Open Letter

Tucker Citizenry
c/o Tucker, Ga

Subject: Do Not Do It---Just Don't

Recent reports in credible media indicate there is a move afoot in Tucker to start "their own Police Department." We at The Other Dunwoody cannot advise you strongly enough to reject that. There are quite a few examples why you should.

Look to Sandy Springs. The SSPD has been operating in what may well be violation of Open Records laws, and at least are working diligently to minimize transparency. This is problematic on many levels. It should be obvious that police who operate behind the veil of secrecy are, by definition, secret police. Is that what you want? Is there any way you can guarantee, perhaps by loss of office or job, that elected officials and bureaucrats cannot create such secrecy? Is it worth the risk? A secondary issue is that they, the police, their bosses, the elected officials, want to operate in the dark. Ask yourself why. Come up with three reasons why that is good for your community. 

Then look to Dunwoody. They have a Lenco Bearcat, an armored personnel carrier. But why? It isn't like we can get police to patrol our neighborhoods and streets. Well, the answer is simple: it was granted by the feds. You may already be suffering from outsiders wiping out local control by paying city hall to do the outsiders' bidding. Adding a PD is yet another attack surface. 

There is the issue of competence, evidenced in Dunwoody by an early fatal shooting of a driver by a police officer. If you've been paying attention to Minneapolis you've heard the observations that a fatal shooting of a driver there was thru the driver's side window---with the implication that the officer should not have fired as personal danger had passed and the fatal shot changed the vehicle from a "guided missile" to an un-guided missile, increasing danger to the public. That exact scenario played out in Dunwoody's early days, and had the driver not been White, Ferguson would have been a footnote to Dunwoody. And then there's the "dick pics." Are these the kind of antics you want? If not, what will be put in place to prevent them? When they do happen, what will be the consequences? How can you be certain? 

Do not fall into the trap, the sales pitch, that "all things DeKalb are bad, and anything we do will certainly be better." Why? Because it is simply not true. You can do worse, and if your sister cities are any indication, you absolutely will do worse. 

You cannot fix stupid, as we in Dunwoody well know, but you can stop it. Say NO!

With highest regards,

Thaddeus Osborne Dabell (TOD)

Mall Cops

There was a recent incident at Perimeter Mall that made the Blue Bag Rag's Police Blotter involving two masked yoots carrying sometimes concealed, sometimes not so much, pistols. The mall's cops were first to spot them, and you gotta wonder if they don't really stand out wearing masks as these masks were not described as the pandemic variety. The mall cops escalated to DPD who came and confronted the yoots. 

This is where it gets hinky. Upon approach, one yoot revealed his pistol and placed his hand on the grip. Now, before George Floyd that probably would have reduced the yoot count from two to one, requiring a Weapon Discharge Report, but not in this case. In this case, the yoots were detained and juvenile detention was contacted and the police were informed that this situation did not rise to the level of detaining these yoots. Instead these yoots were charged, including gun charges, and delivered unto their grandmother and mother, respectively. No mention of a male biological contributor being involved.

So. You gotta wonder. Just what would these yoots have to do in order to warrant being detained? Keep in mind the firearms were possessed illegally as these yoots were not old enough to have them in their possession. Maybe if they'd actually discharged a firearm? Or, would they have to hit someone? Not enough? Well, what if they killed someone?

All we know for certain is these yoots were set free and only a fool would believe they have not already re-armed. 

Whatever It Takes...

...to get cops to actually show up in this neck of the 'Woody.

One Way To Stop Illegal Trucks

 

Do You Suppose...

...an occasional police presence might keep things like this from happening?

Nah. The juice just ain't worth the squeeze.

Timing Is Everything

With the coronation of a new DeKalb School Superintendent, Dunwoody's Top Cop finally got his long lusted for authorization for speed enforcement cameras in school zones. To be clear, and Top Cop has been, if not for these cameras there will be no traffic enforcement in school zones. Never has been. Never will be. Actions speak louder than words.

And then the law stepped in. Or it is about to. 

It appears that Dunwoody's FOMO (on $$$) is well founded, regardless of the pre-authorization protests that it isn't about money (it is) and it is all about children's safety (it isn't). How do we know? Because these speed enforcement cameras are in operation in other jurisdictions and it is most certainly about the money. Again, actions really do speak louder than words. In these jurisdictions it has become all too clear that for-profit companies have been abusing the opportunity to fleece the flock and the flock is pissed as they feel they've only authorized real cops to do the shearing. Under the gold dome, Representatives and Senators have heard from constituents and are actually listening. They are working on HB 348 which would apply some serious limits on the financial operation of these camera systems, and HB 1126 which rolls back the 2018 law thereby prohibiting the use of these cameras. 

