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Editor's comments: Mr. Lanius furnished us the following letter he sent to
DMN's Ruben Navarette. The DMN as the chief mouthpiece for Our Downtown
Betters (the ODB) bears blame for this. They wanted a Black Mayor
regardless of his qualifications. They wanted a Black Chief regardless of
his qualifications. The City Manager did what he was told by Ron Kirk when
he hired Terrell Bolton. There were several more qualified candidates,
including Robert Jackson, an African-American.
To: Mr. Ruben Navarrette,
editorial columnist, Dallas Morning News
Bcc: selected list recipients; Dallas mayor and city council
Dear Mr. Navarrette:
I read with interest your Nov. 14th Viewpoints column "Blame
stretches far and wide for drug scandal" and I am
curious...
You eloquently expressed your understanding of former Dallas Police detective
Mark Delapaz as "a fall guy for an embarrassed criminal justice system in North
Texas..." and then continued on to direct the reader's attention to "the Brass
at the Dallas Police Department who either didn't do a good enough job
supervising their officers or -- worse -- tried to bury the scandal once it came
into view."
There can be no doubt you understand the differences between (and the value of
teamwork among): patrol officers, detectives
(investigators), and command staff (chiefs, etc.) -- or BOTTOM, MIDDLE, and
TOP... as an awkward oversimplification. A
police department is composed of them all, correct? It cannot function without
them ALL, would you agree?
So, why, in your fourth-to-last paragraph, did you choose these unfortunate
words: "...or forgotten by city officials reluctant to hold accountable an
incompetent police department"? Is it easier
to label the entire department as "incompetent" (your word choice) than to apply
that same term to a city manager who hired a police chief without interviewing a
single candidate?... or to a mayor and city council who said/did nothing?
I noticed in your online bio that "IF I HAD TWO SPARE HOURS, I WOULD:
Sleep,..." I just hope the rookie police officer who responds to your 9-1-1 call
for assistance while you are sleeping has not been demoralized by your
characterization of him/her as "incompetent".
Your column concludes, "we all are on trial"... but, to your readers, you
have already judged our police department in toto. How
do you think it feels to sit in the hot seat? Try strapping 20+ lbs. of gear, a
badge and a gun to your body... and waking up (with the grace of God) to do it
all over again tomorrow. Honestly, if you were
to really have two spare hours (and a time machine), would you perhaps
choose words different from "incompetent police department"... or not use those
words at all? I would really like to know.
Your bio indicates you spent a lot of time at Harvard... no mention of the study
or profession of law enforcement. So, with what
authority, may I politely ask, are you "competent" to conclude that the Dallas
Police Department is incompetent?
Bonus thought question: I have heard it said that Dallas wants a "Mercedes"
of a police and fire department but is only willing to pay for a "Kia".
What "brand" of emergency services will we end
up with if those of us wielding pen or keyboard keep telling our police and
firefighters how incompetent they are?
Respectfully,
Kirk Launius
Long-time resident of Dallas City Council District 9
Patrick Drive / Hillside Neighborhood / White Rock Lake area
Licensed Texas Peace Officer
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