An
Interesting Conversation
 |
| BY GREG WALTERS |
I was
surprised when she told me that she never posts on the blog because, even
though she does have strong opinions, she is somewhat fearful of broadcasting them
because of all the flack she would received from other readers.
I
suggested she just post her comments anonymously. In that was she would be able
to have her say, but no one would know it was her.
She
hesitated, and said, she understands that . . . but would I know it was her
that was posting.
This
was the SURPRISE moment I experienced.
I
explained to her that comments come to via Blogger (which is administered by
Google). Blogger forwards the messages to us. But they do not forward
information as to who made the post.
In
other words, we arein the dark as much as every other reader as to who posted
the message.
My
friend’s comments surprised me because it made me think that she may not be the
only one who thought we at the Raytown Report knew who authored certain blogs.
To set
the record straight, we are as much in dark as every other reader as to who is
the author of anonymous blogs.
We do
have counters that show we have a reasonably high amount of interest in what is
written on the Raytown Report. Our role after we receive the comments is to
monitor what is written to make sure it reaches certain standards.
Paul
Livius deserves the credit for 90% of the monitoring of incoming comments.
Our
standards are simple. Profanity and no Personal attacks are not allowed.
So you
feel like having a Roseanne Barr or a Samantha Bee moment, you are wasting your
time writing to the Raytown Report. That kind of trash talk would not even be
allowed on a basketball court, it will not be allowed here.
So to
close, I will borrow a phrase from the days when radio was king –“keep those
notes and letters coming”. We believe the more discussion on topics in Raytown
the better. Though we may not always agree, it is always a good idea to learn other
points of view.
Paul’s Rant! BY PAUL LIVIUS
Voters to Decide Changes
to County Charter
Most of the attention in
Raytown has been on the three tax increase measures slated for voters to decide
on August 7th.
Just as important are some
changes to the proposed Jackson County Charter. The actual language of the
proposed County Charter amendments are quite lengthy. So I did some cherry
picking to focus what I see as the two most important measures voters will
decide on August 7th as regards amendments to the County Charter.
TERM LIMITS: Section
6. The members of the County Legislature shall be elected for terms of four
years commencing on January 1, following their election, except for the first
members of the County Legislature elected in the year 1972, who shall serve
two-year terms. No member may serve more than two consecutive full terms
commencing on or after January 1, 2019.
All I have to say on the
term limits section of the proposed charter is “it is about time”. Term limits
have been long overdue for Jackson County.
The only problem I see
with the proposal is that it does not account for those members of the current
County Legislature that have already served over two terms. The way it is
worded, incumbent members of the County Legislature could theoretically stay in
office for another eight years.
LEGISLATIVE PAY: Section 15. Members of the County
Legislature shall receive an annual salary [of $25.920] equal to one-third that
of a circuit court judge of the State of Missouri.
This tying of Legislatures
salary to one-third of Circuit Court Judge does not make sense. The one question
I cannot help but ask is . . . Why?
The salary should be based
on the duties and time spent by legislators in performing those duties. I am
not a big fan of conspiracy theories, but I cannot help but think there is more
to this suggestion for tying Legislators pay to Circuit Court pay than meets
the eye.
That’s my view. What do
you think?
47 comments:
Oh yes, the Chief had a lot to do with manpower decisions. He decided which positions would stay and which would not be filled. The department remains extremely top heavy even with fewer officers. Make no mistake about it. The Chief of Police does decide which position stays and which one goes. It appears he kept many of the old-timers and cut the new patrol officers lose. As it turned out, more officers left than even he thought would go. Which created a shortage. So much so that there has been a spate of hiring new patrol officers since the change was made. Even some of those who left came back to work part time to make up the shortage. The upper level of the command staff, with the exception of one position, remained as it was.
@ 8:02 am
When you have $3 million dollars cut from your budget, what do you reasonably expect?
However, no one was fired. All who left, did so voluntarily. This is a time of transition, don't expect roses and sunshine with such a drastic cut.
Unfortunately a lot of people’s attitudes towards law enforcement, including government officials is poor. And it’s getting officers killed. So it’s hard to find qualified candidates. And when the pay is as poor as it is in Raytown, especially, they will have trouble finding quality candidates. A lot of their problems are self-imposed due to poor decisions. It’s truly troubling the way some on the board don’t care for law enforcement or the job they do.