Has the window of opportunity closed or can Dunwoody pull off a quick money-grab? The smart money is betting on greed.

Letters To The Editor

At the request of a reader the Blue Bag Rag has restored letters to the editor to page three where they had been under previous management. As was pointed out this provides a platform for citizen discussion and adds to the value of the weekly. 

The very next edition sported letters in the new-old location including a letter from a resident pondering the lack of police directing traffic during signal outages cause by recent storms. Other jurisdictions do just that.  What this resident doesn't realize is that Dunwoody does not do much of anything to enforce quality of life ordinances or traffic laws. Nothing. Sign ordinances? Nope, with one interchange with a resident trying to get the city to "enforce on complaint" revealing that city bureaucrats think it is the resident's responsibility to document and prove the violation. Traffic laws are no better. Everyone, especially those using our neighborhoods as to-and-from speedways know there will NEVER be speed enforcement. Trucks barreling thru no-truck-zones? Well, if actions speak louder than words, then city bureaucrats are screaming at the top of their lungs that trucks blasting past our schools are A-OK. Our top cop has even sent out an email to a [now former] resident indicating the juice isn't worth the squeeze. And yet we spend money on cameras.

The best part about the re-emergence of letters to the editor in this particular issue is that the BBR also reported on Dunwoody's top cop being selected as Police Chief of the Year. That year must have REALLY sucked. Unless the number of lawsuits against the city naming the Police Chief is somehow meritorious. Or perhaps it is the hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars he has cost the city in legal cock-ups. Or could it be his innovation in doctoring police reports to show city hall is a real house of ill repute? Perhaps it is the failed attempt at creating a PD porno ring.

Call A Cop

Reports are indicating a shortage of badge-wielders in the North Atlanta suburbs (it doesn't matter what they say to get their hands on grant money, Dunwoody is a suburb) and Dunwoody is in direct competition with some, well, shall we say, better managed  cities. The irony of The Smart City being out-smarted is lost on few and surprises no one.

Explanations and excuses abound but as is governments' wont it becomes just another excuse to raise taxes. As you're probably aware Dunwoody has never seen a year without a tax increase and has recently rubbed salt with a millage increase justified by, you guessed it, police un-de-funding. While some funds are directed towards salary increases (for the entire army of bureaucrats) they did not do the right thing: dedicate all revenue garnered by this millage increase towards PD spending. Even if they did they would simply claw back any, perhaps all, of the revenue currently supporting public safety. 

Earlier this year Billy-Bob Grogan trotted on-trend accusations against the de-fund the police movement and there is some merit to that. But he's also revealed what is likely the primary reason: they are leaving for other jobs, other careers. And why wouldn't they? Billy-Bob, with the unwavering support of his boss, has created a toxic work environment, a captive porno den that would make Larry Flynt jealous. The kind of work environment that spawns award-winning whistle-blowers. 

Honestly, the problem is not difficult unless you make it unnecessarily so with lack of honesty. The city should have asked and answered, directly, completely and truthfully, a very simple question: what problem are you trying to solve? If the problem is under achievement of the primary commitment made when the city was formed, public safety, then more money may be in order. Determine exactly what that number is and figure where to get that money. The next step is to calculate, in the current budget, how many mils are dedicated to public safety. That number is the baseline and any further millage increase would be added to that to bring public safety spending to the level necessary to meet the original commitment. Obviously an enhancement would be to cut the enormous fat from the bloated bureaucracy, freeing funds for rank and file members of the police force because they really should be paid a living wage.

Defunct The Police

In a recent letter to the editor the writer pushed back against the movement to force schools to install traffic enforcement cameras in school zones. His point, well made, was that turning this function over to private profiteers would result in a company putting profits over safety. This touches on the point that it is always about the money.

And that is a touchy point that should be touched a little harder. It begs the question: what exactly are we paying for this city to do? Specifically when it comes to the police farce it certainly is not to provide enforcement, particularly enforcement to ensure the safety of our roads and neighborhoods. When they refuse to protect our children in school zones then we need to consider alternatives. Maybe instead of privateer's cameras we should give traffic enforcement authority to our school systems' SROs. Let them keep our streets safe and let them keep the public safety enforcement revenue in public hands.

Drive Like Hell...

...you'll get there faster.

You've seen those signs. You know, the ones begging you to slow down before you run down one of the neighborhood kids. Or even furkids.

But you're going to drive like hell anyway, aren't you? Why? Because if anyone put up a sign saying "Drive Like Cops Are Watching" you'd check the calendar to see if it is April First. After all, this is Dunwoody and our cops don't do traffic. 

Daddy Dearest

Dad's mad.

You see Dad bought each of his kids a car. Not really his idea but he was at the Friday Fish Fry and heard all the other Dads talking about the cars they bought for their kids. When, make, model, options...you know, regular "man-measure" kind of talk. So Dad starts to thinking...if you can call herd mentality "mentality" then Dad was thinking. He was thinking he better be fixing to get ready to get his kids some cars.

And so he did.

Then something unexpected happened. Kids took to driving. Every chance they got. Seemed like if they didn't have to be at home they were gettin' in them cars and gettin' the hell out in a Dodge. Probably because Dad was paying for the car, the insurance and the gas. Why not? Road Trip!

Unintended consequences. See, Dad wanted the kids hangin' 'round town not toolin' 'round north Georgia with their buds. 'Murican Iron but not Chevys and Levees. What's a Dad, especially a Mad Dad to do?

Well, being the kind of parent that Rosemond says has destroyed America, Dad figured he'd just pay them to stay home. So that's what he's gonna do.

The real problem, in case you were wondering where this was going, is with the City and Petty Paternalism. Not the kind where they want to keep your goats outta their right of way, make you cut your grass, make sure your roofer installs drip edge or prevent you from working at home. This is turned inward. As hard as it is to believe this is directed towards the police, arguably the most responsible folks on the payroll and certainly the only folks held in high enough esteem to be packing in City Hall. When there is political hay to be made Cops Is Tops but when it comes to deciding how to live their own lives they are just like the rest of us.

Cops shouldn't take this personally as it is basically as thoughtless as the Fish Fry Decision. Other cities give their cops "take home" cars and if Dunwoody is anything it is unoriginal so our Cops get cars too. They also get pretty much the same craptastic pay because, well, that is what all the other cities pay. It has come to the Sauron-like attention of our Powers-That-Are this level of pay might keep your take home car out of a Dunwoody Driveway unless you marry well or are on a call. Persistent paternalism precludes them entertaining the possibility of a cop wanting to not live in Dunwoody. It's not like any of the Cops out there are Ryan Seacrest.

But there is a simpler way than playing the Parenting Game. Here's a thought: let's pay Cops a living wage. Yeah, yeah. That's not what everyone else does and well, we're part of the herd. But we don't have to be and it really isn't that difficult to break free.

Take the cars for instance. What does it cost to own and operate one of those beasts? Before you add all the do-dads that make a nice ride a Cop Car. Cipher on that and come up with an annualized cost, gross it up and add that to their top line pay. Let them pick their own car. If they want to get an off-lease Camry because they're saving for a college education then that is their choice. After all if we can trust them to make responsible split-second decisions where firearms are involved we can probably trust them to pick a ride.

Then there is the calamity of where City Hall wants them to live. First requirement: City Hall needs to get off its collective high horse and let our employees decide where they want to live. If you think the factors influencing a car buying decision are tricky try juggling school choice, two jobs and increasingly "what do we do with the parental units?" Not to worry. Someone down at City Hall knows just what you need. NOT! Like the cars, housing is a cost/comparative study. How expensive is DaVille? Compared to? Pick some comps, here and abroad. Make an assessment, gross it up and make the adjustment. No one is saying that a Cop's pay gets you a million dollar infill McMansion but there are some Four-Four-and-a-Door Dunwoody Classics needing a little TLC that are well within reach.

The bottom line is this: pay Cops a living wage and let them live their lives. 

Lying In Your Own Bed

The rhetoric emanating from police chiefs near and far is heating up of late and comes across as something of a knee-jerk reaction to the Black Lives Matter campaign. It is a classic case of "pound the table" because your argument is so full of holes you cannot "pound the case." And if people were not actually dying out there the back and forth would almost seem like a school yard argument. "Cops are out there shooting people!" "Oh, yeah, well cops are getting shot too!" Tragic. Cops are in the line of danger and they do get killed. But the inconvenient truth is the number of cops killed on the job has declined, precipitously of late, whilst the other side is seemingly unbounded.  Facts have a way of deflating rhetoric.

