NBC Bay Area reports that outgoing San Jose Police Chief Chris Moore blasted the mayor and city council by saying that interactions with the mayor and council were like "talking to a brick wall." Read excerpts from the story below; click the linked text to read full article.
Moore, who was named acting chief in October 2010 and took over as permanent chief several months later, said he was surprised by his interactions with the mayor and City Council during his tenure, saying it felt like he was "talking to a brick wall."
"What surprised me, honestly, in the last couple years, was I knew that the budget situation was going to be bad -- and I knew that, and I signed up for that ... What surprised me was the absolutist nature of City Hall and the mayor in his effort to drive down the retirement cost."
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Moore has struggled to lead the department as droves of officers leave -- he said he has a thick stack of about 75 resignation letters on his desk, and that he hopes that whoever takes his place will "push hard to bring compensation up."
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Not only is the department understaffed, with many people working overtime, but salaries are no longer competitive, Moore said. Furthermore, Moore said, the number of crimes that are being left unsolved -- such as residential burglaries, since the burglary unit was recently dismantled -- are costing residents money.
Right now, we don't have enough officers to provide basic beat patrol services ... you can't sustain it over a long period of time," he said.
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The Police Department has said it costs more than $170,000 to recruit, hire and train each new officer. He also said that having more inexperienced officers on the streets could be a liability for the department. With new recruits, Moore said, "mistakes tend to get made."
Comments
Brick Wall
As a Taxpayer, I was not happy with Chief Moore's refusal to enforce the Safe Streets act to take cars away from the unlicensened and uninsured. This pandering to a small part of our city while putting many more at risk.
As for Chief Moore decisions on manpower; He had two choices
comply or join the ranks of the unemployed. Tough choice when you have lived for "Being King".
The "Brick Wall" is doing what all politicians do. They never take responsibility for their failure to do their jobs which is manage the citizens money. The continually spend more than is prudent for things not in the city charter.
When financial times get tough the politicians blame the government employee for their mismanagement,attack public safety and education agencies then cry the sky is falling.
We,the voters, fall pray to the misinformation and give the politician more money and villify the people who work for us.
We, the voters, have failed in our jobs. We keep reelecting the same politicians expecting them to do something right.
We,the voters, are the fools in this sad game.
SJPD Officers...Keep the faith.. Be Safe and Hunt Well...
You work for the taxpayers who count on your services each day.
Keep us in your mind with every action you take!
Mr Taxpayer
Thank you Chief Moore and SJPD
Your service to the City has been honorable but difficult.
We in the community are feeling the reduction of services by seeing more homes burglarized and cars vandalized. We watch the division created in the city with sadness and anger and wonder when it will end. Please continue to keep us up to date so that we can work with you - its in all our best interests.
Reed has destroyed saftey in San Jose
I sincerely hope the courts shove it up Mayor Reed's back end~ The city is no longer safe and it will take a judge to make it safe again... Reed is a liar and the good thing here he is done after his term, no one will want him after this fiasco is over... Hang in there police and fire, the writing is on the wall...
Chief Moore
Comments are two years too late. A leader needs to fight for and be the voice of his troops. This is much like a captain of a sinking ship who is already in a life raft but offering ideas on how to save it.
I am sad for our beloved
I am sad for our beloved SJPD. Chief McNamara was the last strong chief the department had. He insisted on running the department his way without council interference. He stood up to the council and mayor and embarrassed them publicly to get the department the compensation and training it deserved. The result was a department the rest of the country envied and sought to copy. I always believed the city took steps to never hire a strong willed determined leader such as McNamara again once he left. They hated the fact they couldn't control how things were done within the department.
Mayor and City council
I did not even have to read the article to share it. The mayor from the beginning has not wanted to listen to anyone. And all that is coming out about the council, OMG San Jose open up your eyes.is this what you really want to happen. Mayor Reed needs to be kicked out of office and someone needs to come in that knows what they are doing, because apparently the Mayor does not have a clue.
WIsh you would have spoke out sooner.
If only you would have spoke out sooner. People listen to you. The Media is listening... But why not sooner?
Sooner Will?
Spoke out sooner? Come on we all know Chris was eatting it up, we all saw him roll over time and time again. Many spoke poorly of Davis, but at lease he said NO to the Mayor and his foolish underlings, funny to hear how many of you wish you had Davis back!
Good job Chief. You finally
Good job Chief. You finally broke your silence and are telling it like it is. Everything that has happened to the San Jose Police Department in the last 2 years has been predictable. I have lived in this city since 1969 and am seriously thinking of moving, even if it is just to a neighboring city. The citizens of San Jose have been sucked in by Reed's lies and the price to be paid is high. Why would the Police Union even bother negotiating with these Yahoos. Let's hope the next Mayor can fix the mess Reed has created. We have lost and are losing the " Best of the Best " from our Police Department and it will take decades to turn things around.
Too Little, Too Late
It sure seems like it is easier for the chief to speak up now that he is retiring. For me, this is too little, too late. We lost 10% pay and still gave pink slips to officers. We pay more for retiement than any other agency in the state. We are bleeding officers to this day. That "free" lifetime medical we pay for over are career is being stolen from us by a council vote, not arbitration. Moore was never vocal enough as chief to show his support for his Department or how that support affects the community. San Jose Police need a Chief who will stand up to the dictatorship of Reed. Reed calls the Police "union thugs". These so called union thugs are the thin blue line in this city that keeps the community safe despite Reed's policies. Don't let the new Chief be a puppet of Deb Figone either. Deb has wanted to run the Police Department since becoming manager. Moore was her best choice because he allowed it. Now Moore is gone and I pray that my brothers and sisters in blue get a boss who loves and cares for them not another political puppet.
Look up the definition of
Look up the definition of absolutist. Perfect use of the word in this context.