It would seem there is a problem with reporting crime within the Davenport Police Department.
Chief Bladel claims the crime rate in Davenport looks high because of high statistics, not actual crime. He also claims that Davenport has a different reporting system than the rest of Iowa, and indeed different from the rest of the country! Chief Bladel should be asked if crime is the real problem, or if the reporting of the crime is the problem? I would like to have the crime brought up in a public meeting to see if the Chief can back up his claims. I don't think he can.
According to a some concerned friends;
meetings are being held out of the public eye in small groups, where the Chief is making just such claims of exagerated crime rates.
Who knows how many of these private meetings are going on, or why they are not made public. I have heard about the meetings from a few concerned people, and some business owners SoLo said they're not real happy with the way things are.
These taxpayers are just tired of the same old run-a-round. Favoritism
has no place in Police policy, and citizens with problems should all be treated to
the same level of service regardless of who the citizens know.
A search in the QC Times of Chief Bladel got 468 hits. Going back a year here's what I came up with, there are plenty more, these just prove a point.
Feb. 8,2007-Citizens take low priority with Bladel
Aug. 21, 2006-Police step up patrols after woman killed in drive-by
Jul. 28,2006-Quad-City homicide is 17th in 9 months
Jul. 9, 2006-Teen suffers gunshot wound to ankle
Jul. 6,2006-2 sought in fatal shooting
Jun. 13,2006-FBI:Violent crime hits 15-year high
May 18,2006-Serious crime is up in Davenport
May 18,2006-Q-C Robberies turn violent
Feb. 28,2006-Police union speaks out against chief
Feb. 27,2006-D-port police ask to meet with chief
So Chief, please explain how the crime reporting system works to the public. Comments are welcome.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
21 comments:
time for a new chief. Anyone knows that the first step in dealing with a problem is acknowledging one exists.
Don't forget the excuse that crime has increased because of cell phones. And the gun shots an entire neighborhood heard during the summer was simply a car back firing.
The line police officers are pretty good and nice guys and women. They will tell you what the problem is and his name begins with a B.
Davenport's crime stats are compiled according the the guidelines the FBI provides. That's why they are listed in the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports. I believe other QC cities do not report their data in the same way which is why we can't compare RI to Davenport. Davenport's stats are real and still very scary. Enough with the excuses. Cell phones and statistics. Please!
I'll bet our little crimewave today won't make the news tomorrow. 5 black juvenilles shoplifted at Dollar General on Brady, then went to KFC on Harrison and did vandalism, went down the alley broke out garage windows and car windows, raised heck at Village Inn, and broke windows in 2 different houses before they were stopped on Gaines. Anybody want to bet they won't do any jail time? Or was that a statistic?
Statistic.
Cell phones absolutely play a part in the crime increase. Bladel isn't lying when he says that when trouble starts people whip out their phones and start calling friends, and before you know it you've got a mini-riot on your hands. That doesn't include the stupid 911 calls from people driving by things that look strange to them and calling the police and/or fire department.
There was one situation where a passer-by reported a boat sinking in the river with a man in it. The FD scrambled to send firetrucks and the rescue boat, much to the surprise of the guy in the "sinking" boat. He was just a commercial fisherman pulling in his nets.
Between wasting time on false alarms, and the instant-riot ability, cell phones definitely play a part.
That's why I liked my cell phone tax instead of the stormwater tax.
Having lived in cities with real crime problems Davenport is a sleepy little farm town in comparison. Me and my family have been in Davenport almost 10 years. We live SOLO. I walk around downtown alone and with my kids, and there aren't really any places in town that I don't feel safe. I use the downtown Y, eat in the restaurants, use the library and go to the shows at the Adler and River center.
I will point out that the vast majority of the police calls are for domestic disputes. These disputes are frequently fueled by drugs and alcohol. And yes, poverty and homelessness do play a part in the crime statistics, too. And no, John Lewis is not the problem. Again, you haven't seen a real homeless "problem" until you have lived in a big city. It doesn't matter who the chief is, no one can effect these issues but the parties themselves.
I know several PD guys, who support the chief 100% and think the others are a bunch of whiners. These guys are rank-and-file and some pay union dues and some refuse to join the union because the leaders represent the views of only a small percentage of the group. They will eat their own or forego new officers to get their raises first, screw public safety. But the whiners would give their left nut to be promoted to Bladel's command staff. Then they would be singing his praises. Envy and jealously are especialy ugly in a para-military like structure.
Cruiser should be careful about selecting the views of a very small minority to represent the whole picture. He is far from accurate about a lot of things. He's entitled to his viewpoint, but he sees only a small slice of life from a very small window. To use the QC Slime headlines as proof of anything is weak evidence to support any claim.
To 8:55, Pal I'd love to live in your rosey colored sunglass world. I don't think you have the whole picture of the Davenport problem. It may be OK in your little section of town but try to spend time in the DMZ at Eighth and Pershing St, Castlewood, and Goose Creek to name a few. Don't go there in the middle of the day, go there at sun down, when the schools are out or when the temps reach the 90's. Then, come back and say there is no problem. You will no dought be wearing your ass for a hat after the thugs hand it to you.