SNAP LIES or, as some call them, people use snap lies to embellish their argument.
Here is how the tactic works. They quickly get to the point of their message. In this case the snap liar claimed Raytown Police are underpaid. Did a quick check. Raytown police are not underpaid. In fact, some strong arguments could be made that some of the senior staff in Raytown is way overpaid.
There was a classic example of a snap lie written on this very blog earlier today. The writer wrote about how underpaid the police in Raytown are. SNAP LIE! Check it out. Raytown police are paid well compared to other departments in the area.
This is afforded them by the taxpayers of Raytown who pay the second highest sales tax in Jackson County and the third highest property tax in Jackson County.
It's quite clear the current board and members of this particular website don't support their local police in it's current form. That's not intended to be nasty comment, just an observation. Over the past few months I've read here that they are corrupt, overpaid, lazy, overstaffed etc.
I doubt that opinion will change, even if the city manages to turn it's finances around. Sad to see a community get to this point. It's not the Raytown I grew up in. All this bickering isn't really productive at all, but I guess it passes the time. Raytown is not known as a safe community. I fail to see how less public safety services improves that reputation or reality.
Of course it will take more than public safety to make this city attractive to people that don't already live here, but it is a core consideration as is infrastructure, commerce, and clean neighborhoods. I just wish there was more effort to make improvements rather than just tearing down those that are in public service.
Feel free to attack me for my comments. I'm just trying to be objective.
SNAP LIE. Members of the Board don’t care for law enforcement or the job they do. Now if the statement is framed that the BOA felt that all city departmental funding needs to be unilaterally distributed to benefit all the needs of the taxpayers and in doing so had to reduce the PD budget to meet state mandated balanced budget guidelines, that would not be a SNAP LIE.
What rock are you crawling out from 9:49. The Chief screamed Fire Sale and freaked out not only the community but also some of his rank and file officers. They have ended up hiring 5 or 6 officers and found 250,000 lying around in their account. And Cole screwed up by listening to Lynch and laying back 120k for unemployment expenses they didn’t use. Most companies would have shown Lynch the door after that whole debacle. Pull your big boy pants up Chief and be a leader. He failed miserably in that whole transition. But for the officers that did stay despite your bosses screw ups we say thank you!
Let's add up the numbers.
$250,000 found lying around in their account. $120,000 left in an unemployment account for officers who left for other jobs and did not file for unemployment. The city blows $70,000 on a lawsuit with the Fire Department who also spends about $70,000 on their side of the lawsuit. All of this happened since the last budget was passed.
Help me out here $120,000 + $250,000 + $70,000 + $70,000 = $510,000.00. Half a million dollars "found" after the budget crisis.
It has been said before. The financial problem City Hall is not a lack of money. It is a lack of sound money management.
If the city council thinks throwing more money at the problem with outrageous tax increases will solve their problems they are very wrong. The numbers listed above show the level of incompetence that rules the roost at city hall.
Some on the city council see the problem. Others have put on blinders and refuse to even discuss it. Until we have leaders at city hall with common sense, you can expect more of the same.
I don't know anyone who is against the police. I know several people who are against blindly throwing money at the police department and hoping it is spent on more patrol officers.
We still need a full audit to know where our current tax dollars are being spent before we give the city more.
The $120,000 set aside for unemployment that was not spent is not found money. The PD had to set aside that money and the fact it was not spent is a blessing!!
If anyone thinks that a public works employee or parks employee, who don’t put their life on the line every day when they go to work deserve to be paid the same as a police officer, you are anti-police. There is a war on law enforcement but most people don’t care and are blind to it. Most officers haven’t gotten a raise in years. Yes, admin has issues but why be against street officers?
Extreme Kudos to the Raytown Fire Protection District and the new ISO rating. Raytown is only 1 of 3 cities in the state to attain this rating.
This will lower the average the average homeowners insurance by about $90.00. And also lower commercial business insurance. I have to tip my hat to these fine individuals who helped in this effort. In particular Fire Chief Matt Mace. Well done as always.
Looks like Lynch has his unleashed group trying to "lynch" the voters by spreading "alternate facts".
