According to our local news sources, a couple members of the public spoke out last night against interim chief Alsleben. While the local police union officially supported him, chatter on social media lately has revealed that he isn't supported unanimously by everyone in the department.
Some in the public gallery have recommended filling the chief spot from within the department, mentioning a captain, and even a detective. Getting back to the public gallery, there isn't much institutional memory there.
In truth, there has always been politics in the department. At least one former chief himself, years earlier, had been a plaintiff against the department.
There have also been reports that Alsleben may be looking for a spot in another community. Assuming that the interim chief is still a candidate early next month, council will have a difficult decision. The fact that three members of council are themselves former Allentown policemen, is a unique footnote to the equation.
You raise some good points, and I'm trying to keep an open mind on Alsleben. However, I think in many ways he's been his own worst enemy.
ReplyDeleteHe's called criticism of HIS performance a slap in the face to the entire police force, and continues to imply that more manpower is the only solution to the city's crime problem. Those statements might have been fine when he was the leader of the police union, but I think it's fair to expect more from someone in the Chief position.
Public criticism comes with that job, and shouldn't come as a surprise. Such criticism doesn't impugn the force, and saying that it does seems like an attempt to stop further discussion of the problem and prevent others from discovering that you don't have any answers. Similarly, I don't think it's realistic that the APD is going to be staffed at anywhere near the ideal level. Alsleben certainly knew that when he took over, and the fact that the taxpayers just absorbed a 27 percent property tax hike (along with a new stormwater tax and an earned income tax rate that's already double what surrounding municipalities charge) makes it unlikely will reach the number many would like.
Any chief needs to realize the economic reality facing the city, and improvise and adapt the police strategy to do the job with whatever number of officers we have.
Separately, I also think that having three former officers on council is a large concentration as far as background on such a small legislative body. Ideally, that body would have a wider depth of life experience to draw from, particularly with the city's financial mess, and I'm having a tough time determining that even public safety has been improved by having three former officers on council.
That said, given the "qualifications" of some of the others on (and running for) council, having three officers on council seems like the least of our problems. So your characterization of it as a "unique footnote" is well written.
Years ago because of Afflerbach's ridiculous police contract the city lost almost all of it's senior members to early retirement. It was a huge brain drain that left the force with mostly young officers and chiefs from out of town. There are many good police officers on the force but the negative repercussions of mass exodus are clearly still with us.
ReplyDelete