Spokane7
65°
April 21, 2011 in City
Clark: Interim vortex will engulf chief
In like a lioness. Out like a mugging victim.
Can’t say I was too shocked to read that Anne Kirkpatrick has already told the mayor to start trolling the asylums for another Spokane police chief.
September will mark five years since Kirkpatrick jumped off the ledge and into the job as the Lilac City’s top law enforcer.
Wow. Five long years.
Stress studies have shown that running the Spokane Police Department for five years can cause the same psychic damage as a 20-year stretch in a Turkish prison.
Look how the job has affected Chief Anne.
Shortly after being sworn in, Kirkpatrick was the portrait of perky optimism. She was often in the news, promoting her latest attempt to drag the department out of the Testosterone Age.
Kirkpatrick validated her tough “If you lie, you die” policy right off the bat by canning a rookie officer.
Five years later the poor woman can’t be around loud noises and takes her meals through plastic bendy straws.
Pressured by the Blue Mafia (aka Spokane Police Guild), her “you lie” edict has been reworded to …
“Well, at least try not to shoot any civilians.”
I tried to tell her, of course.
History will show me to be the only pundit who cared enough to warn Kirkpatrick about the Venus flytrap she was getting herself into.
“Run for your life!” I told her.
If only she had listened.
Chief Anne now wants out of the SPD worse than CBS wanted out of Charlie Sheen.
Kirkpatrick has photocopied her resume so many times that downtown Kinko’s named her Customer of the Year.
Unfortunately, extricating herself from the thin blue tar pit may not be as easy as she hopes.
Granted, our mayor and council aren’t the brightest bulbs in our civic refrigerator. But they do know how difficult it will be to find another badge-wearing Quixote like Kirkpatrick.
The chief is a fine person with impeccable standards and high moral values.
Our leaders know that this can be exploited to our advantage.
See, Kirkpatrick promised to keep serving as chief during the interim search for another pigeon. But she forgot to stipulate just how long that interim period might be.
So look for the Kirkpatrick replacement search to take …
Oh, maybe forever.
Sorry, Anne. But you’re the creepy punch line to this “Twilight Zone” episode.
Or, to quote the Eagles:
“You can check out any time you like, but you can NEVER LEAVE!!!”
• Some of you noticed my absence for the last couple of weeks.
My lovely wife, Sherry, took me on a trip to New York City to celebrate my landmark birthday.
(Let’s say LX and leave it at that.)
But as I was enjoying all the big-city wonders, I got to realizing that Manhattan really isn’t so different from our Spohattan.
New York has Central Park. We’ve got Central Pre-Mix.
Big whoop.
And I’m also betting New York officials are as shifty as Spokane officials.
They just get to deceive the public in grander buildings.
Doug Clark is a columnist for The Spokesman-Review. He can be reached at (509) 459-5432 or by email at dougc@spokesman.com.
Recent stories by Doug Clark
Doug Clark: Roskelley’s candidacy is all downhill from here May 27, 2012 15- Clark: No clear inspiration for ‘Spokane Motel Blues’ May 24, 2012 6
- Professor’s ‘Motel’ mystery needs you to solve it May 22, 2012
- Clark: City ordinance shows lack of sound thinking May 20, 2012 21
- Doug Clark: Many wrongs, one big right in Zehm case May 17, 2012 24
Albert on April 21 at 6:12 a.m.
Doug I pondered what you wrote over my a.m. coffee and the enormity of the graft, corruption, control, and outright brutality of the SPD became crystal clear. We seriously need a Federal investigation into this corruption. Only the Feds can come in and clean house, however we all know that this will not likely be done. Our mayor and lack luster city council are riddled with union control and like the chief, clearly demonstrate zero integrity. At the end of the road, the chief has been reduced to a mere puppet. The entire system is a total and complete failure.
REMEMBER OTTO!
Liberty_Bell on April 21 at 6:26 a.m.
At least we all know the Washington State Democratic Process is also working well, as shown best in the Seattle P.D. Federal Investigation for the politically connected democratic party, unchanged since 1871.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1871
Liberty_Bell on April 21 at 6:34 a.m.
And never forget the school of police corruption, as taught in Olympia, and shown by the records of the most incompetant chiefs ever assembled.
http://www.waspc.org/index.php?d=102
lewis8457 on April 21 at 6:52 a.m.
