Bring Back the Blotter!

Two years ago, the Hayward Police Department joined the public safety website Nixle. Each week, the department would post a blotter to the Nixle platform. It provided an informative description of recent criminal activity, the corresponding police response, and the outcome.

In March of this year the regular posting of the blotter abruptly stopped with a promise that it would return three weeks later in a new and improved format. Two months have now passed since it was supposed to have returned.

(Message posted to Nixle by Hayward PD in March)

When I inquired to staff as to what was going on, I was told that the blotter was discontinued because it was thought that it cast Hayward in a bad light. It would return when it could be figured out how to present the information in way that didn't reflect so negatively on the city.

Huh? This doesn't really seem to jibe with the PD's previous message. But if what I was told is true, we're probably in for a long wait. How do you put a happy face on criminal activity?

CrimeMapping.com still appears to be updated by the department. But with descriptions of only one or two words in length, the information is hardly useful or interesting. What's more, this kind of limited reporting actually does make the city look bad, because it only indicates widespread criminal activity and not successful policing in the form of identifying suspects and making arrests.

To be useful to residents and businesses (and therefore the department itself), the reporting should be detailed and accurate without any unnecessary censorship or spin. It should also include mug shots like those included in the Union City Police Blotter. Geo-referencing the information to an interactive map is also nice, but without a truly descriptive narrative it is of little value.

Please bring back the blotter.

EBRPD Police - A Nextdoor Introduction

This past week, the Police Department of the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) joined the online social website 'Nextdoor.'  As a way of introduction, a brief description of the department was posted. It partially states:

"By land, by sea, and by air we provide around-the-clock services through a variety of specialized assignments. Our department includes patrol teams, the Air Support Unit, Marine Patrol, Equestrian Patrols, K-9 Unit, Special Enforcement Unit, Investigations Unit, and a 24-hour per day 9-1-1 Communications Center."

Rather impressive I think...and also somewhat sad. After all, what does it say about our society that our park spaces require such extensive law enforcement?

When you visit the District's website you learn that its police force is made up of 65-sworn officers costing more than $13-million per year. You'll also find images and video of the department's operations and equipment, including a SWAT team and a "Ballistic Armored Tactical Transport" (BATT) truck. The armored vehicle is similar to the one used by Hayward and that recently ordered by the City of San Leandro.

I can't help but wonder; don't our cities, counties, state and federal law enforcement agencies have enough warrior cops and militaristic hardware that we have to further fund a dedicated SWAT team and an armored truck for our parks as well?

Images from East Bay Regional Park District Police Department webpage and recruitment video.

Police Response and Posturing - Things Need to Improve

In the relatively recent past, there have been numerous shootings at the Hayward BART Station:

• July 5, 2014 - a man was shot in the stomach.
• June 17, 2014 - multiple shots were fired near the bus zone.
• June 7, 2014 - groups of teens opened fire on one another.
• October 29, 2012 - numerous shots were fired, one into an adjacent home.

In each instance, the police response was remarkably underwhelming. I know this, because I live and work across the street. The response to the 2012 shooting, in fact, didn't even get noticed by the press. You won't find a single article about it online.

As far as I know, none of the shooters in any of these instances were ever identified or arrested. This is despite the fact that the Hayward Station is a bustling transit hub with numerous security cameras and a near 24/7 police presence.

Last week, in a neighborhood just a few blocks away, it was a whole nother story. Early Sunday morning, some moron decided that the smartest response to being pulled over was to shoot at the officer and then flee on foot. What ensued was a neighborhood lockdown, a 12-hour manhunt, and a spectacle that made the streets of Hayward look like those of Fallujah. The dummy was eventually captured, and I imagine he'll remain locked up for quite some time--to which I applaud and say good riddance.

But all this leaves me wondering; why is the response to a threat on an officer taken so much more seriously than a threat on an entire station of civilians? How is it that anyone can walk into a downtown transit hub adjacent to City Hall and get away with discharging a firearm, time and time again? Why is it though, that when an officer is threatened, a militaristic dragnet is launched? This kind of disparate response doesn't seem right to me.

To be clear, I'm not objecting to a thorough and professional police response as is warranted. But in my humble opinion the police are not nearly as dedicated to responding to threats on the public as they are to threats on the brotherhood--I'm talking to the point of absurdity.

When images of last week's manhunt started to appear on various social media sites. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

Images posted to various social media sites showing Hayward PD's 12-hour manhunt on Sunday, March 1, 2015.

.
When I look at these pictures, I don't see peace officers; I see commandos. Many are not wearing police uniforms, badges, or the regular police patch. They're wearing battle-fatigues, special forces insignia, and they're armed to the teeth. These guys look like they're going to war.

Now I won't pretend to know what the proper armament is for any given policing situation, but let's be honest, dressing up like G.I. Joe is completely ridiculous and unnecessary. We're not in the desert, the jungle, or any theater of war. It seems to me that this kind of dress is purely for the intimidation factor.

Police vehicle marketing image.

Policing by intimidation appears to be an increasingly disturbing trend throughout the country. Even regular police cruisers are being marketed as menacingly aggressive.

Why? Does anyone believe that the bad guys are being scared straight by all of this posturing? They're not. It's primarily serving to creep out decent folks who want to live in a safe and welcoming community--me included.

Hey Hayward, let's work to ensure that our police responses are always properly adequate without all the unnecessary bravado. Can we do that please?