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February 28, 2013
Rybak Suffers Blowback
Earlier this month we warned about the effort by Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak to extort gun control concessions from gun makers by manipulating municipal contracts to equip police officers. We noted that the rigorous process of selecting a service sidearm for any law enforcement agency is serious business, and that the Mayor’s effort to politicize the process would not sit well even with his own police force, much less those in other cities.
Now the blowback is starting to come in. In a letter from the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis (POFM), Rybak’s extortion scheme is blasted and the mayor is accused of “using rank–and–file Minneapolis police officers as pawns.” The letter goes on to say that “putting the police department in turmoil, risking the safety of police officers and potentially making the city liable for millions of dollars in lawsuits is a bad idea.” The detailed reasoning behind this claim is worth a read.
The Federation letter goes on to offer some alternative ideas it considers to be worthy, saying, “Instead, the POFM advocates taking the advice of a coalition of Minnesota law enforcement officials and concentrate on five areas where civilian and law enforcement leaders can make a difference.
This includes:
- Improve the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).
- Provide law enforcement access to already public court mental health records.
- Improve the procedures for inmate competency and civil commitment evaluations and treatment.
- Review Minnesota’s Civil Commitment Law.”
The mayor should pay due heed to this advice from the law enforcement professionals of his community. For that matter, so should the Congress, the President and the Vice President.
Categories: Government Relations, Top Stories
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