Chapel Hill, the town that loves to believe it is utopia, has so many complaints about town staff from citizens that the council is recommending an “ombudsman” as well as yet another committee. The committee will try to quell the apparent bad blood between some residents and the police. But here’s the irony:
The police department has already created an informal advisory group which has held community meetings and formed a citizen police academy on how the department works. Chief Chris Blue said it is unclear if that committee will continue or blend into the new council-approved committee once it is created.
The bureaucracy wins again. Apparently two committees — or one really, really big committee — is always better.
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31
2011 At 9:25 am, Eric Weaver Said:
Part of responsive government means that the government should figure out how to work the way that the taxpayers who fund it want it to. It does not mean that taxpayers and citizens should have to take a class to figure out how to deal with government.
And note that I do not include criminals in the customer service category. It is FINE for criminals not to understand or like the police department. The only thing that most of these folks would be satisfied with would be not having police at all.
Now, I know Chief Chris Blue, as we were in the Police Law Institute together in 2006, and he is a sharp guy. My bet is that he is doing what he can with the situation. But Chapel Hill is Chapel Hill, and what you can and can’t do is different than in the rest of the world outside of Berkeley.
But, Donna, it is true – a committee doesn’t DO anything. And the world needs more DOERS and fewer TALKERS.