It’s like Police Academy but starring Dirty Harry
This is the sort of sophomoric, thin blue line bullshit that fosters distrust of authority within the general public. When it comes from the Chief of Police of the second largest city in New England, as opposed to the Sheriff in a small mid-west county, you’re pretty much screwed.
This may be difficult to comprehend if you never wore the uniform and pinned on the badge, but given the choice between the viability of a business and public safety, I will first and foremost address police officer safety.
Post by: Brendan | July 31, 2008 | Filed Under Uncategorized
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42 Responses to “It’s like Police Academy but starring Dirty Harry”
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Snarky comments from a guy who’s never worn the uniform, pinned on the badge or whaled on a minority with a billy club.
I’m kidding, Buck whales on minorities all the time.
I also go whaling with minorities and always play the police officer in my Village People tribute band.
When dealing with any government, one should never trust that government authority. The moment you do democracy is at risk to corruption.
This whole thing stems relative to the records issue the T&G has with the city releaseing police files. There is no excuse for the shirking of accountability, holding back or making it tough to access government information. It is government, not some private enterprise. There should be absolutely no government activity that should be kept from the eyes of the public. That includes contract negotiations, executive orders, committee meetings, public records, The term “internal affairs” should not even apply to a city government. Everything should be immediately out in the open. They ( City Government)are not Kings or Presidents of Private business. The whole thing is full of Bullshit. City Hall is to serve the people not rule over them.
Well said nisa. Government exists for the convenience of the people, nothing more.
[...] Councilor Germain has been feuding with the police chief. [...]
I think Mike Germain needs to get some medical help!If paying for an extra detail is going to put you out of business, you never belonged in business in the first place and unless you are under orders by the License Commission to have a Police Detail you are not required to have one.So Mike Germain’s cry of Economic Development is Bull Sh**,it’s about Public Safety! There are to many “Bar Rooms” and “Gin Mills” in Worcester if some go out of business that’s a good thing for Worcester,I think.They cost the taxpayer so much money cleaning up the mess’s they make in the City on a daily basis, Dui’s, Domestic Battery’s, disturbing the peace,DEADLY assaults,injury to Law Enforcement Officers and law suits against the WPD for handling “DRUNKS”!So get a life Mike!Gary Gemme is the best Police Chief in New England and we have the safest City in New England because of his commitment to Public Safety and Worcester!
Spoken like a true prohibitionist, Gordon. Saying “They cost the taxpayer so much money cleaning up the mess’s they make in the City on a daily basis…” is useless unless you can provide that cost for us to parse. Come back when you have something meaningful to offer the planet.
Brendan, bar rooms and gin mills are useless, READ the T+G, watch the news, listen to the radio and you will hear how much these SCOURGES cost the city! It’s the 21st century and time to move on from the bar room and gin mill there are better ways to have a night out and a few drinks and one way is to have public safety play a bigger role, If you can’t afford it than you’re better off not being in business in Worcester! If the local option was passed on Beacon Hill this year than Worcester could put a local tax on alcoholic beverages served in the city and cover the public safety cost of BOOZE never the human cost but the public safety nonetheless I think City Councilor Phil Palmieri proposed such a tax, I think it was a pretty good idea!
This Gordon guy has got to be yankin your chain Brendan.
But if not…
Gordon I have to ask because I am honestly dying to know…
Please give me your definition of a great city to live in and then please point me to some examples.
I really want to understand where you and other people of Worcester that believe this type of thing are coming from.
Thanks.
Bar rooms and gin mills certainly don’t make cities great, Gabe.
This is a joke, right?
A great city is any city with a vibrant downtown - day and night; interesting & diverse cultural activities; business friendly policies; clean and drivable streets; low/no crime; logical traffic flows; low residential tax rates; logical government policies; non-profits that contribute financially; clean parks; councilors with brains!
In other words, Worcester has a long way to go before it becomes a place people want to move to.
Hey buddy can you spare $2,000 dollars so I can move to Worcester? Hahahahaha!
I wonder if people like Gabe have ever lived in another larger city, state, or country?
If you’ve ever lived elsewhere - I don’t mean Auburn, Millbury, or Rutland etc.., you’ll understand why people razz Worcester.