We are also hearing from these top cops how "good officers are leaving the profession." Initially this comes as a thinly veiled threat. "You think it is bad now, if you don't shut up it is only going to get worse." But underpinning this statement is the fact that police chiefs know they have good cops and by implication are knowingly retaining not-so-good cops else they'd just have a smaller force.

At the same time we seem to have a never ending stream of folks shot by cops in circumstances that simply cannot pass the reasonable man test. Even in the wild west shooting someone in the back was pretty much a slam dunk hanging offense. Until video surfaced that was not so much the case in North Charleston. Nowadays when it is a service weapon that is fired the blue wall comes up and it is a clean kill. Some will even brag about their marksmanship after killing a woman they've pinned down in a car as if they were some dentist taking a wild beast. Sadly some seem more outraged at the latter than the former.

And we've yet to hear a coherent explanation of officer shootings of drivers. How does it make sense to draw your weapon, drop the safety, take aim and fire at and kill an oncoming driver only to have to jump out of the path of what is now a completely uncontrolled vehicle? Wouldn't it make more sense to cut to the chase and get out of the SUV's path rather than subject bystanders and other occupants of the vehicle to your marksmanship? Deemed a clean kill nonetheless.

Normally the Defense Of All Things Police Contingency would trot out the "bad actor" explanation. But they can't. At least not in the Dunwoody case as we would certainly get rid of a bad actor wouldn't we? And beyond Dunwoody there have been too many incidents over too great a span of time and geography to blame this on a few bad apples or a couple of mismanaged departments. This is systemic. It is nationwide.

And it has been coming for some time.

It started when police departments became profit centers. Wielding firearms for pay is the very essence of mercenary and has no place in a civil society. Some would argue it has no place at all. They started with excessive ticketing then added fine increases and were emboldened by the lack of pushback from our elected officials, their bosses. A system of property confiscation without due process before and damn little after blew the lid off any concept of revenue caps. If it was out there it was theirs for the taking with no one to stop them. It is no wonder some officers think the badge places them above laws that bind the general public because apparently it does.

Should there ever be a slip-up, say getting caught on camera whilst planting evidence, we see police and prosecutors circling the wagons to protect their own, until irrefutable evidence surfaces that exposes the now-standard-procedure police-prosecutorial conspiracy. No matter how blatant or egregious the offense they see only a "thin blue line" separating police from increasingly uncivil civilians.

And then there's that.

Just when did we, the protected and served, become "civilians" and if we're civilians, then what are they? Make no mistake, that rhetoric drives a wedge between the public and the armed forces patrolling our streets. This is no thin blue line.

It seems like we became civilians around the time they armored up. First they started, in all their regalia and assault weapons, to SWAT at us. They continued their paramilitary expansion with tank-like armored vehicles. No doubt drones are next.

Then, police chiefs, at least in this area, decided a special kind of training was needed for their departments. The kind of training that is best found in a place like Israel which is under constant siege by governments and militants sworn to wiping them and their country from the face of the earth. Pretty much sounds like Dunwoody Village, don'tchathink? What could possibly be wrong with training a metro Atlanta suburban force how to treat the general public like they are Hezbollah? Given this, how can any police chief be so removed from reality as to think this would NOT engender public suspicion?

It would be easy to say "They made their beds. Now they have to lie in them." It would also be dismissive and deflective. We have allowed our politicians, police chiefs and their high ranking police staff to create an explosive situation just one spark away from blowing up our lives. The have hollowed out our forces with poorly trained and improperly deployed SWAT ninjas at the bottom and pumped up police potentates at the top. They have been left to their own devices, which has proven dangerous and when supervised by our current crop of elected officials they have been misguided and misdirected.

This fish has rotted at the head. It is time to remove many top ranking police officials and replace the rest. We need aggressive de-militarization. Where there are bad actors they must go. We need community integrated policing with more indians and fewer chiefs. And we need to be prepared to pay for it because the average officer out there doing the right job the right way is disgracefully under-compensated. 

Shaggin' Wood

Under the boardwalk, down by the sea, yeah
On a blanket with my baby, that's where I'll be

out of the sun
[under the boardwalk]we'll be havin' some fun
[under the boardwalk]people walkin' above
[under the boardwalk]we'll be makin' love
Under the boardwalk, boardwalk!

