Konop suggests garbage men look out for crime
As per the Blade, Mayoral candidate proposes trash collectors as crime fighters is being reported. I didn’t receive the full press release on this one, so I don’t know if some of the questions that I had were answered in the media release that may not have been covered in the article. So? Here goes.
In a way it’s similar to what D. Michael Collins (then a candidate) suggested that the Mayor adopted in 2007 water meter readers reporting housing code violations. That idea didn’t go over too well by some, Maggie Thurber raised some concerns/questions of that back in 2007.
I wondered two things, first, the City could very well be subcontracting out it’s trash collection services to Allied Waste, that decision is going to be made within the next month. Second, whether the City goes with Allied Waste or not? We are going to an automated service where it would be pretty difficult for a driver who has to concentrate on navigating down City streets as well as picking up trash cans with the automated arm to pay attention to what’s happening beyond his or her direct line of view. That change in service whether Allied or City will probably take place before the next Mayor takes office.
I’m not sure how we would train employees of a subcontracted company to have the sole driver add that to his job responsibilities. It is entirely possible for the few moments, once a week that a garbage truck comes down our streets they might see something suspicious, I guess I’d hope that if they saw a crime being committed while they are on the City clock they’d notify dispatch now. I’d hope the same thing for any city employee or resident that if they saw something suspicious or a crime being committed that they’d call the authorities.
When it comes to CompStat computerized statistics software, which some debate it actually being a software program or it being the reason crime dropped in New York; the description is it’s basically entering crime and arrest reports are entered into Microsoft Excel, if you really want to go deep into Compstat a 35 page article that looks at it’s performance. I’m wondering how this can be on the “chopping block” unless it’s a matter of the staff people needed to enter the statistics are being laid off/reassigned. Though some cities have the officers input the information into the database when they write incident reports, it’s not clear how Toledo handles it. Some cities like Baltimore use a different system that can be utilized for the whole City, Citistat.
I can see the value in having statistics, it would be interesting to learn more as to what is exactly going to be cut and if there is another way to do it or a more cost effective way. It’s hard to really discuss that aspect since there’s not much information out there on Toledo and Compstat, beyond older material like this from 1998. Maybe some of you who have more information on that process will share your thoughts.
I agree with the fact that if and when we end up with this system that I would much rather have the driver focus on his work and not on someting else – we don’t need another truck tipped over or someone’s car picked up instead of the cans.
April 20th, 2009 at 11:47 amCan Lucas County Commissioners be recalled?
April 20th, 2009 at 12:01 pmYes, Procedure for removal of elective officer by recall.
April 20th, 2009 at 12:06 pmI would think that any good-standing individual, public employee or not, would call the police if something of a criminal nature was happening. This idea is not protection from harm, it’s an excuse to get another press release and try to put a positive spin on the layoff of many of our city’s armed forces. Having garbage men keep an eye on our neighborhoods is no substitution for police protection. This idea is like saying, “Well they’re already out there in the neighborhoods, why not have them do it?” Did Konop at any point criticize the current mayor for laying off the police officers in the first place? I can’t say I look forward to more new ideas from Mr. Konop.
April 20th, 2009 at 12:29 pmLisa, that was for city officers. Let me check on the county if they are recallable.
April 20th, 2009 at 12:44 pmDave, true, but when I read 3.08 it implied county officials would follow the same guidelines.
April 20th, 2009 at 12:53 pmRecall could become a Toledo cottage industry.
April 20th, 2009 at 1:01 pmHere’s a title for the city –
Toledo, the recalling city of America – Mayors today, others to follow. Who’s next!
April 20th, 2009 at 1:10 pmWell, that’s one way to stimulate economic development.
I don’t disagree with encouraging all city employees and residents to report crime, I’m just not sure with the whole automation taking place it would be realistic even if it ends up being a City employee driving the truck for them to be able to do that and their job.
What do you know about the whole Compstat thing Ron?
April 20th, 2009 at 1:22 pmLisaRenee:As I understand it CompStat, StarTac or Citistat use the combination of statistical data and manpower to try to predict trends in calls for service. Each of them work fairly well, if the adequate amount of resources are available. Manpower has to be available to enter the data, analyze it then administer it. My guess would be that if and when these massive lay offs occur, the TPD will be scrambling just to answer 911 calls and they will not have the luxury of using any statistical computer programs. They will most certainly lose the ability to patrol areas of the city in the anticipation of policing needs. That’s just my opinion, of course.
April 20th, 2009 at 1:36 pmLet’s go to law school and practice law together one of these days.
April 20th, 2009 at 1:43 pmDave, tempting but can you imagine us in school together? We’d get kicked out our first week for asking too many questions.
