Austin Discovers That Police Are Required for 911 Calls to Be Answered

Who do they think responds to 911 calls? Austin Police Association believes recent 911 response time delays are the result of understaffing

First, why is there a staffing problem? Well aside from the War on Cops, that is…

Gov. Greg Abbott chimed in on the issue Monday, tweeting in part, “This is caused by Austin’s cuts to police funding & it endangers lives in Austin. The State must consider laws that take over policing parts of Austin.”

The Austin City Council voted to cut some funds from APD in August. A total of $150 million from APD’s budget will be reallocated. Of that, $49 million will be diverted to other programs, $21 million was reallocated immediately and $80 million will be reallocated later. Those cuts also included cutting some future cadet classes.

Add to that the continuing attrition in the ranks.

Casaday said that the canceled classes, coupled with what he believes is an increase in APD officers resigning, is causing the recent rise in 911 response times.

Recently in downtown Austin, when a “shots fired” call came in, there were no officers available to respond, because they were already dealing with other situations.

And if you don’t have a shots fired kind of emergency, you will wait for cops to show up. Hours for burglary, trespass assault, etc.

So. You need cops to answer 911 calls. And if you make cops think that they are not welcome in your city, they might just leave. So how is that defunding of police thing working out?

Advertisement

Can’t Step on the Toes of Another Lawyer

They left a monster free because they didn’t want to “second guess” another lawyer. Manhattan federal prosecutors declined to pursue Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell case in 2016: sources

Because “second guessing” a colleague wouldn’t show proper respect to a fellow member of the cloth the fraternity the brotherhood the profession.

Some people think I am using hyperbole when I write about the arrogance of attorneys.

Yet more rehashing of Epstein’s reign of terror. But the most insane part of the story is why the US Prosecutor in New York didn’t take action for 2 years.

“This was not a situation where we were dealing with people who didn’t care. I never thought they didn’t believe our story. I never had any doubt they were sympathetic, even outraged by it. They simply seemed to feel they couldn’t be seen as second guessing what the U.S. Attorney in Florida had done,” [Lawyer David] Boies said. [My emphasis. Z-Deb]

The ONLY reason that they decided that they had to “second guess” another attorney, is because the Miami Herald shined a great big, embarrassing light on the situation.

The office’s attitude changed after the Miami Herald highlighted the “Perversion of Justice” that resulted in Epstein receiving a slap on the wrist.

I mean be fair; that was seriously bad publicity.

The Criminal Justice System. It is a “system,” which means it takes care of itself first. It is often Criminal. And it has almost no interest in Justice.

Politicians Don’t Like to Spend Money Maintaining Infrastructure

Not when they can build flashy new infrastructure. Seattle must prioritize bridge maintenance and basic infrastructure. And even especially if that new stuff has a patina of “green.”

Seattle was flying high before COVID-19 struck. Jobs. Tax revenue. But they couldn’t be bothered to spend money on maintaining bridges and piers. They had better things to spend money on.

In the spring, The West Seattle Bridge was closed due to excessive cracking. That should have been a wake-up call, but it wasn’t.

On September 13th Pier 58 in Seattle partially collapsed. Surveillance video taken from neighboring Seattle Aquarium shows the moment Pier 58 partially collapsed into Elliott Bay on Sunday, September 13, 2020, injuring two. Additional videos will autoplay after the first video completes.

As a result of that collapse, the city closed Pier 57, which is a waterfront destination with a large Ferris Wheel.

Lack of money isn’t an excuse. Seattle’s budget grew 37% since 2015. Voters also approved a $930 million transportation levy in 2015, around 45% of which was for maintenance.

That levy was a red flag, however. It highlighted how City Hall was putting less emphasis on maintenance — the previous levy was 67% for maintenance — and opting to spend more on other things, including bike and bus lanes.

I don’t want to debate the merits of bike lanes, but the city spent money on foot rests for cyclists. And then there is the streetcar. What explains Seattle’s streetcar fixation? Look at who really benefits. That article is from Jan 2019, Pre-COVID-19, which probably makes the point even more effectively.

Because streetcars, no matter how lovable, are slow and inflexible. They’re not mass transit (at least how we run them here). There’s proof of this in studies, as well as from underperforming lines all over the country. But most crucially the proof is right here under our noses.

