The Trentonian is back with another story based on an unnamed source. Today, a piece written by David Foster tells us that the Indicted Occupant of Trenton’s Mayor’s Office is seeking the dismissal of Police Director Ralph Rivera.
Why?
As far as I am concerned, there could be several reasons, stemming from the rapidly rising index of violent crime and death in the City of Trenton, one that existing law enforcement resources, as currently deployed, are incapable of controlling. Those at the top in positions of leadership must be accountable for successes or failures, and we have not seen many of the former under the leadership of this Director.
So, what are we being told, this morning, is the reason for the IO to push for Mr. Rivera’s departure? According to “an administrative official, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of retribution,”
Eight months into his tenure, Rivera made one of his most highly criticized moves when he disbanded the city’s two Tactical Anti-Crime units, used for defense against gang violence, drugs and street-level emergencies.
Mack is citing that decision as another reason for Rivera’s dismissal, according to the source.
“It was Rivera’s idea to disband the TAC Units in hopes to expand the patrol bureau,” the administrative official said. “The reduction in crime hasn’t come to fruition.” [Emphasis mine -KM]
That’s the party line, then? The decision to disband the Tactical units to expand the patrol bureau was Mr. Rivera’s decision? Really? That’s the story you’re going with?
Well, two can play at this game!
I have “sources” who claim the decision to disband the Tactical unit was the Indicted Occupant’s, and that he had been seeking to do this over nearly two years ago!
My first source said,
As the Trenton Police Department is being reorganized to reflect a community policing model, these 18 officers will be assigned to the areas most needed for immediate relief.
The impetus for restructuring the Trenton Police Department comes from both the recent layoffs and from input received at Town Hall meetings. Trentonians want to see police officers out of their squad cars and in the community. This message was voiced at those city-wide town hall meetings and again at the administration’s public safety summit.
Trentonians want and need to see police officers walking in our neighborhoods and interacting with the community. This policy change will break down insecurities that exist between residents and our police department. This change underlies the community policing model.
Trenton needs a dramatic shift in our operations to prevent crime before it happens.
This model works in other urban cities, and it will work in Trenton.
This morning, I can actually openly and freely identify this first source. It is: The Office of the Mayor of Trenton, New Jersey – September 28, 2011.
The information from my first source is confirmed by another informed source with knowledge of the events as they unfolded. According to this source,
On Wednesday [September 28, 2011], [then Current Occupant Tony] Mack issued two written directives to [then Acting Police Director Christopher] Doyle through [Fuckup Without Portfolio Anthony] Roberts: one suspending the Vice Enforcement and Tactical Anti-Crime units and sending their detectives to foot patrol, the other abolishing overtime unless Roberts personally approved it. [Emphasis mine – KM]
Earlier, in the same account, this source said,
In a bizarre city hall standoff, acting police director Chris Doyle bounded between the offices of Mayor Tony Mack and acting business administrator Anthony Roberts yesterday seeking details about the mayor’s new public safety plan, with Roberts eventually calling park rangers to have Doyle removed from the building as the police director stood outside his door.
Doyle and Detective Robert Rios waited out Mack, who left the building late in the afternoon without providing his police director with answers to his questions about the plan that cuts overtime and sends officers to foot patrol, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation.
The two police officers reportedly were knocking on Roberts’ door when Roberts called for the security officers, but Doyle and Rios eventually left of their own accord.
The battle of wills comes as the police department is feeling its way along, trying to put into effect changes Mack has ordered for today, which include staffing the foot posts with manpower taken from the disbanded drug and anti-crime units.
“All I can tell you is we received a directive from the mayor to implement his foot patrol plan, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” said Capt. Fred Reister, who is in charge of the police department’s administrative section.
Reister, who spoke with The Times before news of the confrontation began to spread, said no written plan has been provided to the department by the mayor.
And I am also free this morning to provide full attribution to this source. He is Trenton Times reporter Alex Zdan, writing on September 30, 2011.
So, this morning we are supposed to believe that Tony Mack is trying to fire Ralph Rivera because Ralph Rivera disbanded the Police Tactical Units???
Does Tony Mack think we have no memory? Does Tony Mack think we are stupid? Has Tony Mack never heard of Google?
Today’s anonymous “source” is acting not in “fear of retribution.” This source is desperately attempting to shift the burden of blame away from Tony Mack and on to his Police Director for the incredibly bad and culpably negligent decision to cripple the Trenton Police Department, and attempting to do so with a ludicrous hope that no one will inconveniently point out that the public record lays the blame squarely on the shoulders of Tony F. Mack.
We are not that stupid, Mr. Mack.
I am not done this morning.
Adding to this, let me call it “indictment” of Mr. Mack’s personal decisions regarding the city’s Police Department and its deployment, I have one more relevant piece of information, from another source who shall by request remain nameless. This source is a formal Trenton City Hall insider with first-hand knowledge of policy decisions made by this Mayor and this Administration. He emailed me yesterday to say, without formal attribution,
“TM cold [sic] have avoided nearly half of the layoffs if not more but he made it clear he was going to lay off that many cops”
I trust this source. This statement is credible, and entirely consistent with every public action we have seen for the last several years.
Taken along with the public record from 2011 as quoted above, we have a clear picture this morning that damns Tony Mack for three years of disastrous decision-making.
This city was a dangerous town before this Administration took office, but has been made tragically – and to a certain extent, entirely needlessly – worse for its 85,000 souls due to the actions and inactions of Tony F. Mack.