The Fed will never get involved, they are part of the problem. The dragging on of Otto’s trial is a clear message from the Fed, they only want to prosecute citizens, not cops.
We all should be mad at the amount of money they have wasted, while Thompson is still on the job, possible ready to kill again.
With the Police Guild and Steve Tucker why do we need a police chief. It is just another waste of 100 grand that has no actual powers. Kind of like Tim Burns, our neutered and blind folded police ombudsman.
D Statler on April 21 at 7:15 a.m.
SPOHATAN ? LOLLI POP GUILD ? This has been a great week of surfin. You can’t buy this kind of entertainment! LOL Thanks Doug for the new outlook on Sokane. Don’t worry about reaching the top of the hill.It’s the picking up speed on the way down the other side that is scarey. Happy Birthday!
Elkay on April 21 at 7:52 a.m.
Things around here won’t change until voters educate themselves before electing our “leaders” (I used that term loosely)…and IF they can relinquish the obvious partisanship that is demonstrated on these blogs.
Everyone happy with our mayor, council, prosecutor, etc.?
Happy LX, Doug! Enjoyed your sagacious humor today. : )
Ron_the_Cop on April 21 at 9:26 a.m.
Readers here should read the diverse comment thread In Brunt’s earlier S-R article on Chief Kirkpatrick announcing her departure. I posted this comment and several others:
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/apr/20/chief-says-time-here-nearing-end/?comments#c289060
93bird on April 21 at 10:09 a.m.
Doug. Although I’m one of your most loyal fans, I am dissappointed with your research. As someone of Turkish heritage and with a familiarity of Turkey’s prisons, I can tell you that a 20 year stint in the “dungeon” of Diyarbakir would be a walk in the park compared to Kirkpatrick’s 5 years as Chief Apologist.
Orphan on April 21 at 10:26 a.m.
Well said Elkay, We the People have recieved exactly what we asked for.
Dazzeetrader11 on April 21 at 12:59 p.m.
She put her trust in Nicks? He’s among the biggest problems in Spokane. Says something about judgement. FBI needs to get to Spokane forthwith and clean out this Blue Mafia!
It’s a trickle from Verner…..she’ll see to it that they get their raises. Untill she’s gone, little will ever be done.
Don’t re-elect this do nothing mayor. She’s at the heart of this and is the problem as much as Nicks is. FIre the unions….jobs just not the contrived overbearing union jobs.
She needs the police for her re-election just like last time. Guess who was the biggest contributor? They don’t do that unless they expect something in return……….do they? People who pay for their police force shouldn’t be afraid of their own police.
zelda on April 21 at 1:01 p.m.
I can’t tell what all this verbal flailing about aims to accomplish. Clark’s columns about police corruption have veered from travesty to mockery to blunt-force sarcasm.
I guess that says something about the overwhelming sense of futility Clark and the rest of us feel about the city’s dismal future.
bszottlinger on April 21 at 1:31 p.m.
I’m sorry but beyond the piece, I’m lost. I have no idea what “LX” refers to. I know that there is a Lexus “LX”, and “LX” has something to do with cars. I know there is a TV show in NY called “LX”. But I’m seriously confused about how “LX” has anything to do with a birthday. I realize that Mr. Clark has never had a problem when it comes to running at the mouth, but I know from experience that the older you get the more difficult it becomes at the other end., so I’m wondering if the editors missed the spelling mistake and it should have been “EX-LAX” birthday.
http://www.zug.com/herbal/colon/
zelda on April 21 at 1:42 p.m.
Brad — I think that means Roman numeral 60.
greenlibertarian on April 21 at 1:43 p.m.
MMXI is a clue.
bszottlinger on April 21 at 2:07 p.m.
Zelda:
With all do respect, as you know the problems lie with an inability on the part of many to except the challenge. Mockery to blunt force sarcasm provides some relief from the challenge ahead, only recently have some of the “elite” realized, from a self-serving perspective of course, that the problems if not addressed will have an impact on the bottom line.
bszottlinger on April 21 at 2:09 p.m.
60 …Oh!…NEVER MIND!
zelda on April 21 at 2:30 p.m.
Outside of movie copyrights, crossword puzzles and Doug Clark columns, Roman numerals don’t get out as much as they used to.
lewis8457 on April 21 at 2:40 p.m.
Elkay, I think we are sunk. There are far too many government workers in Spokane to ever get rid of the likes of Steve Tucker or the police guild. I know of several senior citizens groups that voted against him this time and he still won. I think it is because of the government workers it is their security, free pass card. Who else would allow a county prosecutor to let cops get off with murder? I don’t think a normal go to work in the private sector person would allow that. I think the average person in Spokane knows the odds of 28 police shootings all being the victim’s fault is well…impossible. And if they don’t I invite them to try that luck at Northern quest Casino.
Tucker has won 3 times when everyone I know voted against him, quite frankly with all the lying and cheating I am convinced elections in Spokane are fixed.
The people here are educated the problem is they are out numbered.
lewis8457 on April 21 at 2:42 p.m.
Kirkpatrick got here after they killed Otto and she will leave before his case even comes to trial, which it never will.
bszottlinger on April 21 at 2:44 p.m.
Back on point!
Can we please find someone that is NOT nice. Has the experience to understand that binding arbitration means nothing anymore, as long as you do your due diligence. Can we find someone that will not allow Mr. Vick present in a Laudermill Hearing, let alone after the hearing (six times) to allow him to plead the officers case.
Can we please find someone that knows what they are doing and is willing to kick some butt whether it is staff or politicians.
bszottlinger on April 21 at 2:51 p.m.
Well, now that I know what Roman Numerals are I’ll start opening those emails that list my age “XXX”.
zelda on April 21 at 4:00 p.m.
Niceness is a code word for politically submissive. If you want to get a load of full-throttle niceness, take a look at the front -page article about STA’s grand plan for downtown in the latest Journal of Business. And grab a barf bag; you’re about to be taken for quite a ride. It seems the ghost of Robert Moses (writ small) is stalking the streets with blueprints and visions of new tax structures. Nowhere does it explain *why* this is a good idea. It’s just thrilling to think about “what a well-suited project would do for us in Spokane.” And what exactly *is* that? Hey, I’m all for doing thought experiments but this is all a bit too abstract for me. Lots of references to “other parties” and “stakeholders” but no specifics as to who they are. I even had to look up the term “mill levy.”
Elkay on April 21 at 4:45 p.m.
Zelda,
I’ll have to get a copy of the Journal — thanks for the warning. How does one investigate who “other parties” and/or “stakeholders” are? And exactly what/how much do they have to gain, as in Follow The Money?
I think we’ve been here once before … for the ‘good’ of downtown Spokane; yet there are a TON of vacancies around. I hate seeing us get shot in the A$$ again.
And BSZ, your photo makes you look only X. OK, maybe XV. (This was a test.) Hee!
Ron_the_Cop on April 21 at 5:04 p.m.
LOL Zelda,
Niceness? Did you mean Spokane nice perchance? I’ve already said my two cents regarding Chief Kirkpatrick and things Spokane. The serious issues with SPD reside with its police command staff that fails to lead. The powers that be both political and otherwise have actively condoned this lack of leadership. Why do you suppose?
If people want real change then they must first demand the Mayor and Council do what is necessary. If they don’t we run the risk of the status quo continuing. This is not acceptable in my opinion for the reasons I outlined in my report on SPD’s Creach OIS investigation (http://tinyurl.com/4wz2fpc). There are similarities between the Zehm Case and the Creach Case not in the events themselves but in actually seeking the truth in the subsequent criminal and IA investigations. Doug to his credit has kept the Zehm Case on the public’s radar but hasn’t really explored the much deeper issues at they relate to Spokane government and SPD.
Going off thread Zelda, since you mentioned Downtown trolleys that will suck scarce public resources again to benefit the few, you should read the comment thread under Prager’s blurb several days ago.
Actually this is related. This is just another tell-tale symptom of the insidious cancer that infects Spokane. This cancer must be first destroyed before there is any real hope for any change at SPD. The big river leaches that are sucking the life’s blood of Spokane must be pried loose.
A SPD and a County Prosecutor that will continually look the other way to political conflicts of interest/corruption and economic/financial crimes that rob the public treasury in broad daylight will continue to be tolerated by the powers that be. It’s okay to catch liquor store and pharmacy robbers but don’t set your sites any higher.
Here’s my snipe in Prager’s article thread http://tinyurl.com/4x6f9jl :
Gee are we preparing the ground for our trolley system Downtown?
In view of the recent research work of this blog:
This correlation between concrete and jobs has not panned out in other projects. Who’s doing the explaining?
Det. Ron Wright (Retired)
Ron Wright Investigations LLC
zelda on April 21 at 5:19 p.m.
The Journal of Business article about STA’s plans is notable for its murkiness and insight (if you look at it closely) for how things get “arranged” around here with the police chief being but one example of co-option.
“If [the transit plan] were to move forward, a high-performance transit system could be funded primarily with a mix of a local-improvement district mill levy, a parking-meter fee increase, a voter-approved increase in sales tax, and federal funds, Meyer says. Federal funds typically require local matches, she says. ‘We will do it when and if the stakeholders want to do it.’ Meyer says.”
Ron_the_Cop on April 21 at 5:36 p.m.
Zelda,
Meyer needs to clearly define just whom the stakeholders are:-)
zelda on April 21 at 6:34 p.m.
The Journal of Business article contains so many references to “others” and “the others” that it made me think of that psychological horror movie starring Nicole Kidman. She lives in a creepy mansion with her children and their lives are structured around a series of complex rules designed to protect them from inadvertent exposure to sunlight. I don’t mean to clobber people over the head with the metaphor, but…
Beware of “The Others.”
Ron_the_Cop on April 21 at 7:05 p.m.
Zelda and All,
Ok I forked over the $1.50 for the article. You can read it here:
Journal of Bus - STA, others broach rail options again
http://tinyurl.com/3kjfvjv
Elkay on April 22 at 5:08 a.m.
Ron, I’ll contribute .75¢ to you if we ever meet. Thanks for letting us read this very disturbing article.
Do you think the public remembers “revitalizing” downtown with Riverpark Square and the Garage that was supposed to pay for itself?
Do you think the public remembers STA having to pass some sort of bond issue when they said they were going “bankrupt” about 10 or 15 years ago? After building their heart-of-downtown Taj Garage?
This article reports “…In addition, regardless of mode, the OPERATING COST would range from $2 million to $4 million annually.” That only includes this particular system ONLY … not the costs to run their regular bus schedules, nor the costs to construct substations, buy the cars, signage, automated off-board ticketing systems, nor maintenance and storage requirements.
Where is the ROI (return on investment) for this 3-mile envisioned toot-toot going to come from? Do these geniuses really think they’d recoup $2 to 4 million a year operating costs for this ONE system (which I’d bet is underestimated).
Zelda, thanks so much for alerting us — and Ron, for the $$$ so we can access this article.
Hey, Susan Meyer, if it’s so “captivating” to think about this grand opportunity, why don’t YOU come up with the money by yourself instead of involving your Holy Grail of Taxpayers. (Did you hear the economy ain’t doin’ too well?)
arroyoribera on April 30 at 3:04 p.m.
In 2007 I wrote this about the Chief at the end of a long blog post dealing with Citizens Review Commission and the corruption of justice in Spokane: http://spokanepoliceabuses.wordpress.com/2007/10/11/citizen-review-commission-is-not-the-answer-to-independent-oversight/
(quote) How about this as a plan of action for this your second year, Chief — no more public relations campaigns, no more COPS TV, no more trying to manipulate the public, no more cooking of statistics, no more disrespecting the community, no more excessive use of force, no more we-know-better-than-the-people, no more gang propaganda, no more large-scale purchases of high caliber para-military weaponry.
How about straight forward police work. Arsons, thefts, domestic violence, DUIs, etc.
And when your officers mess up or violate community standards, betray the public trust, or use excessive force, a mechanism of oversight and review of the communities choosing — not of the police department’s choosing — will help to sort it out.
The Boise Ombudsman model remains an excellent example of what Spokane could have.
The Citizens Review Commission remains the example of precisely what we can no longer afford. (end quote)
Unfortunately, the Chief did not follow my suggestion. Unfortunately, we did not get a Boise-style ombuds process. Unfortunately, we largely got business as usual in Spokane.
Hopefully the community itself will start researching the type of police chief it wants and looking around the community for such possible candidates and then go to City Hall in mass to demand it.
The “we elect you, you do our business the way you want” model of so-called “democracy” has been forever discredited. It is time for large-scale citizen involvement.
Anne Kirkpatrick will move on. We will not forget what she failed to do for our community nor her lecturing us from stages during so-called “civic forums” nor those who died at the hands of her officers or were tasered to their death off the Monroe Street Bridge or called “scumbag by her officers or were unjustly arrested during her time here.