Sorry not forth coming of a police officer.
SNAP LIE ALERT!!! "Most officers haven't gotten a raise in years".
Whoever wrote the above snap lie was not writing about the Raytown Police Department. All officers in Raytown received pay increases last year.
Stop with the snap thing please. It's ridiculous.
Ok what the heck is a snap lie
Sounds like something someone with bad communication skills would use
This snap thing sounds like some kindergarten grade school crap! Not a very adult way of acting. Reminds me of a tattle tale. Grow up. My time is much more valuable than to waste it on junk like this.
"It's quite clear the...members of this particular website don't support their local police...I've read here that they are corrupt...lazy, overstaffed etc...I just wish there was more effort...than just tearing down those that are in public service....Feel free to attack...I'm just trying to be objective."
"Quite clear"? How? "This particular website..."? Please expound.
Quote. Qualify your statements.
Separate "local police" from police chief. Please provide evidence where anyone on this message board has ever accused any POLICE OFFICER of being "corrupt" or "lazy", or where they've stated outright that they don't support law enforcement in this city.
To our knowledge, no one here has called any police officer "lazy" or "corrupt".
Our "chief" or "marshal" on the other hand? Perhaps continuous, pointed analyses or "tear downs" are in order at this point, given the magnitude of the debacle that this city now finds itself in.
This Marshal is supposed to work for US. He's an elected employee. We're in charge. His actions and behavior are subject to review. Never forget this.
And a rebuttal to multiple overbroad or false generalizations doesn't automatically mean that that anyone is being "attacked".
It appears that someone has been drinking the same stanky Kool-Aid that they keep on tap from the usual suspects over at that other place.
SNAP equals
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
or
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
But GOOGLE did not find SNAP LIE
So it looks like a Raytowner has coined the expression.
I hope it goes away soon. Sounds dumb.
Why oh why does Tony Jacobs feel the need to get up and speak at every meeting? I am soo tired of him trying to act as if he actually knows what he is talking about. #sitdownandandbequiet
WARNING:
Press Release
For Release: June 6, 2018
Prepared By: Records Clerk Nicole Growney
Police Warn Of Skimmers Found At Gas Pumps
Raytown MO- On Monday June 4th at approximately 8:28 AM police were sent to the Conoco gas station at 8100 Westridge for a Fraud. When officers arrived, it was reported that a credit card skimmer device had been located inside one of the gas pumps.
Four hours later, police received a call to Raytown Petroleum gas station at 5304 Raytown Road where another credit card skimmer device had been located inside a gas pump. Both skimmers were removed.
It is unclear if the two incidents are connected. It is unknown how long the devices have been inside the pumps. It is unknown if any information captured by the devices were accessed before they were discovered. Both devices were inside the pumps, so they were not visible to customers. There is no suspect information at this time and the investigation is ongoing.
Raytown Police are contacting all Raytown gas stations to advise them of the discovery of the skimmers, so that they may inspect their pumps. The Missouri Department of Agriculture, who regularly inspects gas pumps in the State of Missouri, was also advised of the discoveries. Raytown Police ask anyone that may have used their credit card at either gas station to monitor their transactions and accounts for any unusual activity.
Consumers may protect themselves from skimmers by:
Checking for external skimmers- External skimmers fit over the outside of the card reader and steal the credit card information as the card is being slid into the slot. They may look slightly different than the other card readers (color, texture, etc.). Often they will feel loose when you try to wiggle them and may even come off in your hand.
Checking for evidence of tampering (to install an internal skimmer)- Look for broken or missing tamper tape on access panels. Look for evidence of forced entry into an access panel, which could include pry marks, scratches, or broken locks.
Anyone with information about these crimes is asked to contact the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).
Reports 18-1609, 18-1614
Records Clerk & Public Information Officer Nicole Growney | June 6, 2018 at 13:59 | Categories: Press Releases | URL: https://wp.me/p1q1Br-2UQ
The snap lie thing is dumb. Can we get back to bashing the Police with lies, please??
Ah yes, “Machine Gun Tony”...spits out bullets of superficial statements but can’t delve into a deep conversation because he doesn’t understand the subjects. He just spouts off what he read online. If we tell him he’s “smart” will he crawl away?
