted on that site. Big deal. That was more political than functional. A ay of telling City Counsel more cops are needed. The way it was implemented and evolved over time. Call prioritization plane and simple.

#2 My sources are “police sources” just like CCN! But real ones that are realiable.


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Dogpound:


The memo posted at scribn is from the PRPD, under Solomon’s signature, and details what safe mode is. You say it doesn’t mean anything. That is an absolutely absurd statement.


It was issued by the chief of police at that time, lisa solomon. It states a specific policy.


Consider yourself ignored in the future.


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Go ahead ignore me, bug deal. That is what people do when they do not want to see another side. Close your eyes MM, nothing new. A piece of paper does not dictate how something is enacted. Often times when a “policy” comes out, it is adjusted, tweaked, modified to fit the real world. There are few policies that are so rigid that they cannot be tweaked to make it more useable. How many Amendments to the US Constitution?? Tweaks as new things arose. Your document means little unless you KNOW how it was used on a day to day basis. And guess what, you don’t know that.


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Jim App didn’t like the complaints about “safe mode”. His decision to end it very likely was influenced by citizen protest and CPRN.


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Wrong again Citizen. App does not interven on Department policy, and is not qualified to do so. The “citizen protest” and CPRN were not a factor at all. Zero. None. Nada. Mainly because peole did not understand what they were angry about. Safety mode NEVER meant that police would not respond. Never meant that they would go back to the station and wait. Nevermeant that they would not go to DUI’s, drug deals, etc. I have explained it before and will not do so again unless I really have to. My explaination back then did not matter as you see what you want to see.


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I’ve read published emails from App to Solomon where App suggests policy for the police department. The one I remember is where he tells Lisa to get the church people together to protest the massage parlors.


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Getting Church people together to protest massagte parlors is not ”

suggesting policy” That was probably an attempt at humor. Can you really see a Police Dept doing that? Really? Come one. Email is often glib and one cannot gauge emotion/humor/anger in most email. They are words on a screen and cannot convey emotion. That is why email is often misinterpreted. He may make suggestions on how to solve a City issue, but citizens do the same on a daily basis.


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So, the opinion of someone who works for App should be more credible than the writings from App himself? You know what App really meant and you haven’t read the emails?


Maybe you can explain his “ebonics” comment and his “lovely lisa meter maid” handle for the former police chief.


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The “meter maid” comment is odd to be sure. But it is also an email between two people that thought the email was somewhat private. I am sure 99% of people who use email at work never consider that the emails may be subject to disclosure. Paso does now and I would hope that they have toned stuff down and realize that there is a potential for public disclosure. What I said was that anyone can suggest policy for the police. You need to look at what he said in a context that is logical. Can you really see a Police Chief bolstering a church to go and protest at massage parlors? The Police have better tactics than that. Undercover stings, informants, etc. It is a bit ridiculous that people put so much passion into their own interpretation of emails when they can be wrong. I can be wrong too but I am ok with that. I don’t care. Just the idea that this “suggestion” was to effect policy is absurd.


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There would not have been any change if there were not people standing up to app and the losers on the city council.


Those doing the standing-up were Danika (both before and after CPRN2012 was formed), CPRN2012 and CalCoast News.


You cannot rewrite history. There would have been no change, and lisa solomon would still be sexually assaulting her subordinates if it was not for those who stood up for what was right.


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What a joke! This only came up because someone questioned assigning an officer to the drug task force at the last city council meeting and the chief spoke about the fact they are off safe mode. Well Mr. App, this is the lack of transparency people have been talking about. Once this “off safe mode” happened, don’t you think that just for a second that the public would want to know instead of dragging it out of your people at city council? Typical move of you and your staff.


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There is no more transparency now with the PRPD than there was before Solomon was drop-kicked from her position.


Why? Because the same city-management and city-government mindset and priorities remain in place. Therefore, the interim police chief chosen is not much better than Solomon.


Reflect on this situation while contemplating what kind of police chief the current city council and city manager would select as a permanent replacement for Solomon as police chief.


The people of Paso Robles have already abundantly demonstrated their lack of faith in the judgment and priorities of the current city council and city manager.