Looks like we got some real shag lessons goin' on down at City Hall and the Poh-Leece is planning to shag their way on over to Myrtle Beach for an annual City-paid holiday. That's right, the Police Chief wants to build into our budget a junket for select officers to attend Bike Week at Myrtle Beach each and every summer. Now of course he is trying to fly this under the radar as "providing assistance" and promises it will be reciprocal. Yeah, right. Like Myrtle Beach is going to send over help for the Arts Festival or Lemonade Days--who wouldn't want to leave the Carolina coast for that? Or maybe they'll send someone who doesn't sell his badge for cars and trips. Or maybe the psychology is based on the belief that if we GIVE them a vacation they won't feel the need to parlay trust for tickets.

And you have to wonder, is Billy's Brigade going to fire up that APC and see if it is seaworthy or are they going to convoy all those nice new Police SUV's? Or is the host city going to provide our boys with all the recreational toys they'll ever want? Part of a reciprocal agreement where we let them cut donuts in the dog park with our ATV?

If our force is as understaffed as we're told every time Billy wants to expand then maybe we should be keeping these necessary members of our Police, charged with maintaining our OUR safety, close to home instead of sending them off on a junket, no matter how nice the destination. Seems like Billy should be solving cold-case murders, improving employee screening and moderating his hypocritical justifications for budget expansion rather than shaggin' the Citizens Of Dunwoody.

And it appears our new City Manager has another data point indicating an upgrade of Police leadership is past due. 

Props

As much as it pains to set aside gadfly for gladfly it is time for credit where credit is due. And once again it is Councilman Shortal who has seen thru the Smart City's BS and spoken out against it.  This particular BS centered around the tax-hike fueled budget presented to Council wherein the grow-at-all-costs paradigm was applied to police department budgeting.

Councilman Shortal wants to know "what a lieutenant can do that a sergeant isn't doing now" to which the obvious answer is "cost this City more." Shortal's preference is that if more officers we must have then those officers be indians rather than chiefs. Furthermore he would really prefer that the budget be more focused on infrastructure (e.g., roads and sidewalks) over bloating the police force. He is spot on.

Shortal seems to have an insightful understanding of facts that should be, but apparently are not, obvious to all. Dunwoody's borders, it's geographical expanse is fixed and will not change.  Territorial expansion is not going to drive the clear need for more officers of any rank, but especially not the higher ranks. Population may increase but Dunwoody has been quite aggressive in limiting high density development. Population growth and demographic transformations will not drive police expansion either. Significant percentages of Dunwoody crime emanate from the Perimeter Center area most notably the mall--the crime rate per square foot at the Ravinia complex is significantly lower than Perimeter Mall. Even with that, the Mall itself is limited in growth opportunities that might drive crime and consequently police force expansion. Making the Mall a safer place requires presence but not an army of high ranking officers.

So Councilman Shortal is on target in suggesting that we may need more mall cops but we certainly do not need more desk jockeys.

While Shortal is spot on and should take a well-earned bow, he does pull up short. Clearly we need to end the interim positions. We need to hire a police chief that is aligned with the Dunwoody reality. One who understands this city will grow in quality, but the footprint is fixed and the demands relatively stable. That Dunwoody is not a place to grow your budget and head counts by double-digit percentages year over year. We also need to make progress on hiring a capable, experienced City Manager who will oversee operations including the police force. Dunwoody voters and taxpayers deserve no less.

Having A Blast?

How ironic is it that the most recent victim in what appears to be American Society's favorite drama, Cops Gone Wild, is pronounced "Boo Boo"? Some apologists would like to dismiss this as a little fuquey uppey. You know--shit happens. Others point to a trend often citing the Kathryn Johnston disaster that resulted in the temporary disbanding of the special force whose members murdered her. Sadly that group has been recently re-formed. Or they look to the strikingly similar case of Trinishia Dukes who was also bombed with a flash-bang grenade and whose lawyer has made it clear this is out of control: "It has just become 'If SWAT goes out we're using flash bangs.' They think it is a toy." It is also epidemic with Clayton SWAT grenading citizens at a rate of over one per week. For over three years.

All this leaves many of us asking:

Others are beginning to ask why but as is so often the case this can be explained by money. Drug busts lead to property confiscation with due process denied in practice and afforded only as a legal theory. Increasingly police agencies are funding not only their peccadilloes but their core operational budgets from this revenue source. Attacking the public is now for fun AND profit.

They have also co-opted confidential informants who have been falsely identifying innocents and worse yet running entrapment schemes in order to avoid threats of punishment should they not meet quotas handed out by their police handlers. Using what would normally be seen as blackmail police handlers are using these informants to violate Constitutional Rights entrapping otherwise law abiding citizens while maintaining the one degree of separation they feel indemnifies them.

In militarizing the force the police (with our negligent approval) have done what is necessary in all military conflicts: dehumanize the enemy. And in this case the public is enemy number one. They speak in vague characterizations--the Bad Guys--terms that can be applied at their discretion to anyone they see. Those that buy into this view, who bandy about the chimerical threat of these mysterious Bad Guys to assist in expanding the military nature and capabilities of what should be a civilian law enforcement operation are the real Bad Guys. The public are the Good Guys and increasing the police are, well...

Some say these are isolated incidents that are being blown out of proportion by those with anti-government proclivities. The Cato Institute begs to differ and offers an online map to help elucidate the extent of these abuses of power. This is a serious and growing problem and measures must be taken:

• Issuing no-knock warrants must be taken more seriously as it is a clear violation of Constitutional Rights. We must stop issuing these warrants to any agency below the state level--no more city or county LEO's playing warrior. Judges issuing these warrants should be at no less than the state level as well. There should also be a minimum 48 hour period between issuance and execution--if the cops are afraid the suspect will flee then that is an excellent time to apprehend--w/o a no-knock warrant. 
• A minimum of two law enforcement agencies must be involved in executing these warrants with at least one being at the state level or above. When cops misbehave (as they apparently have in bombing beds and bassinets with their flash-bangs) there needs to be someone at the scene of what has become another crime to preserve the integrity of the evidence. Yes, this will always be problematic.
• Body and vehicle cameras must be a mandatory prerequisite for mission-go and must be operational and active before vehicles roll and cannot be disabled in the field. Un-redacted video is proactively supplied during discovery and is available to the public under FOIA requests within 48 hours. 
• The use of confidential informants must be curtailed. While it has become quite the commercial ecosystem with all the for-profit operations providing training and seminars those are exactly the kinds of operations that indicate this practice has become excessive and long detached from its original usefulness. Severe penalties, greater than what the cops can hold over informants, need to be applied to cases of entrapment and equal responsibility and punishment must be afforded any handler whose informant is successfully prosecuted. Informant and handler must hang together.
• We must stop paying law enforcement to behave badly by ending property confiscation as it exists today. All confiscated assets must go to the State and not local agencies. This money must be dedicated, in order, to: a) victim compensation; and b) programs to deter or rehabilitate offenders. Any left over assets (there should be little or none) must go to the general operating fund. Furthermore any seized assets must be held in escrow (IE: impounded) until the owner of that asset has been convicted of any charges brought against them. As a part of their sentencing, the presiding judge will determine what assets can be seized, which must be returned in whole or in part to others with claims on those assets and determine the allocation of seized assets according to the guidelines above. 

This will not be well received in some quarters but let's apply the logic so often used when government wants us to freely give up our Constitutional Rights: if they're not doing anything wrong what are they afraid of? Where cooler heads prevail there will be an understanding that these efforts will do as much to protect police officers as it does anyone else. Unnecessary use of paramilitary tactics (keep in mind the Habersham suspect was captured later at a different location without the need for Seal Team Six) puts officers as much at risk as it does the public.

If we as a society do not take direct, firm action we run the risk of benignly supporting the political creation of an oppressive police state.

What Does Jesus Drive?

With the demise of Pontiac what is a brother to drive? Well Chrysler stepped up with the answers. First it was the luxe 300 sedan--and it didn't hurt when they reached into urban hippity hop royalty for star endorsements. Now we're looking at the Challenger which plays a starring role alongside LL Cool J in NCIS-LA.

So it didn't take very long for even our over-militarized police forces to observe that a significant proportion of these cars are driven by African Americans. On the one hand this is simple testimony to effective marketing and advertising. On the other hand this correlation is now being used to profile drivers for issuance of DWB citations.

Even here in DeKalb.

Turns out DCPD have been using this technique and also ripping a page right out of Dunwoody's play book: calling in the dogs.  Citizens of Chrysler are being stopped and then detained and held until a local indicate on cue dog is brought in to ensure the vehicle is searched regardless of what the Fourth Amendment says. Local TV investigative reporters have yet to divulge how the Police guarantee contraband is found but they have made quite the stir with the Chrysler Crisis. Nor have they investigated how low local Police have lowered the bar of "probable cause" but apparently it is synonymous with "refusal of search."