Jackson County Prosecutor doesn't understand what a Charter and how it supersedes any county ordinance.
6/6 4:28 pm
That's the exact same way I feel about the flack the chief gets on this site.
Blah blah blah over and over and over! Gets really boring.
If you don't like the job he's doing, then run for city marshall or be quiet. Show everybody what a good job you can do!
Just being keyboard warriors isn't doing much to change things is it?
"our knowledge"? what group are you representing?
It cracks me up when the same guy goes on about defending the city marshall err, chief with the tired old "If you don't like the job he's doing, then run for city marshall or be quiet. Show everybody what a good job you can do!" talk about blah, blah, blah
He's the same guy who falsely accuses other posters with cop bashing.
He's the same guy who thinks the election process for hiring a police chief is just fine. "I want a voice in who will be chief", he cries. As if there was some other method to choose from.
Please, same guy, go away if you are so bored.
sign me: Just Another Keyboard Warrior
"If you don't like the job he's doing, then run for city marshall or be quiet. Show everybody what a good job you can do!"
Nope. The position requires experience. That's always been the issue - a lack of viable, suitable candidates. Apathy.
We need a retired KCPD or MO Hwy Patrol captain or above with zero ties to the malignant clique that has steadily run this city into the ground over the years. No more unqualified rank and file candidates. An emotionally mature, tantrum-free law enforcement administrator that values the virtues of respect and decorum would be optimal.
Additionally.
You intended to write "Marshal", correct?
"Marshall" is a surname.
Plural, "Marshalls" is a discount department store.
11:03 For the love of God what post are you talking about or as you are complaining about one poster look first at your own post.
""our knowledge"? what group are you representing?"
Answer the question. Please provide evidence where anyone on this message board has ever accused any POLICE OFFICER of being "corrupt" or "lazy", or where they've stated outright that they don't support law enforcement in this city.
Good job on the Fire Department, a Class 1 ISO is rare to say the least. I work in commercial insurance and that is something we hardly ever see. Wasn't that long ago the folks at City hall didn't want to transfer the ambulance to them because they were supposedly in terrible financial shape. Funny how the truth comes out in the end. Raytona Beach Bum
I think the snap lie thing is clever. It simply identifies a lie. Like the one that said Raytown police did not receive a raise last year. Yes they did. Check it out. call your city councilman and ask them. They will tell you. They all voted for the budget. And the pay increases are included in the budget.
9:07 am
The poster at 10:43 does have a point.
Your complaints here are not helping the city move forward and I agree the bashing is getting redundant.
' "No more unqualified rank and file candidates. An emotionally mature, tantrum-free law enforcement administrator that values the virtues of respect and decorum would be optimal."
This is a great example. According to this..the rank and file police officers are unqualified, immature, tantrum throwing people lacking the virtues of respect and decorum.
Maybe you, specifically, haven't taken part in the name calling, which is why you've taken such offense, but bashing the police is a coming theme here. I sort through it just to take in information about the public. The facebook page isn't perfect either.
snap lie may not be a term in existence outside of this blog, but "malcontent" and "yellow journalism" might be worth a google.
Have a good weekend all.
"This is a great example. According to this..the rank and file police officers are unqualified, immature, tantrum throwing people lacking the virtues of respect and decorum....Maybe you, specifically, haven't taken part in the name calling, which is why you've taken such offense, but bashing the police is a coming theme here..."
Incorrect. Don't twist. Nice try, though.
Do you have 30 plus years in with this "administration"? And most importantly, do you actually know them very well? We doubt it. We know that it's probably provides you with a "rush", gratification, a feeling of control and makes you feel like part of the "in crowd" to interface with city "admin", especially when they respond to you. We'll suggest however that you step back and evaluate these entities a little more independently.
Another writer (quite wisely) separated "police officer". AKA "rank and file officer" from "Marshal".
You in turn recombined them once again, apparently to create further histrionics.
No one here has "bashed" any "rank and file" officer. Another writer issued a challenge for someone to search this message board's archives for proof of this.
Any luck with that?