April 20th, 2009 at 1:44 pmRon, thanks for your answer, that’s how it seemed to me too, though I wasn’t sure if the officers input the data or they had someone else do it.
April 20th, 2009 at 1:45 pmHmm, Ben acts as if this is his brilliant idea when in fact this idea has been around for a while. From a simple google search I learned that Roseville CA (suburb Sacramento) and the Dallas Ft. Worth area of Texas doing this already. A fact from the Dallas Ft. Worth story indicated that there were over 2100 sanitation workers across the country already trained to provide this service.
Then there would be the other scenario where a sanitation worker in Worhington CA, another suburb of Sacramento has been convicted of murdering a woman on his collection route. Or how about the sanitation workers in Newark NJ who filled up their own and their friends cars on city owned gas pumps to the tune of $45K.
Nice try Ben, better luck with your next non story.
April 20th, 2009 at 1:56 pmEasy disposal of victims that way…
April 20th, 2009 at 2:34 pmJust an aside on the one man trucks….my garbage is picked up by a private service, manually, and only has one person driving and loading. Still gets done on time, like clock work every week.
So my guess is that this is just yet another exmaple of setting the bar far too low for a public employee.
April 20th, 2009 at 3:02 pmDaveschulz wrote:
Which of us is more twisted, you for thinking of that or me for laughing at it?
April 20th, 2009 at 3:03 pmwe’re both twisted..
April 20th, 2009 at 3:06 pmSo what does Konop want? Does he think
the department that hires those that
pick up the garbage put police officers
that are on lay off in that department
picking up garbage to look for and spot any crime going
on??
This is only for your afternoon humor!
April 20th, 2009 at 3:31 pmWill all garbage trucks have a red and blue lightbar installed?
April 20th, 2009 at 4:50 pmGee, I hope “COPS” decides to film in Toledo. It’d be pretty cool to see 4 garbage trucks with lights ablazing and sirens awailing in hot pursuit of a scofflaw.
April 20th, 2009 at 5:13 pmI wonder what speed those trucks get up to? They may have trouble catching an elderly criminal in a rascal!
April 20th, 2009 at 5:34 pmOr you mean to tell me Konop has not
suggested that the Dog Warden be
more so and trained on the alert?? The Dog Warden and crew could use dart
shooting techniques at any suspicious
person or anyone walking/running away
from him or anyone else while he is
looking for or going out after dogs, cats, etc.!
Do you still have your humor??
April 20th, 2009 at 6:45 pmSue wrote:
Hey it would be no worse than our illustrious sheriff dept.! We could actually combine the dog warden and the sheriff! You may be on to something here Sue!
April 20th, 2009 at 6:52 pmI’m going to say that the person who’s suggesting multi-tasking here has NEVER run on a garbage truck. It’s not for the faint hearted and multi-tasking isn’t an option. It’s a ludicrous proposition. And, since he has proven to be SO uninformed to use his platform to address the public on such a stupid idea – he’s not very responsible.
If Ben wants to make such kind of recommendations, he’d ought to first do the research so that he is QUALIFIED to make such recommendations and go for a simple ride along.
Until such time as he is adequately educated on the topic, it would be more seemly that he simply keep his uniformed and uneducated comments to himself. He’s young enough yet that he still believes he can avoid true education and survive on the Cliff Notes of his young mind.
Picking up trash is a tough job. I’ve seen the garbage men in my neighborhood going from waving and hollering hello at me to this morning, where they wouldn’t even look at me. That’s because of stupid comments like this and the knowledge that Toledo wants to put them out of a job.
April 20th, 2009 at 10:54 pmRemember the garbage trucks in “Soylent Green”, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABBQw6Ffbb8&feature=related.
April 20th, 2009 at 11:46 pmThe real problem is, comments like this are ideas that get people elected in this area. Laugh all you want, but look at the elected officials of today.
April 21st, 2009 at 6:07 amI don’t know about the rest of you, but the garbage collectors on my street are barely capable of fully emptying the trash cans and setting them back on the curb. We always have rolling barrels in the street on trash day and/or stuff stuck in the bottom of the can. Now, I’m not trying to be harsh on garbage collectors, I’m happy as long as they show up and get most of the trash without breaking the expensive plastic bins. However, I certainly don’t want them as substitutes for police. I doubt that THEY want to be police either.
Trashmen handle trash. Policemen handle policing. Let’s not confuse the two.
April 21st, 2009 at 1:13 pmMesmerix wrote:
I see a lot of similarities in the two professions.
April 21st, 2009 at 3:20 pmKonop is at it again. Maybe he thinks he has a better idea than to have the garbage men and women do the police work. The folks of Toledo should be pleased that the kid is looking after them. Bennie the Kid.
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090430/NEWS16/904300239
April 30th, 2009 at 12:24 pm