We know this is happening and is a growth market but what happens when our African American brothers are tapped out? Perhaps it will be time to turn our Police attention to our brown skinned neighbors from South of the Border.

So we find ourselves asking:

"What Does Jesus Drive?"

In short, how do we profile these drivers? Turns out this is easier than we thought.

Just read the name. Even your average 'roid ragin' patrolman can connect these dots. Under the circumstances and with our history of tolerance it should come as no surprise that Dunwoody sees the opportunity to be a leader in aggressive Law Enforcement against this demographic conveniently located along our periphery.

But it isn't just about Law Enforcement. It's about community outreach. Consequently our PD has gone into the community to ask for their assistance to ensure that even officers who have difficulty with hispanic surnames and Mexican place-names can meet their quotas. The community has gladly stepped up.

This community participation promises to propel Dunwoody ahead of all our local and even national competitors in the race to enforce our laws based on race, creed and culture.

But what's next?

Contrary to popular opinion here in the Wold there is not an inexhaustible supply of blacks and hispanics. Perhaps we need to consider what is surely the next question:

"What does Moses drive?"

We Were All Wrong*

Many folk in the Wood of Dun believed the reason behind the airstrip being installed in Brook Run was an incestuous circle of greed based on grants, gratuities and patronage. They are soooo wrong. Well, not soooo wrong, but wrong.

There were a few folk down to the farmhouse who suspected it was designed for a two-lane golf cart roadway so we can be "just like Peachtree City" but without the contemporary architecture. This was supported by the recent trend of fining golf cart drivers who step out of line and this reasoning aligns well with the Preemptive Alarm System Fines and expands the Toll Troll territory.

Wrong again. Turns out this patch of pavement in paradise is for Dunwoody's brand spanking new tank. Gotta have a track for the boys newest toy.

And we can expect our resident jarhead to do his very best Dukakis imitation, tooling through the park conjuring images of 'Nam after Agent Orange had done its evil business. Doesn't that G-4 sound just like a Skyhawk? And that Huey only looks like a traffic copter.

Ah, the smell of Napalm in the morning.







* Double entendre intended.

Phi Slamma Jamma

No, this is not about tonight's decisive game of the final four, now the final two, this is about the trifecta pulled off by Dunwoody's Police Chief.

As predicted on this blog the Chief got his pre-emptive fines[1] on businesses and the bill designed to make him look spectacular will become law. He has already received public accolades for his part in lobbying on behalf of that legislation.

But tonight is the real party where ribbon and bow get tied around the package--the selection of a FARA approved for-profit company to "administer" the fines generated by the alarm ordinance.

Now there are cynics out there who claim this is nothing but a FARA promoted operation to expand their scope and grow profit opportunities for member companies and jurisdictions. This is hard to verify because FARA is something of a secret society. You cannot access their membership list without first becoming a member, paying the dues and learning the secret handshake. While it is very likely that FARA scripts talking points and does their fair share of lobbying at all levels, this should not take away from the Chief's accomplishment. A good script underpins every award winning performance, but many actors play the role without collecting the gold. This cannot be said of our Chief.

So hat's off to the Dunwoody Chief of Police. Well played Grogey. Well played indeed.







[1] Call it what you will (refer to Lincoln's observation about the tail of the dog) but the City provides no meaningful and certainly no requested "service" for the alarm registration "fee". You might call it a tax but that would exempt the City from its presumption that folks with alarm systems are going to commit fine-able offenses.

Up In Arms

Not since pre-war Germany have we witnessed such a significant amassing of weapons to be turned inward as we see in America today. With the recent acquisitions of a police robot and an armored vehicle Dunwoody has shown itself a willing participant in this anti-American arms race.

And this isn't just about the insidious influence of grants or that purchase price is far from total cost of ownership. It really isn't about the money. It's about a City that thinks so little of their citizens that they willingly build a paramilitary force to use against them. And make no mistake, this isn't about the boogey man--those mysterious "bad guys" warned of on the lawn signs applauding the creation of the Dunwoody PD--despite the fact this is exactly how it is justified.