RAF perform their duties capably and with dedication each day. Most however lack the experience to administer budgets that span into the millions of dollars or to interface effectively and equitably in an administrative capacity. They haven't developed requisite complex leadership skills. The great majority are younger men and women. A handful will never acclimate to leadership positions, due to any number of potential deficits or preferences. And a few more are just happy where they are, assisting the public until they can draw retirement. Each and every one of them are equally admired and respected.
You can't however shut down anyone from evaluating the performance of your Chief of Police, as fervently as you may try. He's an elected official. How he runs the Department (budget, resource allocation, ect.) and how he conducts himself are substantive concerns, especially at this point in time.
The previous posters apparently opined that the Chief was also RAF prior to his election some years back. We get what they're saying, but that's immaterial. Best to evaluate in present tense.
This "Chief" isn't being "bashed" when his conduct and performance are being evaluated by the general public.
In our opinion, he should retire when his term concludes. In the interim, new candidates "from the outside" need to be recruited to compete for the office.
"Your complaints here are not helping the city move forward and I agree the bashing is getting redundant."
You're free to state YOUR opinion. But you all need to stop holding on so desperately to the word "bashing". This city has serious issues where a few of the current officeholders have either contributed to the original problems, or they appear to be ineffectual or could care less when it now comes to dealing with them. And THAT'S backing out all of the personality variables of a few that have only made the situation even worse.
If these people can't get it together, they should have a reasonable expectation that they will be replaced. And they SHOULD be replaced. That's common sense, not "bashing".
Thanks for that reply. Seriously. I can appreciate the difference between being upset with the man who was voted into office if you don't feel he's doing a good job. That comes with the territory of public office. I've certainly seen the same opinions of some of the council members. Voting is fundamental in these matters.
Generalized statements are rarely accurate accross the board and I hate to see the fine officers I've met be desparaged for sticking around when so many of their former co-workers left for greener pastures. I wish we would see more of that type of care to explain on this blog and social media in general.
Crime is on the rise in Raytown. Actually, crime is on the rise everywhere. If Mike McDonough were to win the $100,000,000 (YEP, that's one hundred million) lottery, and give half of it to the Raytown police department to hire more officers, crime might go down a little, but not as much as you would like. That's because even if we had one police officer for every 10 residents, the police still can't predict which person is going to do something wrong. They would still have to wait until a crime happens before they can act. If the police watch John Doe call his neighbor an idiot, the neighbor might call him a dummy and they both walk away. If the police watch Bob Anon call his neighbor an idiot, how will the police know the neighbor has a concealed weapon, and isn't afraid to shot the neighbor who angers him? The police simply can't act until a crime has been committed. A thousand officers on the street will never change that.
@6:49 am
I find your argument to be poorly thought out. Secondly, having a thousand officers, an unrealistic and fantastical notion, would decrease crime and traffic violations. Criminals would avoid such a situation. To argue criminals would not be deterred in such a scenario goes against everything that modern criminology tells us.
More shootings last night. Mayor Mike was going to bring Raytown back to what it once was well I think you have brought it back to far. What a shame Beeler isn't still alive and chief.
6/8 6:49 AM makes a very good point! I said many years ago when there were allegations that the police wern't stopping crime, that if RPD stationed an officer on every corner, it would not deter crime.
Andy Whiteman
Only a fool would make such a statement ias this. The more officers on the street not only they respond more quickly but they are a deterrent to crime when they’re seein making traffic stops and patrolling the streets.
Something you all will not understand how law enforcement officers think, is it is a brother and sisterhood. They support each other, period, unless a law has been broken. So you talk bad about one, and they will have each other’s backs. Because unless you’ve done the job, you have no idea what they go through. Glad to be a retired brother in blue.
"Mayor Mike was going to bring Raytown back....What a shame Beeler isn't still alive and chief."
Agreed to some extent, however in this day of political correctness and regulation, one can only imagine what would transpire, and the ultimate result.
Mouth service versus iron fist.
Nowadays it truly is a sad state of affairs, isn't it?
There need to be a number of transitions prior to even beginning to straighten out this mess.
"Glad to be a retired brother in blue."
Thank you for your service. We hope this finds you in great health and that you're enjoying your retirement.
Very interesting,good job and thanks for sharing such a good blog.your article is so convincing that I never stop myself to say something about it.You’re doing a great job.Keep it up. Fourth of July 2018
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