Every city has potential. It seems this city government can’t do the job of getting the economic machine going. Why? Stupidity or incompetence, or the stars aren’t aligned?
Or maybe its something in the water?
Answer the question Gordo.
Bars and “Gin Mills” don’t make a great city, but you show me a great city and I will show you “bars and gin mills.”
I dare you to find me a great American city, that is it’s own cultural node, that does not have a vibrant, alcohol enhanced nightlife.
I am waiting patiently.
Hey Will I have lived elsewhere, and I used to hate this city with a passion until I went to a bigger city, lived there enjoyed and what they had, and then came back and realized that most of the things I enjoyed in that city I could enjoy here it’s just that for some reason I do them mostly alone while everyone else sits at home and complains that there isn’t anything to do.
It’s not just any other cities. To truly appreciate Worcester you have to experience a bigger city that is mostly gritty and blue collar, things that Boston and NYC, which is where most of us get our ideas of what a city should be, aren’t.
If we as a city weren’t such cantankerous killjoys and let our hair down every once in a while we might be able to appreciate what we have here as is and improve on that instead of trying to completely turn the boat around.
I love how just simply being excited has labeled me some sort of naive cheerleader. There is still much to do here, I do know this.
“It’s not just any other cities. To truly appreciate Worcester you have to experience a bigger city that is mostly gritty and blue collar, things that Boston and NYC, which is where most of us get our ideas of what a city should be, aren’t.”
>>Gabriel;
I beg yer pardon mate..in my lifetime Boston has been very gritty..and if you want grit you can still find it in Charlestown, South Boston and Somerville where I frequent often:>) Yes..Boston and the surrounding demographics have changed dramatically…more so in Somerville where I have spent a good chunk of mi life but the city grit still remains..if you wanna get out about the town like you mention:>)
I very fondly remember Boston and the area demographics in mi lifetime to be of blue collar folks struggling together..working together in the hoods..we have very little of this in Woostah!
Folks who took pride in themselves regardless of what was happening in their lives..folks who took pride in their city and country..I see very little of this in my neighborhood Gabe!
My family owned a blue collar pub/poolhalll.bowling alley in Inman Square-Cambridge for 50 years (across from the very first Legal Seafood)….eventually became the first comedy club in the Boston area..Ding Ho’s where Lenny Clark, Jimmy Tingle, Steve Sweeney and many other area blue collar kid’s from Charlestown, Southie, Cambridge, Somerville, East Boston made a name for themselves..
A great City is a creative City that moves into the future with confidence! I think Worcester is on it’s way with Mike O’Brien at the Helm.
Gordon;
The confidence lingo only goes so far..this city has to start making a real move people wise..it has to start looking at the population cause unless we get a control of who is moving out and who is moving in we are going no where no matter how high the fan are:>)
My grandfather loved the Sox..best fan there ever was..took more book in on them than anyone in Cambridge for 30+ years..no matter how high he was on them they still sucked and never won a World Series in his lifetime ..when the team got good players, played as a team and had good management it won..same will play out for this city! I hope you are right mate:>)
Goals were and are set for downtown weather it’s the City Square project, Union Station, Hanover Theater or The College Of Pharmacy a goal has been set by the Manager and the Council for making Worcester an 18HR. City and I for one am confident that the right seeds have been planted and that this goal will be achieved. I do agree with you(^5) Paulie that the City has to make more of an effort to keep College Grads here in the City to live and start their business’!
The issue on this thread is about Mike Germain sending condesending public e-mails to Chief Gemme concerning the Chiefs extra detail policy for drinking establishments calling the policy “knee jerk”! After listening to the Chief for the last 4 years it’s clear for anyone to see that Chief Gemme is a Highly Skilled law enforcement professional running a 21st century Department and that everything he does is well thought out and the Council would do well to listen to him! Germain should apologize to the Chief and be thankful we have him.
Chicago like Paris? It’ the murder capital of the U.S. a great City has to be a safe City like Worcester!
Gordon;
I do not agree with Brendan on this one..I live in the urban core of the city - no trouble bars west of Park Ave that I am aware of..financially and quality of life wise-crappy troubled bars have been a major drain for the city as well as ME and many I am sure have left because of them. I have lost many good tenants ovah the nonsense that came with ‘college night” at Suney’s & Leitrim’s for years..no where in my property deeds did it state that I had to give up money and quality of life for bars that were unable to attract folks other than drunk college kid’s who had no respect for private property, noise levels in a residential/business hood after a reasonable time or for public property.
Watch what is happening at the new Club Universe on Park Avenue - a free for all..nothing more and no one has spoken up about it.
I support Chief Gemme..I have had an opportunity to speak with him at our local business meeting and I have seen him deal with this issue even handed…rarely did we get a saloon closed down in prior years..the city is evolving and it is moving forward in the direction of many other cities-some do not like this.
I spend alot of time in other cities..the shit that happens in our hoods with pubs is not allowed to happen in other city hoods with pubs…a vibrant 18 hour city does not mean a miserable 24 hour city for us either..
If Mike Germain had used Chief Gemme’s logic when he was working his 200k-300k a year insurance job and used 40k to hire 2 cops to follow him around Thurs.- Sat. he would probably still have his “big shot job” and wouldn’t have to vote himself a 84% raise on the Council!
Any way the biggest favor that Germain could do for economic development in Worcester is push for a single tax rate like City Councilor Rick Rushton!
yah Gordon..I have a hard time equating economic development with trouble bars being ordered to have two details also–Club Universe on Park is a real economic developer..but I also had trouble with a City Councilor asking for $99 from students too….how about getting all the folksis on the dole in this city to clean up some of the islands and historical markers so that the city would be attractive to someone other than low income housing developers and folks on the dole for what seems like a lifetime:>) But then again why would a City Councilor want to push for something like this when we can continually go after those who non-stop give to society:>)
I wouldn’t feel so bad about the house next door to me full of loafers if they got up once in awhile and cleaned the street..did something to earn their keep-ugh I forgot..we would be stigmatizing them
Well Paulie I don’t agree with your characterization of people who live on fixed incomes as loafers or being on the dole, it sounds almost racist! I think the “new racism” of the 21st century is classism! If you have a job and money and a roof over your head, be thankful not hateful!
Gordon;
who is talking about fixed incomes Gordon..the cats next dooor to me, in back of me..on the side and just about everywhere else in my hood have no income other than what is produced by others..stop by the house next door..the ass currently hanging out of it..yes hanging out of it..belongs to a 20 something living in a unit with ohhh 8-9 others..none yet getting up for work …that ass will hang out for a few more hours as he did not go to bed till about 4AM this morning..I know cause he was up when I left for work:>)
I may be on the verge of racism Gordon..but it just happened..nothing deep seated..the chill came ovah me when I moved to Worcester and saw so many with the ability to be part of society but refuse to
I would suggest the two of you brush up on some basic principals of statistical analysis.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Correlation_does_not_imply_causation
“I would suggest the two of you brush up on some basic principals of statistical analysis.”
Example: Cow farts and dead polar bears.
thanks Tom…with Brendan one has to think to much..ah come on Buckpaxton..the fun about these blogs is that one can roam all ovah the place..why keep things so tidy..in the end it’s all the same..loads of loose ends in the city that need tidying up
Sitting on your ass is not against the law! As a matter of fact it sounds like you are sitting on your ass bitching about the other guy sitting on his ass! Paulie!
ugh…with citizens like you Gordon..it’s gonna be a long dig out of the hole that is fer sure..looks like BuckPaxton spotted you a lot soonah than I was able to..I said he was a smart dude:>
Anonymous said…
“For a while in the mid 1990’s it seeemed the city would finally break out of its downward funk. Ten years later any of the upscale new retail (Barney’s, Saks 5th, Polo,etc.-outlets but good quality nonetheless)or restaurants- Charlie’s at Greendale Mall, El Morocco, Legal Seafoods,etc. are long gone.
I spoke with a man on Friday who owns one of the cities last upscale mens stores. He said he is getting ready for the day when his last child finishes school so he can sell the house one town out and head for a place with better prospects. This is coming from a man who is a life long Worc. guy who has a strong affinity for his home town.