Compounding the error caused by lack of need is the flagrant lack of competence displayed in the all but forgotten double homicide, the negligence in the home fire that cost a life, the bungling of the Sneiderman murder investigation and a policy that deems a traffic violation a capital offense. These are people, with the assistance of the SWAT team they so adore, who failed to cover the rear exit when attempting to apprehend a suspect, a suspect who not only escaped but hasn't been seen since. Whether the failure is of leadership or boots on the ground these bunglers have no business with access to paramilitary fire power.

For the citizens of Dunwoody this is a call to arms, to a battle to be fought not with bullets but with ballots. Not a single person who voted for this should be returned to office and those who replace them should come with a commitment to turn out those at City Hall who have pursued this travesty.

Props To The Cops

At the recent City Council meeting Dunwoody's Top Cop advanced his pitch for alarm system registration and fines for what they determine are "false alarms". Not that the cops would deliberately incorrectly classify a call merely to generate revenue if simply because, as you're about to understand, they won't need to.

The back story is pretty mundane and follows the typical "City Goes Money Grubbing" plot line. The necessary crisis is built around the notion that an enormous and skyrocketing number of home alarm system calls are false alarms. Of course this is draped in the politically bullet-proof shield of "Public Safety" which as a tool for parting the public from their money is second only to "Educating Our Children". The equally mundane second cornerstone is the bratty little school child's excuse of "everyone else did it" which in bureaucratic City-Speak is known as "Best Practices".

In spite of some "Best Practices" where every alarm site pays a registration fee, this Smart City has heard from the voters loud and clear on the Bonds referendum and have determined that these preemptive fines can only be applied to businesses. As smart as they are they actually understand that businesses cannot vote anyone from office and if they vote at all it is only with campaign contributions or their feet. This strategy has already proven to mitigate public backlash by all but eliminating public attention.

The only point of inquiry from our elected Lords and Ladies is around the crank call policy the Top Cop intends to follow. Apparently after a specified number of "false alarms" you'll be branded as "the boy who cried wolf" after which our little shepherds will let the wolves have their day. Of course there is a path to redemption and that path is paved with gold. Your gold. All you have to do is pay some fines, you don't have to fix your alarm and you're back in the flock. If this looks like those credit card companies that want you to carry a balance so they can rake in usurious interest payments, then you have a pretty good grasp of the situation. Apparently this "we won't be taking your calls any more" approach offended the few remaining humanist members of Council so it became a point of inquiry.

And this is where it went from a rather plodding, almost doltish re-enactment of  "fleecing the flock" to something that was revealed to be nothing short of brilliant. During these inquiries it was revealed that the State Legislature is passing a bill, and it will pass, requiring "double verification" before alarm monitoring companies contact the police. At Council the Chief of Police acknowledged this would have a "tremendous impact on false alarms" and when questioned about any negative impact on this new revenue stream he indicated the impact would be "moderate".

In a nutshell, the City is poised to create a new revenue stream justified by a situation that will soon be all but eliminated by State legislation so that all this new money can be diverted to whatever the City wants. This is how a "fee", like an alarm registration fee, becomes just another tax.

As clever as that is, it isn't the brilliant part. That is based on incredibly skillful timing on part of the Police Chief. It goes like this. We have a problem with false alarms, the fix is registration [fees ] and fines and we need to implement this now. Shortly the problem will go away due to no action on our part but if we get this done just before the state law takes effect and false alarms plummet then the Police Chief can take credit "how well his program worked."

Now that's brilliant.

It's The Robot Boys

It was an early Christmas present for our beloved boys in blue but for the rest of Dunwoody it was a flaming bag of stink dropped off on our collective front porch. 

The Dunwoody Police are getting a robot.

Did the department request a robot? Do they even need a robot? Did they make the case for this robot to Council? Did Council approve and provide budgetary support for a robot? Is there anyone who can be held accountable to the public who had anything to do with initiating and executing this acquisition?

Hell no. 

So why are we getting a robot? This cannot really be a Christmas present. Can it?

Well the answer is quite simple but only after you understand what drives decisions in this Smart City of Conservative Critical Thinkers. There was a grant. Yes sir, turns out GEMA, didn't quite run out of money in their federal money laundering scheme so they were throwing it out like candy at parade. Of course it wasn't just money. You have to spend it the way they tell you because that's how grants work. Another thing grants do is get you to buy something you don't need and then you have to pay to maintain it. Sort of like how a "free puppy" ain't really free. See, someone is going to have to maintain this mechanical device and we're very likely to see officers taken out of service for "robot training". 

Maybe after they're trained they'll be half as good with robots as these Danes.