If He'd Only Spent That Money
Cincinnati Police Chief Tom Streicher's probably wishing he hadn't said he'd return about $2 million to city coffers this year, or at least that he hadn't gotten into a heated public debate about it at finance committee Monday.
Because today, his request for $100,000 to help host the International Police Executive Symposium next year didn't even make it to the council floor. It was on the agenda, but Mayor Mark Mallory announced that it wouldn't be taken up - presumably because he didn't have the votes to pass it. The ordinance would have transferred the $100,000 from personnel funds.
The request fell to Mallory's discretion because it failed to pass out of finance committee Monday. Councilmembers voted 3-3, with two abstaining. Councilman Cecil Thomas, a former police officer, asked Mallory to shepherd it.
Some councilmembers have been a little annoyed about the heated exchange between Streicher and, mostly, Leslie Ghiz, who wanted to know why council's directive to spend $2.7 million on walking patrols wasn't followed. Streicher said he thought he accomplished the goal of reduced crime without spending all the money, and that he thought that would be seen as a good thing in a budget-tight year.
Guess not.
18 Comments:
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Post a Comment*Perhaps if Steicher hadn't done his best impression of an insubordinate ass he would have gotten his party. If you ever wondered why Issue 5 was necessary, look no further than his arrogance before Council
You are right, NOT!
why is Streicher bragging about an8% reduction??? crime overall went UP 46% under his watch as chief. that figure doesn't even include acts against Twitty.
Jane -- your coverage of this story has been incredibly disappointing.
Mre details not covered by the Enquirer. In his follw up to yesterdays article in City Beat, Kevin Osborn writes today:
http://blogs.citybeat.com/porkopolis/2007/12/streichers-many.html
Streicher's Many Versions of the Truth
Cincinnati Police Chief Thomas Streicher Jr. keeps changing his story — and his attitude — about $2 million in unspent overtime money that city council wanted him to use for increased walking patrols.
Streicher initially said he was able to do some of the patrols without using overtime money and that he wanted to return the funds to help with the city’s deficit and provide carryover cash for 2008.
Later still, Streicher said he didn't think walking patrols were an effective crime-fighting tool — despite city council’s directive to use them — and that there were better methods to accomplish the same goals.
Called before council’s Finance Committee this week to explain the situation, Streicher told officials he would follow whatever directives officials gave him and didn’t mean to be insubordinate. Less than 24 hours later, though, the chief told a radio host he would do whatever he felt was “right” in the future.
Meanwhile, the city’s budget director first told a council member that some of the unused overtime money was used for other expenses such as renovations to police headquarters and landscaping at various police facilities. After council and neighborhood groups got angry, however, Streicher said she was mistaken and that most of that money came from other savings in “personnel costs.”
Given the shifting accounts, it’s no wonder that council members and some residents are frustrated by the lack of candor.
City Councilman Chris Bortz first raised the issue about the unspent overtime money in an Oct. 12 e-mail to City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr., responding to an initial memo on the topic that Dohoney sent three days earlier. Bortz sought clarification about how much overtime money had been spent for walking patrols.
Interpreting Dohoney’s earlier memo, Bortz concluded that only $338,636 was spent during the eight-month time frame out of the $2.7 million allocated by city council. In the e-mail, Bortz asked Dohoney, “My primary question is what precipitated the decision to spend such a small portion of the funds? Was it primarily a budget level decision made due to certain unforeseen and unredeemable expenses in other areas of the department’s budget?”
Dohoney responded Oct. 23 — 11 days later — by e-mail. The city manager wrote, “There has been no ‘budget level’ decision to do anything. Once the budget is appropriated, the police department has to then determine based on the situation what tactical deployment is appropriate. Yes, the money was to cover a range of things but it was not stipulated that means ‘10 of these and 4 of those.’ We try to attack the hot spots and other crime areas with the tools that will provide the impact that (is) necessary.”
Later in the e-mail, Dohoney added, “I can’t say off the top of my head if these numbers are accurate but the point is while the chief and I do talk about locations, strategies, etc., and I will ask about what approach does he think will work in a given situation, I don’t direct him from a tactical perspective. And as I said, no one from the budget office has tried to tell the police to not use the money that was appropriated.”
Bortz and several other council members are troubled by the situation. Council created a specific program in 2005 to increase walking patrols and budgeted money solely for that purpose, as they had pledged to neighborhood groups.
“I think (Dohoney) has acknowledged, as has the chief, they made a mistake,” Bortz said today. “Council’s intention was for all of that money to go to walking patrols.”
Bortz doesn’t believe that Streicher and some police supervisors like walking patrols, adding, “I think the money we gave them is a drop in the bucket compared to what we need but it seems to be a cultural issue within the police department.
“Going forward, I think we need to determine if there are any other consequences needed,” Bortz added. “Clearly, this points out a major communication problem that needs to be resolved. We’re not out of the woods yet. … There is still a disconnect between the council and the administration.”
