Monday, November 30, 2009

RPD brass loves their pretty, shiny medals

While reading today's Richardson Police Department wins accreditation through state program article I was struck by two thoughts, neither of them pleasant:
  1. Accreditation programs are, in my experience, either money mills or power plays to control a particular market segment. Or both. You can see the annual fees associated with this particular accreditation program here. $1200/yr isn't a lot of money in the grand scheme, but I'd rather see the money go to improving the LEOs' break room or something instead of funding feathers in leadership's cap.
  2. It is much, much easier to purchase a wall plaque that says you run your department well than to actually run your department well.
[edit -- note to DMN: please do not conflate "state program" with "statewide program"]

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I must say that the police run their "ticketing duties" well. On my way to church on Sunday, driving north on Central, there were seven,7,(siente,for the Fiesta people) cruisers pulling speeders over. Good thing crimes weren't being committed in other parts of the city.

frater jason said...

The northbound lane on 75 gets lasered from the (Galytn?) overpass each Sunday AM as far as I can tell. They radio down to the interceptors parked on the side of the hwy and profits are made^H^H^H^H I mean the public is protected.

I think the magic number is something like 80mph, as I've not heard them pull folks over there for less than that.

Anonymous said...

Oh yea! Our public serpents spend our money to fund official-sounding groups made up of paid hyperbole experts and a board of directors made up of the donors who get the awards. Nice! All the while, the sheeple think life is grand as the streets crumble under their tires.

Anonymous said...

These sweethearts were parking along the side of Central, and picking up cars driving well under 8o MPH. It was almost embarrassing to watch. This all occured within a 2 mile stretch. Perhaps if they can get enough fines, the RPD can help with the city's budget.

Anonymous said...

Good grief, you folks are sour, bitter and distrusting. I'm glad I live in a more pleasant world.

Anonymous said...

Anon @ 12:36

And where pray tell, might that be? If in Richardson, what would you submit is your annual cost of blind ambivalence?

frater jason said...

BTW, I saw an email from the writer of the DMN article.

She indicated the headline was written by someone else but that her article did incorrectly use the term "state program" when describing the accreditation conferred by the Texas Police Chiefs Association.