Unless they are reelected, some of the city council members’ current terms in office end after the next election. If the city council gains a majority of members who are willing to work for the best interests of the people–and not the best interests of their cronies–we will see the last days of Jim App as city manager after the election.


They should immediately stop the candidate search. The process should be put on hold until after the election.


There is no use cobbling the new city council with a Solomon-clone police chief selected and approved by the same folks who brought us Solomon as police chief. We’ve seen how expensive it is to get rid of a poorly chosen chief of police.


Rushing forward by the current city council and city manager to find a replacement for Solomon, with the election so close, is insanity…and I think it is about time that some sanity was allowed to return to Paso Robles.


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A member of CPRN2012 requested that postponing the hiring of a new police chief be placed on the City Council agenda for public input and a council vote. As yet there has been no response. Once again the council flies in the opposite direction of the general public.


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I don’t think anyone expected the city council would do anything they were asked to do, unless it fit in their own crony-serving agenda.


However, the more op-eds are published, and the more demands are made at the City Council meetings, the more pressure it places on the city council.


When dealing with corruption in government, no one expects a polite request to bend to the will of the people will be successful. The folks at CPRN2012 have been dealing with this taking many different approaches, some of them involving a lot of behind-the-scenes research.


Change will occur.


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Nice to see that the Department can implement better police coverage with essentially the same resources available to the prior Chief.


Doesn’t this cast even more doubt on the credibility of statements made by the former Chief and City Manager?


Isn’t this a small but welcome breath of fresh-air?


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Right now all we have by the way of information about the safe mode ending is from the city-manager/city-council hand-picked “temporary” replacement for lisa solomon. In fact, the only source of information about Burton being “temporary” comes from the city manager and the city council.


It will take time to see what the impact of having Burton in charge and the safe mode supposedly ending, but, frankly, I have zero confidence in anybody, including Burton, who is hand-picked by PR’s city council and city manager.


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Capt. Burton’s wish list includes a gang/narcotics officer for Paso PD but apparently there’s no money in the city budget for that.

Chittygate’s cost us a quarter of a million…so far. How many cops could we have hired for that amount?

Here’s a suggestion, Capt. Burton. Change the name of the position to “Law Enforcement Tourism and Wine Industry Liason” and you just may get council approval.


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You could hire two officers for $250K – for one year. After that, they’d be cut loose for lack of general fund monies to back fill and keep the positions open.


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Or how about hiring only one part-time officer? One officer working 20 hrs/wk is better than zero.


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Where does one find a quality and qualified officer who wants a 20 hour position?


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Good point, Jack. But in today’s economy–with California’s unemployment hovering at 10%–I’d like to think there are some qualified applicants who’d take 20 hours over nothing.


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As we’ve seen with the PRPD, you get what you pay for.


The absolute worst corruption in police departments has been in places like New Orleans where the pay was ridiculously low and the on-the-job danger frighteningly high. As many as 70% of the police force has worked paid security detail hours after their shifts to add to their income. This increased the opportunity for corruption and actually ended up in turf wars between police officers for work with prize businesses.


I believe it is morally wrong to take advantage of poor economic conditions when considering hiring anybody–but especially police officers. IMO, they should be paid fairly for the job, and should be treated fairly by their superiors. We cannot expect our police officers to be any more moral or ethical than their superiors because the superiors are the ones who both set the example and set policies which the subordinates have to follow.


Mostly, however, we cannot have our police officers on the job, worrying about their baby getting sick and–because they are part-time or hired with substandard benefits–having no funds to get the baby treated by quality medical care.


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How about the positive budget? The city says they have a surplus of funds this year. Where might there priority be. Remember, taste no wine before it’s time.


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It is easy to detect the past months of comments and by this one by pasoparent5 and the support of the statement that a gang of folks are down on “tourism and the wine industry”… What pray tell do we think can happen here to get this town out of the deep red and getting deeper and redder hole that this city is in. Each city MUST have a source of income, Silicon Valley has cash flow from technology, some have farming, factories, rich people wanting to live there, large tax base, agriculture, farming of some type. Most all cites do everything they can to create tourism. Winslow, Arizona, built a museum just from the line in a Jackson Brown song “I was standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona…”, Telluride has a Film Festival and a bluegrass festival… Let’s now throw the baby out with the bath water while we are cutting off our nose in spite of our face… Of these many comments that hate the wine industry and tourist…WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST can keep the town from sinking further down the toilet?