We discussed the need to impress upon our kids that there is no real future here unless you want to work in goverment as all of the good businesses have left or are on the way out and no one is coming to take thier place. It is very sad to have this conversation about a city that you have such strong roots in but if I dont get out I will make sure my kids do. (and I’m not talking about moving to Rutland or Shrewsbury.) I used to have a feeling that it would all work out for the best but I’m not so sure anymore.”
>>Gordon;
the above was posted on Billy Randall’s site a few day’s ago..I have no idea who it is but it really bothered me cause this is how many small business owners, small “good” property owners and residents within a huge swath of the urban city feel right now and have for sometime….most-me included who have hung on for a very long time as a property owner and resident hoping for change..hoping for a citizenry that didn’t st on it’s arse all day long..one that worked hard to make Worcester the best it can be..you felt comfortable labeling me a racist but I am out of line labeling lazy folks who are contributing nothing to this once great city..you do not have the monopoly on labels mate…and you aint a better person that anyone else blogging on this or any other site:>)
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=8661737&postID=2846037925967451799
As someone who has been out of Worcester (apart from a few visits) for one year, I gotta say that “the argument” is getting a bit one-sided. All of the master-plans, the “thinking out of the box”, the creativity, the revitalization, etc. has resulted in pretty much bupkis. We pulled down some pork for the Courthouse, and there’ll be more with the re-distribution of the old Aud/Courthouse facilities, but c’mon. Even funding to the tune of 500mil wasn’t enough to kickstart the downtown “process”.
I have no idea what city Worcester should use as a model, but Worcester needs to find a place formerly strangled by political inbreeding, incompetent, expensive and unaccountable public servants, and just plain loser-town ennui that later became a respectable place.
If any such place exists, then that’s the only plan for the Worm.
“If any such place exists, then that’s the only plan for the Worm.”
Providence
I think I know who Bill Randall is, it’s sad to read something like that! But I think Urban centers are going to see a revival SOON! And I think the City Manager and the City Council have positioned the City well to take advantage of this revival, people are soon going to see the wisdom in living and starting their business’ in Cities and Worcester in particular. Hang on!
I was talking to the owner of a business on the 800 bloc of Main St. I says jeez business must be tough with economy the way it is? He says wrong! I did 1,500 costumers yesterday! I was amazed but come to think of it, you see in Main South what you don’t see Downtown after 5:30 PEOPLE they might not look like white middle class suburbanites but a customer by another name still sounds the same! “WORCESTER IS ON THE MOVE”
I said you ALMOST sounded racist. Paulie!
Gordon;
I gave Mick O’Brien a B+ on my blog a month back..go read it!
Good pick John..I believe one of the first things Buddy Cianci did was move downtown and at a time when it was nothing to speak of..imagine if Mick O’Brien moved his family to downtown..if most of our leaders lived in “the city” including our state and federal ones…I think Clark instituted a program that awarded employees, professors who lived in Main South.
I have stated numerous times that it is going to be very hard to change the culture within the urban core unless our leaders or a good percentage of them live within it.
Interesting enough Gordon…some time ago I was watching Central Mass Chronicles and this same observation about the biz that is happening on Main South was mentioned..but not mentioned within the general population when discussing Main Street..
I dine at One Love Cafe often as well as Maria’s and I go to Gilreins for a pop or two all the time..just had One Love Cafe cater a reggae festival I promoted on the Charles River last month..I have no problem mingling with folks that don’t look like me:>)
Providence is a Capitol city, has a real waterfront area and it’s pols/gangsters actually know how to turn a profit while setting up their shady deals. Worcester has none of those three ingredients. The greatest contribution to real, sustained development that the City gov’t could make is to immediately halt all of their half-assed “master plans” and to recommit to an ECONOMIC plan, not a bunch of counter-productive social engineering boondoggles that try to be all things to all people.
Question: How do I find out how many employees the City of Worcester has? I tried a few websites and got nada.
Ok. I get the last word.
for $4K+ the records are available:>)
Hey Tom, I figured you would be better at this game…
You’ll have to do some math, jobs are broken out by line item. So detail pay for cops, for example, is another line.
http://www.bostonherald.com/projects/payroll/worcester/
So roughly 9,000 by my math, not counting the extra lines which I’ll arbitrarily declare to be 10%, resulting in 8,000 + employees.
[...] Councilor Germain has been feuding with the police chief. [...]