A few weeks ago, I brought to your attention the police dispatch logs of the Berlin Police Department. These are the actual “Police Logs” if you will, of all the calls the police are dispatched to, including ambulance calls.
At the end of each day, the records secretary can print out the log of calls in a 24 hour period. For example: 1:21 a,,m-burglary-123 Main Street; 2:15 a.m. accident-1 Smith Street; 3 a.m burglary-444 Main St; etc, etc.
I TRIED several years ago, to get this printout-every member of the public IS ENTITLED to look at these printouts, they are public information-WHAT IS NOT PUBLIC IS THE DETAILS OF AMBULANCE OR MEDICAL CALLS.
Unfortunately, my intentions were misunderstood and I REALLY GOT POUNDED BY REPRESENTATIVES OF THE TOWN GOVERNMENT-IT WAS UGLY. That request, if you have been following my blog since 2003-resulted in the infamous “email” I received from a town employee basically telling me to back off!!
Since then, it has been an uphill battle, but I believe for every step backward, we have taken two steps forward, although BAD HABITS STILL REMAIN.
You know I didn’t realize it up until a few years ago, but most small or medium sized towns, NOT ALL, but most are like Cheshire, especially if they are upscale towns. They want to PROTECT their image AT ALL COSTS!!
They will go to whatever lenghts it takes, including firing editors of newspapers (like what happened to me) to keep their image.
When I was a reporter years ago and worked for the Bpt Post, we kept the towns we covered feet to the fire-they DID NOT LIKE IT-but they were in a sense used to it-and it was and still is-a cat and mouse game-a challenge to get the news and bring to people the information THEY ARE ENTITLED TO KNOW!!
When I was the editor of a small weekly paper approximately 12 years ago, I went about reporting the news ALL THE NEWS-BOTH SIDES OF THE NEWS AS I WAS TRAINED. When I was fired, I will be honest-I knew it was over my putting back into the paper, information that my editor did not want in-it was the OTHER SIDE OF A VERY CONTROVERSIAL ISSUE in a certain town.
Well, when I did meet my demise at this paper-I did not realize it was because of pressure from certain powers that be in that particular town that objected to my reporting style. I WAS REALLY NAIVE!! I blamed my demise on a close friend whom I thought had backstabbed me-I literally ended a 20 year friendship over my misunderstanding of what really happened.
It wasn’t until YEARS later, that I found out the truth-the paper I was the editor of, was sort of like the Herald. Nothing controversial-or if it was- VERY limited-ONCE OR TWICE-and never seen again.
I remember when I took over the paper-I would meet people-they would stare-or they would come up to me and say “oh what happened to this paper’!! WOW!!
It is not bragging-it isn’t-these people were not used to reading an UNCENSORED NEWSPAPER!!
And you know what-even though I lost my job-I WAS PROUD OF THAT PAPER!! IT WAS WHAT I WAS TAUGHT. AND PEOPLE LIKED IT.
They would tell me “oh I couldn’t wait to get the paper in the mail (for free) I went out and BOUGHT IT!! To me, that was the ultimate compliment.
People KNOW the truth-THEY WANT THE TRUTH-THEY RESPECT THE TRUTH.
Most people are very smart and very savvy. John and Jane Q Public know what is right for their town, their state and this country. Man and Woman on the street-the basic truth!!
This is what is wrong with Cheshire-as far as information goes-this town does not have a paper that holds the town governments feet to the fire-IT NEVER DID!!
The news is censored-and you know what I KNOW I will hear flak about this but whatever-it is controlled by the Town Government-SAD SAD SAD!
I have already had a discussion with the Town Managers office regarding minutes of meetings-HMM!!!
So to get “TO THE POINT,” on Wednesday, I went to the Public Safety Commission meeting to discuss the possibility of putting the “police call logs” onto the Cheshire Police Department website-eliminating the “monthly reports” which to me, are a waste of time because they are “edited,” i.e. no address of where an incident took place, most times no name of the suspect-I could go on and on.
These police call logs would take up less space-and they do not go into specific detail. A person would have to go to the police station and ask for the actual police report.
I also thought this would be a way for the Public Safety Commission to discuss issues with the Police Department representative Lt. Markella, who attends each of these meetings.
I told the Public Safety Commission that they are the most important commission in town-because they interact with the Police Department. I know a few of the members did not like me being there-they don’t feel comfortable-but what can i say-THIS IS SOMETHING I BELIEVE IN-IT IS NOT PERSONAL AS I HAVE STATED BEFORE-THIS IS WHAT I DEDICATED MY LIFE TO-THE PEOPLES RIGHT TO KNOW.
I SINCERELY BELIEVE IN WHAT I AM DOING AND I ALWAYS HAVE AND ALWAYS WILL
IT IS NOT CHESHIRE-THIS IS WHERE I LIVE-SO I CONCENTRATE ON CHESHIRE-BUT THIS COULD APPLY TO ANY TOWN OR CITY-REMEMBER IT IS THE EVENT NOT THE PERSON.
Now it was brought up at the Public Safety Commission meeting that the Police website does not have enough space to put these call logs in-and also that it would take too much time to type the information in because the PD does not have a scanner.
Come on-get a scanner-number two-my webhoster allows me unlimited pages for $58 a year!! So that argument won’t work.
Then I heard the old system we have prints out the names of the people on a medical call and it would take hours to type in the call log and redact sensitive information out.
Well, I don’t know what type of system the CPD has, but I know when I used to see the call logs in Orange IN 1996, all I saw on a medical call was just that-the time, the incident (medical or ambulance) and address-NO OTHER INFORMATION-NO NAMES NO DETAILS. THIS IS LEGAL!!
Case in point: PLEASE LOOK CAREFULLY AT THE BERLIN PD CALL LOG-NOTICE WHAT IS ON THE LOG!!
I can’t imagine with the amount of gift account money this police department receives every year from Elim Park that they still have a police log computer system that prints out the names of people on a medical call, resulting in the Chief having to redact the names out. UGH!!
A waste of time and man or woman hours!!
And also, when I hear the words “someone has to go over reports, minutes or logs or the like” the word “CENSORSHIP” comes to mind-I AM NOT ACCUSING ANYONE-but human nature being what it is-IT IS RIPE FOR THE PICKING.
Now I know we all do not or will not ever see every piece of information we are entitled to see-THAT IS HUMAN NATURE-NOT JUST FOR CHESHIRE-BUT EVERYWHERE. THERE IS CENSORSHIP or the withholding of information by just about all governmental agencies. This is the nature of the beast in our country and our world.
But it is the job of the newspapers and even the citizen to question to demand the truth.
Remember the secret society speech I ran a few times by Pres Kennedy?
In it he says:
“That is why the Athenian lawmaker Solon decreed it A CRIME for any citizen to SHRINK FROM CONTROVERSY”!!
UPDATE: HOLD IT-I HAVE TO INTERRUPT THIS POST-FOR A SPECIAL DEDICATION:
WHIP IT-by DEVO
Remember: WHEN A PROBLEM COMES ALONG-YOU MUST WHIP-IT!!
Let’s whip Cheshire into shape!! SHAPE IT UP GET IT STRAIGHT-GO FORWARD MOVE AHEAD-IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO WHIP IT-WHIP IT GOOD!!
I love the part where the guy from Devo is cracking the whip-boy would I love to bring that whip to the next Town Council meeting!!
OK I can’t embed it-so I am providing a link:
