2 Political Junkies: Nate Harper

Showing posts with label Nate Harper. Show all posts

October 25, 2007

Political Petition Taken Down at Police Headquarters

Posted by Maria

According to a WTAE TV news report this morning (no link yet) Police Chief Nate Harper had a petition taken down in Police headquarters which supported interim Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and disagreed with the FOP's endorsement of rival Mark DeSantis. (Early Returns noted that the city's Ethics Handbook states that all "city employees are prohibited from engaging in political activity during work hours and at all times in City offices.")

The petition had five signatures on it.

Impressive! [/snark]
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October 5, 2007

What did he know and when did he know it?

Posted by Maria

I'm trying to get this all straight here.

According to an article in today's Post-Gazette, the agreement which the City signed to get the funds to purchase the Yukon SUV that Lil Mayor Luke used as his personal party mobile stated that:

...all equipment bought with the $59,942 grant "shall be used for only the purposes set forth" in two documents called the Buffer Zone Plans and the Vulnerability Reduction Purchase Plan.

However, we the public cannot know what those exact purposes were because Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is citing national security as an excuse not to release requested portions of the document or even say what was in them (thanks for asking P-G, now sue him for the info!).

Well, how very Bush Administration of him!

Anyone want to guess the likelihood that the agreement stated that one of the "purposes" of the equipment purchased (SUV) was to be a "conveyance for BBQ sauce and charcoal for the purposes of tailgating activities"?

I think not.

But it gets worse.

According to the P-G:

The agreement was signed in March 2006 by then-director for intergovernmental affairs Dennis Regan, who is no longer with the city, and witnessed by Yarone Zober, who is now chief of staff.

So, wait. You're telling me that Lukey's BFF Yarone and his former BFF Denny knew that the grant put a limited use on all equipment but they not only forgot to tell Lukey, they let him drive around in the anti-terrorist equipment?

Moreover, we know from Jon Delano's excellent report on KDKA that Police Chief Nate Harper apparently couldn't wait to get Lukey into the sweet, sweet ride even though he knew that it could not be used for personal recreational activities?

Looks like Sergeant Mona Wallace did use the chain of command to warn everyone from the very start that Lukey was not allowed to take the SUV for a his joyrides, but not only was she repeatedly ignored, she was reprimanded (later rescinded as they probably realized that another payout to a female whistleblower a la Commander Catherine McNeilly wouldn't fly).

Harper is certainly being used as the fall guy on this one, just as he was in the promotions of the police officers with a history of domestic violence, but:

Regan knew
Zober knew
Huss knew

...what are the chances that Lil Mayor Luke didn't know?

And, if Lil Mayor Luke somehow didn't know, what is it about our corrupt city government that no one can say no to anything that our Boy King wants?
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UPDATE: So now we see from The Burgh Report (who's been on this story like white on rice) that Yarone Zober who knew about the federal restrictions on the Yukon SUV actually rode around in it himself with Mayor Ravenstahl. Yarone Zober should be fired.
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September 20, 2007

A Matter of Principle: A 2PJ Editorial

Posted by Maria

The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police should be congratulated on their out-of-the-box thinking and their adherence to higher principles

While local newspapers like the Post-Gazette and others continue to rag on the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police regarding officers with histories of domestic abuse, we here at 2 Political Junkies believe that it's high time for someone to stand up and defend the top brass in the department.

The P-G bemoans the bureau's "mostly hands-off policy" when it comes to police officers who are accused of domestic violence including those who have had petitions for protection-from-abuse orders (PFAs) taken out against them.

Apparently the P-G thinks that it's just fine and dandy for our own city to merely ape the behaviors of other police bureaus in some sort of blind allegiance to "best practices" completely discounting the fact that Pittsburgh is a unique city with its own distinctive customs and history.

The P-G cites so called "experts" who recommend "a range of approaches by departments, including temporarily putting alleged abusers on desk duty, taking away their guns or forbidding contact with their accusers."

They quote some guy from Newark who is "surprised" that our top brass aren't more "proactive" when it comes to handling officers accused of domestic violence.

But, we must ask what is wrong with reinventing the wheel?

Just because the International Association of Chiefs of Police says that police applicants and officers up for promotion should have a "clean record" with "no arrests, suspended sentences, diversion programs, convictions or protection from abuse orders related to child abuse, sexual assault, stalking or domestic violence" doesn't mean that we have to slavishly follow such a policy here in the good ol' Burgh.

What are we talking about anyway?

Bruises fade, broken bones mend, hair ripped out at the roots grows back.

Why would we want to handcuff our top brass and our mayor from being able to choose those officers who they obviously believe are the best suited for the job over officers who don't happen to have any history of, say, punching their teenage daughter in the stomach or breaking their wife's nose?

Let's be frank here: it would seem that there are those out their who are in favor of the pussification of our police.

If you call 911 don't you want to know that an officer will respond who is man enough to beat a woman or child down?

Don't you want junior officers to be able to know that it takes a real man to achieve a promotion within the department? Don't they need role models? Don't they need to understand that the top brass will change or break any silly rules about rank to promote officers out of order to get the very best men as lieutenants and commanders?

What about the principle of innocent until proven guilty? What exactly is the problem with swearing in a recruit last month who has already had two PFAs out against him? Don't all recruits have an absolute right to become police officers as long as they've never been actually convicted of an assault or murder? I mean, you wouldn't try to deny Britney Spears or Michael Jackson the right to baby-sit your kids when they've never been convicted of abuse in a court of law, would you? It's only small minds and conventional thinkers who have some sort of sick need to obsess over every little pimple and hiccup on an officer's record and deny them their right to walk around amongst the public with a loaded weapon.

And what about the so-called "victims?" We've seen time and again that when push comes to shove, these women and children will back down and drop charges against their loved ones when they are confronted with the power and might of the system, as well they should.

While we do not necessarily advocate punishing these women and children outright for their whining complaints, we do think that they could benefit by following the example of the following women in this hard hitting reality check of a fair and balanced news report on domestic violence:

Pittsburghers, please, ignore the nay-sayers.

Do not condemn our police chief and mayor to live in fear of being stalked by any past or future consent decrees or any questioning on their priorities and good judgment. They must remain free to operate on the principle that caving to women's and victims' rights groups and a biased MSM will only make them appear weak and womanly -- and that's not the sort of thing that we want from our leaders in a town "made of steel, made of stone".

June 29, 2007

(I'm just so sick of this) Ravenstahl Refuses to Rescind Police Promotions

Posted by Maria

It's not my fault!

I have "zero tolerance" against domestic abuse, well, except for Trosky because "there are good times in careers and bad times in careers."

And, I was "unaware of the allegations of domestic violence against two of three police officers promoted" even though days before my office said that I wouldn't talk about the effects of these promotions on women.

It's just not my fault because as mayor, I only get to approve or disapprove these promotions. It's Nate's fault! He did it! And the rules, yeah, those too!

I am "upset and frustrated" which is why I skipped yesterday's hearing before the public and why my office can't confirm exactly where I was or even if I'll watch the video tape of the hearings.

It's just so unfair that this is happening...to me!

We have a a Mayor who can't do the right thing in the first place and who never accepts any responsibility for his mistakes.

The only politician in this country who may be a bigger spoiled brat than Lil Mayor Luke is George W. Bush.

I used to think that maybe a silver lining would be that after two more years of Ravenstahl's mistakes and lies and excuses the public would be so fed up that they would elect a decent progressive.

But we're no longer talking about sleep-overs to NYC on school nights or Tiger Hunts, we're talking about the safety and the very lives of the women and children of Pittsburgh.

DeSantis is looking better by the hour.

It's not my fault!

June 28, 2007

Today's City Council Public Hearing on Recent Police Promotions

Posted by Maria

While being much, much better, a side effect of having been ill for a very long time includes having days when the side effects of the medications I was on and those I am weaning off of sometimes catch up with me. Today (of course!) was one of those days. Sucks to me, blah, blah, blah.

Anyway, I could not attend today's public hearing on the recent police promotions. However, I did catch nearly all of the telecast and will be blogging on that shortly.

But, Sue Kerr of Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents did attend.

Moreover, she live blogged the hearing over at The Pittsburgh Women's Blogging Society (a most impressive effort!).

Read it all!

Live Blogging from City Council
Breaching the Chamber
It is 1:12 PM and things are heating up ...
Almost curtain time ...
Coming to order ...
More on Council Meeting
Here's More on hearing
Police Council Hearing
Opening the Floor for Comments

June 26, 2007

True to pattern, Lil Mayor Luke tries to run from another stupid mistake

Posted by Maria

According to today's Trib, Post-Gazette, KDKA, WTAE (and likely elsewhere) Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is claiming today:

1) He's upset about the police promotion system -- particularly when it comes to promoting officers with histories of domestic violence.

2) He somehow wasn't aware until today that there were three officers promoted who had domestic abuse run-ins. (Ravenstahl said he was not aware of domestic situations involving Lt. Charles Rodriguez and Sgt. Eugene Hlavac."I did not know of those individuals and their history or allegations that were out there, and I now do," Ravenstahl said. "I'm upset that I didn't know. And I let the chief know that he should have communicated that to me.")

I think that PittGirl and Mac Booker covered his first claim very well.

From The Burgh Blog:

Tuesday, June 19:
Mr. Ravenstahl approved the pick.

“There are good times in careers and bad times in careers, and I think Cmdr. Trosky would be the first to acknowledge that,” the mayor said. “But this decision was made based on a 30-year portfolio, not based on one or two incidents … He’s had letters of commendation. He’s been Officer of the Month numerous times. Certainly the clearance rate in his work as a homicide detective, and his work there, has been admirable.”

Tuesday, June 26:
Following an hour-long meeting with police brass, Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said today that the promotions last week of three police officers with domestic issues were “unacceptable” and that the procedures for approving upgrades in rank are “obsolete and unacceptable.” Ravenstahl said, “Sergeants and lieutenants are promoted now without the ability for the mayor to say yes or no, either way.”

From Metroblogging Pittsburgh (but go there to read the whole post):

So, he doesn't think that it is a problem, he supports and endorses Nate Harper's decisions, and he isn't going to talk about it. Until, that is, the Post-Gazette, the National Organization for Women, and the Citizen's Police Review Board make a stink about it. In that case, no more approval, no more endorsement, no more dismissing a history of violence both in uniform and out. It is "obsolete and unacceptable."

And, the second claim?

Again, it would seem that, at the very least, Luke isn't communicating with his Communications people very well. This is from last Friday:

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, who approved the promotions, could not be reached for comment. His spokeswoman, Joanna Doven, said the mayor would not discuss the promotions or their effects on women.

"He's not going to talk about that," Doven said.

June 25, 2007

City Council Hearing This Thursday on Promoting Cops with Histories of Abuse

Posted by Maria

P-G
By now, we hope that everyone has read something about the three Pittsburgh City Police Officers (Cmdr. George T. Trosky, Lt. Charles Rodriguez, Sgt. Eugene F. Hlavac) who have had had domestic abuse run-ins and who were promoted by Police Chief Nate Harper with the approval of Mayor Luke Ravenstahl.

Some good background on police family violence can be found here (h/t to Laurie in the comments section of The Pittsburgh Women's Blogging Society) and here (h/t to Agent Ska).

Concerned women and men in the City of Pittsburgh (h/t to Jeanne K. C. Clark, Council Pres. Doug Shields and everyone else who helped) have gathered signatures and have managed to secure a public meeting this Thursday with the Pittsburgh City Council:

People concerned with last week's promotion of three Pittsburgh police officers with histories of domestic abuse, either violent or verbal, will get to say their piece at a Pittsburgh City Council public hearing at 1:30 p.m. Thursday in council chambers on the fifth floor of the City-County Building. Organizers turned in petitions demanding the hearings on Friday and didn't want to wait the weeks to a month that it often takes to get a special meeting of the city's nine legislators. Council President Doug Shields obliged, making sure that the issue will get an airing before the July 4 holiday.

Quotes like this one in The Trib from the office of our esteemed "hot, hip, young" Mayor can't help the situtation:

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, who approved the promotions, could not be reached for comment. His spokeswoman, Joanna Doven, said the mayor would not discuss the promotions or their effects on women.

"He's not going to talk about that," Doven said.
[h/t to The Conversation.]

I urge all who care to attend.

Crossposted at The Pittsburgh Women's Blogging Society
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