Since 2007 we’ve been running street cars in Seattle. They have consistently cost more than predicted, and carried far fewer riders than expected. Most importantly, they’re failures as transit by the city’s own data.

For mass transit to make sense, it has to be on its own right-of-way. Someplace like Seattle, that means elevated trains or subways. Both of which are even more expensive than streetcars.

But hey, if we build more of them, that will make it better. Right? Or maybe not.

This past week the Seattle mayor decided to revive our most dubious transportation network, even though building a 1.2-mile connecting trolley link along First Avenue downtown is now projected to cost $286 million — a 100 percent cost overrun.

Because streetcars are green, even if no one uses them.

As for that wake-up call, better late than never I guess. As a result of the Pier Collapse an audit was undertaken of the city’s infrastructure.

This should be a wake-up call for officials who weren’t jolted enough by the West Seattle Bridge failure to reassess spending priorities. Problems the audit identifies weren’t caused by unanticipated concrete failures, but by deliberate decisions to skimp on maintenance and avoid dealing with deteriorating bridges.

The complete audit document can be found at the following link. Seattle Department of Transportation: Strategic Approach to Vehicle Bridge Maintenance is Warranted.

One of the points highlighted in the summary is worth repeating here.

Over the past 14 years, the average amount SDOT spent on bridge maintenance was $6.6 million annually.

Seattle spent $246 million on small expansion of the streetcar system, and $92.4 million maintaining the bridges in the city. Borrowing from Ronald Weasly, they need to sort out their priorities.

“Remember, it’s only property damage”

Except for the injured police officer, that is. Second City Cop has CWB Video of an escape from Chicago police.

The video is only a couple of minutes and worth a look.

It’s times like this you realize that CPD doesn’t have a single tool available for Patrol Officers to stop a crazed out-of-control driver from running over every cop and citizen on that block. Nor from destroying squad cars and squadrols costing taxpayers many many thousands of dollars.

Unless they shot her of course. Then it’s all “She was unarmed aside from the four-thousand pounds of metal she was killing people with. We better go loot downtown to avenge her.”

In the end, she drove away. Yeah, that will make the city safer.

Chicago Can Burn, But the Mayor Is Safe

More info from Second City Cop: More Short Districts.

He has details on how officers from various districts are being pulled to guard the (formerly) Magnificent Mile. And then there’s this.

And an entire Tact team….a light tact team judging by the number of officers….is at Groot’s house.

This is criminal, a safety hazard and a rip-off for taxpayers who are suffering burglaries, thefts and other property damage at record setting levels.

Ever since protesters had the unmitigated gall to show up in front of Mayor Lori “Groot” Lightfoot’s house, she has insisted that her block have “increased police presence.” The rest of the city be damned.

For the earlier post on this subject see this link, in which SCC explains how this violates the Consent Decree between the Chicago PD and Dept. of Justice. Rules? They don’t apply when a Democrat wants something!

Apparently The Rules Don’t Apply When a Democrat is Involved

I mean be fair; the rules are being ignored because the Mayor said so. Second City Cop: Short Districts

In this case the rules are from a consent decree between the Chicago PD and Department of Justice. And the reason they’re being ignored? The Mayor wants a bunch of cops guarding her home, and a bunch more guarding the (formerly) Magnificent Mile. The rest of the city can burn.

It is hard to excerpt anything that makes sense, because it is all various acronyms, which SCC does explain. Click thru. Though the conclusion isn’t hard to understand. This is for 1 district.

When the early side goes home, instead of 7 cars covering the District until 3rd Watch hits the streets, there are three officers on the street. Three TOTAL. That’s it. How can this even be considered safe?

Anyone think the media will say a word?

The media complain about a Democratic politician mandating that the cops break rules that were mandated by Democratic politicians? Don’t be ridiculous. The rules are in place only to lord it over the PD when the need arises.

This Is What Passes for Education in America

Holocaust denial won’t get you fired from the education system. State-run schools, it turns out, were a mistake. Florida principal fired after Holocaust comments that ignited outrage rehired

The Palm Beach County School Board narrowly voted 4-3 Wednesday to rehire a principal who ignited a nationwide controversy last year when he told a parent that he “can’t say the Holocaust is a factual, historical event” and “not everyone believes the Holocaust happened.”

Meaning he doesn’t believe in the Holocaust, or he doesn’t care about a few million dead Jews one way or another.

I wonder what questioning some bit of Woke orthodoxy would do.

Lying Prosecutors

What happens when a State’s Attorney is completely incompetent? Third trial of Jackie Wilson after allegations of torture at the hands of Burge ends stunningly, with judge turning ire toward prosecutors

Professional standards? What are those?

A murder case with decades of baggage — three different trials, a high-profile exoneration, a legacy of police torture — was abruptly dropped this week after allegations that a Cook County prosecutor lied under oath.

And this isn’t the first time that he’s shown a conflict of interest.

The prosecutor, Nick Trutenko, was fired from the office late Thursday after testifying that he had a long-standing relationship with a witness reputed to be an international con man. He returned to court Friday under threat of contempt charges.

The case is long, and dates to the Jon Burge era of Chicago PD. Click through for all of the insanity.

Hat tip to Second City Cop: Great Job Crimesha. That would be Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx.

Crimesha’s inability to run any sort of a professional office is one of the greatest crimes perpetrated on Cook County voters. Reading the linked article made us want to throw up with an Assistant States Attorney perjuring himself on the stand.

I don’t know if Justice was served or not in this case. The guy was convicted twice, but then Jon Burge and company did some awful things. You can read about some of them at the following link. The Ongoing Case Against Jon Burge and Chicago Police Corruption

New York City’s September Was a Lot Like Chicago

Of that shooting spike, how many were by NYPD? September shootings spiked 127% in NYC even as NYPD made record number of gun arrests

The NYPD accentuated the positive in its September crime statistics report by touting a record number of gun arrests during the month. Even so, shootings across New York City had also doubled from the previous year, continuing a violent summertime trend into the fall.

And like Chicago, they need to point out that overall, crime is down. And then they spoil that by admitting that certain crimes, like rape, are under-reported.

Meanwhile, robbery, assault and grand larceny each fell by 11.2%, 6.3% and 6.8%, respectively.

Rapes were also down 19.2%, with 139 incidents reported — but the NYPD believes the crime is being underreported.

I mean while they know that women being raped are not even bothering to inform the police, and murders/shootings are off the charts, larceny is under control, so you can feel good about yourself. Especially if you’re a Democratic politician in NYC.

For the Chicago numbers from September, see this link, and for the spin see this link.

Democrats: Exporting the Homeless Crisis of LA to the Rest of the USA is a Fine Idea

Those on the Left seem to think that would be a good idea to export the “housing policies” of LA to the rest of the country. Not everyone feels that those policies were a success. L.A.’s Failed Homeless Policies Turned My Home Into a Prison.

The completely insane policies of the Democrats are coming home to roost in the “posh” sections of LA. Homeless people living in front of homes in Venice, and terrorizing the neighbors because Mayor Garcetti has decided to eliminate the cops’ ability to do anything.

So a woman dealing with a violent felon, “camper,” living in front of her home, calls 911 because her property is being vandalized. This was after weeks of being intimidated, and being really scared.

This is where I mention that reality is true, even if the Democrats don’t want to believe it, and that the Progressives still have not rescinded the law of Unintended Consequences.

An hour and a half after I’d called 911, officers arrived. And it was then—noon, on Thursday, August 20th that I had an upsetting revelation: We citizens can no longer rely on the police to show up. And then the thought hit me: I need to get a gun.

You’ve got to love the irony. It’s the Democrats who push for gun control, yet it’s the Democrats in power in my city who are leaving me with no choice but to arm myself.

Ultimately she didn’t arm herself, at least as of the writing of this article, because her immediate problem was “fixed,” and because she doesn’t trust herself.

There is much to recommend in the article. Stuff about how the Progressive Left’s current favorite policy, “Housing First,” fails to actually accomplish anything. An in-depth look at what worked under Bill Bratton, and why the Left hated to see improvements in Skid Row.

But perhaps the most important thing to note, is how Democrats want to screw up your neighborhood. Not happy with turning Los Angeles into a third-world shithole, the Democratic Party now wants to export those policies to the entire country.

In fact, even as I write this, Politico is reporting that Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is considering L.A. Mayor Garcetti for Housing Secretary. Yes, America’s municipal honcho of homelessness could be rewarded for his massive policy failures by being put in charge of housing policy for the nation: Skid Row, writ large. Like that camper outside my house, the thought fills me with dread.

Hat tip to View From The Porch: Wherein the road to Damascus runs through Venice, CA…

What happens when the urban outdoorsman encamped in front of your house is a violent felon and the cops can’t do anything about him because the city fathers won’t let him?

And because I know that very few people will get any reference that isn’t to pop-culture. What happened on the road to Damascus?

Espionage Attack on the US Government

Password credentials in the hands of hackers that granted access to a US government network. Feds Hit with Successful Cyberattack, Data Stolen

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued an alert on Thursday, not naming the agency but providing technical details of the attack. Hackers, it said, gained initial access by using employees’ legitimate Microsoft Office 365 log-in credentials to sign onto an agency computer remotely.

“The cyber-threat actor had valid access credentials for multiple users’ Microsoft Office 365 (O365) accounts and domain administrator accounts,” according to CISA.

So here’s my guess as to the causes: Poor passwords. Reused passwords. No 2-factor authentication. Well done US .gov employees, you have less security on your official government stuff than I do on the email I use mainly to send jokes and memes to my friends.

Of course I could be wrong, and this could all be to a security flaw in a Microsoft Product. It’s not like THAT never happens. (Hat tip to Steve – thanks for the email!)

“Catch and Release” with Criminals Is Perhaps Not the Best Strategy

But a continuing cycle of violence is apparently what the Left wants. ‘Criminal Justice Reform’

Two teenagers lost their lives while running from police in a stolen vehicle. One of them had a history of stealing cars.

According to Mecklenburg County Jail records, Gross had been arrested nine times since 2016. Four of those arrests included charges related stolen vehicles.

And then there is this.

The reader will probably not be surprised to learn that, according to jail records, Chaquia Gross was arrested on charges of breaking and entering a motor vehicle and larceny about six weeks before her son’s death.

So exactly who is to blame for this outcome? If people are never held responsible for their actions, what lessons do you think they will learn?

Because Keeping Criminals In Jail is Unfair

The System was certainly unfair to the person he murdered. Homicide suspect in Seattle slaying was arrested and released more than 34 times

Wednesday night, Seattle police were called to investigate a death that witnesses described as “horrific” at Cal Anderson Park. The suspect is believed to be local homeless notable Travis Berge, though this is not yet confirmed by the Seattle Police Department (SPD). The identity of the victim has not been released.

Maybe he was crazy. Maybe he was just criminal. It doesn’t matter to the person he killed. Either way, one of the principle functions of a government is to maintain order, and this is breaking down in the major cities.

Politicians Lie About How COVID-19 is Spreading

Because they lie about everything. COVID-19 emails from Nashville mayor’s office show disturbing revelation.

It would apparently be a problem for the Nashville mayor if the public discovered that COVID-19 really wasn’t coming from bars and restaurants.

Emails between the mayor’s senior advisor and the health department reveal only a partial picture. But what they reveal is disturbing.

The discussion involves the low number of coronavirus cases emerging from bars and restaurants and how to handle that.

And most disturbingly, how to keep it from the public.

I mean, how would you keep the sheep scared, if there was nothing to be scared of? How would you use COVID-19 as an excuse to issued draconian edicts if the disease wasn’t an issue?

“We raised taxes 34 percent and put hundreds literally thousands of people out of work that are now worried about losing their homes, their apartments…and we did it on bogus data. That should be illegal,” Glover said.

Science knows when politicians are lying. Hat tip ZeroHedge.

And can you guess which party John Cooper is a member of?

The Left versus Law and Order

Two stories. The first is insane. The second points out the fact that The Left isn’t interested in the truth, just instigating more riots.

Why was this guy not in jail? Armed and Dangerous

Simple question: What does it take to get somebody locked up? A murder suspect flees the state, “armed and dangerous,” runs from the cops, gets shot and arrested, then for some unknown reason is turned loose, so that he can perpetrate still more felonies? Everybody keeps telling me that we’ve got a “mass incarceration” problem in America, but if that is so, why was it so difficult to keep Antonio Davis behind bars?

BLM is telling lies? Color me shocked! Cop Shoots Knife-Wielding Maniac, Lancaster Riots After BLM Lies

Riots erupted in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, after #BlackLivesMatter activists lied about the police shooting of a criminal. Officials released police bodycam video that shows Ricardo Miguel Munoz, 27, charging a cop with a knife.