Streicher seemed apologetic when summoned to appear before the Finance Committee Monday to answer questions. He told members then that he would follow their wishes and implement more walking patrols, even if he thinks they’re ineffective.
“Am I saying to you I won't do it? No, I’m not,” Streicher said. “There is no intention to defy you.”
But the chief was singing a different tune the next day when talking to conservative radio talk show host Bill Cunningham. While appearing on Cunningham’s WLW-AM (700) show Tuesday, Streicher tried to explain his actions as trying to avoid wasteful government spending, a favorite topic for Willie’s rabid listeners. Then a noteworthy exchange between host and guest occurred.
Cunningham: “Are you going to do what council tells you to do, or will you do what’s right?”
Streicher: “I will use my best judgment and do what’s right.”
Told about the chief’s comments on the radio, Bortz replied that City Hall has a budget office and a finance director to determine how money should be spent or if it should be returned.
“As much as we appreciate his assistance, we don’t require it in that particular area,” Bortz said.
Let’s make it clearer: Under Cincinnati’s form of government, city council sets policy direction and then gives that direction to the city manager. The manager, in turn, gives instruction and guidance to department heads for implementing the policies.
If either the manager or the department head doesn’t comply, then it’s probably time for that person to step aside in favor of someone who can do the job.
— Kevin Osborne
Jane,
Maybe you need to do some digging as a reporter and stop sucking up to the hotheaded, unprofessional Streicher.
If city council puts up with this crap from streicher- they're nuts.
streicher's idea that punishing cops by making them be the faace of the dept meeting, greeting, engaging and opening a venue for the public by "punishing" cops by making them walk the walk -- is a very sad, sad, sad commentary on the chief believes about public service.
he prefers separation by vehicle-- maybre that attitude only is the sole reason why the sheriff's office has been effective in patroling otr , while the city police have been a failure.
i believe that only the very very best officers should be the face of their dept with the public - and the very very best should be recruited to walk the patrol and paid extra in recognition of their superior service to the community and to law enforcement successes
Jane, you really seem to be sympathetic to Streicher. This money was rendered with the assumption that Streicher would use it in specific ways to increase police visibility in high crime neighborhoods. It's not Streicher's job to set budget policy. Furhtermore, you are assuming he's sincere. He probably just didn't have the know-how to use the resources, and now is acting like he was doing it in the name of fiscal responsibility. It's a shame you are scared of the chief Jane. It effects your reporting.
Prendergast is an amazing suck up to Streicher.
She writes all the those stories about high crime and then supports Steicher decision to not spend appropriated money to fight crime.
Meanwhile, the police department is awash in misdeeds by officers, and The Eqnuirer lets Streicher off the hook.
And finally, Streicher has presided over the biggest crime wave in Cincinnati history and did nothing until the Sheriff put deputies on the street. (He says it's down, but only in relation to the worst year in our history).
Yet, he's the only one who NEVER gets blamed.
Welcome to Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Enquirer.
The Streicher years:
(1) Most crime ever;
(2) Most misdeeds by cops ever;
(3) Most defialnce of civilian authority;
(4) Most support from a meek press.
Thanks god for Citybeat. We need a new paper of record in Cincinnati.
Hey Jane...check out the cost of those renovations at D1...and Streicehr's nice new bathroom.
Oh, I forgot, your afraid.
Let's say, for example, council appropriated $2.7 million to provide primary health care to citizens. The health director spends none of that money, except $700,000 to renovate his office.
Think ayone would be getting fired now?
Hey, I heard Streicher pretty much tell Ghiz and Cranley to pound sand on 55 KRC yesterday.
Can you say "insubordination"?
He said something about counil laying off cops, too. Anyone heard a word about that?
The Mayor, the Council, and the City Manager needs to address Police Chief's inability to follow a funded directive, his grandstanding on WLW, and the worse increase in crime in our recent history. I think it is clear from the comments on this blog the Chiefs' action and inactionis unacceptable by the taxpayers of this city. I personally hope action is taken by the people, we as citizens hold responsible, to reprimand Chief Streicher and hold him accountable. Let's hope we are hearing more than just "words".
City Health Director is a loser. He should be fired! At last year's training for the City's Community Council Members - he showed a cut off head in a hand comparing it with the crime in Cincinnati. He is disgustingly overrated and gross.
Get Noble Maseru out of town along with the so-called Mayor! BOTH ARE WASTING OUR TIME AND MONEY DOING NOTHING! They are no-good!
Streicher thought that his badge of honor could help protect members of bold endeavors !
His dedication to 'bold endeavors' and its members is soooooooo sweeeeeeet !
'Family Values' is our goal too!
Mt. Airy Park is our home!
HAD ENOUGH, VOTE DEMOCRAT 2008
"Hey, I heard Streicher pretty much tell Ghiz and Cranley to pound sand on 55 KRC yesterday.
Can you say 'insubordination'?"
Chris "I'm Chief Streicher's Boss" Smitherman? Is that really you?
Any other department leader with a record like Streicher's would be fired.
Highest crime ever, and he is completely unaccountable thanks, in large part, to the lap-dog press.
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