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SCN-, I have a response. Since 2008, the hotels raised the TOT Tax from 10% to 12% in Paso Robles. The raise is called a “Bid Levy”. This 2% generates 500K to 600K each year for hotels to promote Tourism in Paso Robles. The extra 2% can only be used to by hotels to “Promote Tourism” Paso Robles Taxpayers already spend 190K to promote Paso Robles through donations to Main Street, Wine Alliance, Chamber, and Pacific Horse Cutting Association.


Raising Tot Tax is an avenue for for cities to collect additional monies for city infastructure that visitors use when visiting the cities, such as road maintenence. The City of Paso Robles had not raised TOT Tax for the past 12 years until the Bid Levy by hotels in 2008. This city was RIPE for a TOT increase.


This city had a PERFECT opportunity to put on the ballot a measure to raise a TOT by 2% for the residents of Paso Robles to vote on. Raising TOT taxes on visitors cost taxpayers nothing. We had the opportunity to collect 500K-600K to fix our roads and the city let the hotels hijack our money in the name of tourism.

I want this information to be known to the public. I want to the “Bid Levy” 2% taken away from the hotels and put on the ballot a measure that would give this money back to Paso Robles for street repair. I am comitted to getting this money back for street repairs. If petitions and protests are a viable way to do this, then so be it. The visitors are not the priority in this city, residents are or at least they should be. We have 80 million dollars worth of street repairs to doand we need this money (Additional 2%) in the general fund to do it. Once the city roads are up to standards, city can promote Tourism all they want.


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I would like to see the figures that indicate that, when all the costs of tourism (including shared costs for PR’s infrastructure maintenance, repair and upgrading–as well as the costs for the festivals and $$$megabucks the city council hands out to the vintners’ association and downtown business), are tallied, that there is:


1. Actually a profit made from tourism.

2. An actual benefit to Paso Robles citizens for the inconvenience of dealing with the increased traffic, etc. from tourism, AND being locked out the city park the citizens paid for events like wine festivals.


There is an assumption that PR and its citizens profit from tourism. I’d like to see that proven.


I think there is, more likely, a very small handful of the city’s elites who profit from these taxpayer-funded tourism come-ons and events….but I’m more than willing to change my opinion if solid data and analysis can prove me wrong.


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SCN, who is this “gang of folks” you speak of?


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Thank you. What an absurd claim…”gang of folks.”


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What do we suggest?


STOP THE POLICE STATE TACTICS!!!!


California Cops Use Flashlights, Tasers, and Chokehold to Kill Schizophrenic Man


http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_20869767/family-accuses-el-monte-police-officers-brutality-mans


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Why isn’t this post deleted as it has NOTHING to do with this topic? Mine was deleted when I was slightly critical of CCN. Nice biase CCN….


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You mean to say that PR has never practiced police state tactics?


That beating in the example could have occurred ANYWHERE. That’s the point.


Or is PR police department some kind of exception to the rule?


From what I have seen, PR police department and city government are in deep trouble, and the root of this trouble is found in the arrogance coming from the police state.


So there.


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QUOTING ARTICLE:


“According to police sources, one new hire — a police officer trainee — quit abruptly, reportedly after complaining about department policies and procedures.


The officer trainee who resigned must have heard that little, tiny, intuitive voice inside of him, screaming RUN, FORREST, RUN!!!


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Yup MaryMalone, a smart and ethical person would jump ship very soon after boarding a ship of fools…Just cause the table dancing meter-maid is gone does not mean there is a business like environment or sane environment to work in, especially when your job is entrusted to saving people from harm and crime… Meanwhile back at the ranch…


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Yep. The meter maid’s off enjoying her hush money settlement but until Puppetmaster App is also gone, it’s basically business as usual…


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