But Democrats Always Work for the Little Guy

Just ask them, and they will tell you that. De Blasio downplayed dire extent of NYCHA lead poisoning issue, records reveal

Because actually fixing the problem sometime in the past 40 years or so would have cost money, and while they like to pretend they care about the little guy, they really care a lot more about money and power.

Newly surfaced documents reveal damning details about the scale and scope of what NYCHA knew of its serious lead issues in housing units with kids — all while Mayor Bill de Blasio downplayed the health crisis.

Local Health Department inspectors found lead in 222 NYCHA apartments across 93 developments — more than a quarter of all complexes citywide — between 2010 and 2018, according to records that City Hall only produced after The Post sued it under the state’s Freedom of Information Law.

So public health, and government transparency. What other things do New York Democrats not care about?

This Sheriff Has Some Procedures to Clear Up

From The Other McCain – Biden Voter Update

Two weeks ago, we brought you the story of Jayvon Hatchett, a social-justice activist who had “endorsed the Democratic Party agenda of stabbing white people.” Unfortunately for Mr. Hatchett, Georgia law does not recognize stabbing white people as a civil right, and so they put him in jail, where he continued his social-justice activism.

The sheriff’s department put him in a cell with a white man. Can you guess the result? Stabbing Suspect Who Felt ‘Need’ To Kill ‘A White Male’ Allegedly Kills White Cellmate; Mother Speaks Out.

Hatchett, who is black, targeted the victim, a store employee, because of his white skin, WRBL reported, telling police he “felt the need to find a white male to kill” after watching videos of “police brutality” on social media.

So of course the sheriff’s department didn’t think when they assign him to a cell.

“If this mentally imbalanced individual had been a member of the Ku Klux Klan, they would not have put him in a cell with a black person,” said attorney Craig Jones, who is representing the family, the news station reported.

Can you say negligence?

Whitmer of Michigan Builds a Wall

Or a fence, same difference. Because what applies to you, should not apply to HER. Anti-Border Fence Mich. Gov. Whitmer Building 8-Foot High, Electrified Fence Around Governor’s Residence

Despite her vocal opposition to building border walls to keep Americans safe from illegal immigration, Democrat Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is having an eight-foot high, electrified fence built around her official residence to keep out unwanted visitors.

Because fences are good for her, just not for you. Besides, she’s special.

Because Nothing Is More Important Than the Rules

At least to a bureaucrat. Besides, if they don’t just follow the rules, then you are asking them to THINK. Do you really think that is a good idea? Florida Attorney Says Client Turned Away From Filing Restraining Order Due To Coronavirus Restrictions.

The courthouse was full, and The Rules state that only a certain number of people will be let in. What’s that you say? Your life is in danger? Well too fucking bad, we have to OBEY The Rules.

Now I am not a great believer in domestic violence restraining orders. They fail to restrain anyone from doing anything in way too many situations. But they are interesting legal documents, so that I do think you should have one if you need one. But I also believe that if you need a restraining order against someone, then you need a plan for your personal safety. I recommend a 9mm semiautomatic, a case of ammo, and some instruction/time at the range. Though it is pretty nearly impossible to find ammo these days.

In the meantime, the courthouse in question is revising the rules, because even they don’t think asking people to think and use judgement is a good idea.

And I can’t even call this Peak Florida, because it isn’t a Florida issue, it’s a bureaucracy issue.

De Blasio Wants Cops Wasting Their Time

Because apparently all the other crime in NYC is under control. At least as far as de Blasio is concerned. Blue Lives Matter NYC founder slams de Blasio, Cuomo after report suggesting cops enforce indoor dining

“Politicians like him pick and choose when they want officers to enforce the law,” Imperatrice said. “What happens is they pit the officers against the community which is never good.”

He blamed de Blasio for making police officers enforce mask rules amid coronavirus lockdown orders after promising to defund $1 billion from the NYPD budget and reassigning roughly 600 plain-clothes anti-crime officers.

Oh, and for the record, crime is NOT under control in New York City. Shootings Up in NYC, but you knew that. (Hat tip to Retired Sheriff David Clarke on Parler. Unfortunately, you can’t see Parler links unless you are logged in.)