S.O.S. -- St Pete in Distress

Appointed by Mayor Kriseman, Dekay serves in an interim position without enjoying the full authority/respect of a permanent chief of police. By most indicators, Kriseman calls the shots and Dekay obeys.

Kriseman doesn't have the knowledge, expertise or training to run SPPD. Neither has he demonstrated the political will to make the city and its police officers safe, which is a mayor's highest duty to the public.

The volume and chronic nature of news reports indicate renegades are running the asylum. Some reports indicate Kriseman's team is in fear, thereby making his administration weak, and allowing strong-arming controllers to gain power. It looks infinitely worse for Kriseman when the strong-arm faction are political backers who helped put him in office. To wit, "Deputy Mayor Tomalin measured the agitation in the meeting"...and acquiesced on the spot to unscrupulous demands.
http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/story/24971690/2014/03/13/promotions-delayed-at-st-petersburg-police-department#ixzz2vwAgrDpu

The renegades sense weakness like a shark smells blood in the water. Looking at the long pattern of instability, a reasonable person might recognize tactical similarities to entrenched organized crime.

Clean it up.
CALL IN THE US ATTY-TPA

Go-D: "If I should fall, who will carry the flag?"
Kanika: "I will."

http://progressivemessengernews.wordpress.com/2013/11/21/congressional-commendation-recipient-dr-yvonne-scruggs-leftwich/
Kriseman has already made his first hire — Kanika Tomalin who will step up to fill the shoes of her cousin Goliath Davis.

It is what it is. :wink:

Clean it up.
CALL IN THE US ATTY-TPA
Racketeering conspiracy
U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley III details the investigation at a news conference
http://tbo.com/news/crime/feds-manatee-conspiracy-involved-killings-other-crimes-20140605/

Maybe the Feds could fix south St Pete's violence problems? Maybe not. In this case the African American community assisted in the investigation.

Operation Maximum Response indicted six men as part of an organized crime ring...Under the conspiracy-to-racketeer charge, all the men face up to life in prison. “There was a lot of fear in the community,” said the Sheriff. “People were scared to come forward.”
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20140605/ARTICLE/140609810/2416/NEWS?Title=Six-indicted-in-nine-Manatee-murders
In Mayor Kriseman's city it's handled like this. Kanika organizes a south side softball tournament with SPPD officers. Her husband the Scoutmaster takes scout troop 219 to meet the coppers.
As if the community is afraid of the police and Kanika needs to provide an escort.

REDIRECT --> People are scared to come forward because of intimidation by criminals. He11, the police are scared to come forward because under Kriseman's regime the coalition is protected. Luckily outside agencies seem to have their backs -- adjacent jurisdictions have had enough of St. Pete's criminal exports.

If I were a wise guy I'd look for a big hole to crawl through. I'd pick a municipality hot to trot for development/redevelopment.
Bonus bucks - a chief of police inclined to look the other way. With a leader amenable to light hearted auditing. I'd make sure a guy like this got elected mayor. Then I'd leave town. 8)

http://books.google.com/books?id=ZUDsPHOnkGEC&pg=PA29&lpg=PA29&dq=Alan+Harvey+City+Manager&source=bl&ots=RBbYgVZ6ll&sig=ARL76qhIx0-UF57DV5AnCyN48j8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=tVUsU6q5FoO_kQeo4oCQBQ&ved=0CD4Q6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q&f=false
St. Petersburg City Manager Alan Harvey's "make it happen" management style ensnared him in a web of development politics and
conflict of interest accusations...he was forced out by city council, sitting as the Ethics Committee...the Times
described Harvey's fall from grace and how he got caught up in this breach of ethics. "He got carried away with his sense of power."

would you tie up police resources? with excessive force complaints? racial complaints? distractions like car jackings, shootings, school brawlings?