Thanks for the link snarky. QCI, cells phones are everywhere. If it raises crimes here, it would do the same anywhere else also. anon. at8:55 a.m., you obviously haven't reading blogs either. Our poverty rate is a lot higher than the state rate, we have proven that low-income developments breed crime, and yes, I think JLCS is part of the problem. I never said I have a problem with the police on the street. I only mentioned one. I also said I don't believe in closed door meetings and I don't. As you mentioned, you are welcome to your opinion. I could have revealed much more, but I don't want to get my sources in trouble. Some of them are having a hard enough time dealing with the Chief without more grief. And the only view I select is my own.
To Joe - I live close to 8th and Pershing and have friends in Goose Creek Heights. I have walked in both neighborhoods at every different time of day or night, and in a variety of weather, many times with my kids in tow. My ass (and their asses, too)is where it has always been. War zones are seen on CNN every day. Again, having lived in a "war zone" in a big city, it is not rose-colored glasses, it is perspective.
To Cruiser - I read the blogs often and I recognize that most of the people who post on your blog, as well as the other blogs, represent a teeny tiny minority of the viewpoints that I hear from my neighbors on a daily basis. For every 50 neighbors I speak with I hear one who thinks things are as bad as you think they are. The other 50 all go about their day, working, sleeping, taking care of their families and getting a paycheck. I do agree that we need to do something about wages but do you think that putting out such an exaggerated negative image about Davenport is going to be a draw to companies that want to come here?
I saw a blog from someone who was looking to move here and bring their business to Davenport who was asking for help. He wanted to know if the posts about high crime and unsafe neighborhoods were really true. I contacted him and said that the blogs were blowing smoke.
People and businesses do look at the blogs. While your blog has the potential, you are part of the problem and not part of the solution. Also, if it is just your viewpoint, leave out the QC Slime headlines that are used by the snake oil salesmen to sell that rag. That is their view, not yours.
Finally, I have good idea of who your "sources" are. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that they all aren't rank and file. Bladel runs a tight ship and I'm sure some of his command staff are pretty whiny when they don't get their way, too.
Ok, anon. at 1:19, I think there are more of us who know what's really going on than you think. As for exagerated negative image; if the truth hurts, it's probably true. The figures I put out are from the FBI, State, and other websites. They are the numbers turned in by the Davenport Police Department, not me. The negative issues are out there on sites anyone can access if they're thinking about moving. I used the paper to prove that the issues are here, and I think we both know not all the crime makes the paper. And my sources are varied and from many different walks of life. But when I look out my back window and see drug deals at the other end of the alley, I don't need any source to tell me it's happening. I'm glad you feel safe, but gunshots kink of bother me. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.
To 1:19, your full of crap!! What is your real motive here. Are you trying to ditch your rental property and finding it hard because of our truth? If you are really a resident of Davenport and not Bettendorf (Dan Labell?) then why are you living in one of the highest crime areas in Davenport, are you so blind that you can't read the writing on the wall? We are here dicussing how to make our city better and you are telling us this is Mayberry. Go figure! Go away!
Apparently, even though I live in the area I am not entitled to my opinion. I don't believe I used the word "Mayberry". I am not blind to the drug deals that go on near my home. What I am saying is that the magnitude is just not that big. One reason my family moved here because it IS A MUCH SAFER city than where we have lived in the past. We could have chosen to live in any neighborhood in Davenport. We chose SOLO because we like the beautiful old homes and the value we got for the money. We love the schools and the teachers(that's right, Madison, JB and Central).
You seem to be the one that is full of something. I don't see any discussion of how to make things safer. I see inflammatory, misleading headlines used to sell papers rather than convey the truth. Rather than supporting the people who can make a difference you think by throwing them out (i.e. Bladel) that some new wizard will come in and clean things up like magic. That is BULL. That is not a solution.
I have stated solutions before, here they are again:
Restrict the number of liquor licenses that can be given out in a particular area and keep them 2000 feet away from schools.
Require mandatory pre-marital counseling. Reducing the number of domestic disputes is the most effective way to reduce police calls for service. If you have a better idea than the counseling, put it on the table.
Have the school district raise taxes to pay for after-school programs for middle school kids. Kids that aren't kept busy between 3-5 cause problems. The year after Davenport schools lost their grant for after school programs juvenile crime shot up by 33%. That is no coincidence.
Reduce domestic crime/assaults, geta handle on juvenile crime and better regulation of liquor. Where are your ideas?
Again, I'm not full of anything except perspective. Get a grip.
And also, I would ask you to volunteer as a mentor for kids, but I don't want you any where near them.
YOu forgot one mister - hold landlords accountable for their tenants and how they keep their properties.
9:46, Why should we, the tax payers, pay to raise someone elses problem child. I, for one, am tired of working to get ahead only to pay higher taxes for such ideas. The solution to polution is dilution. Get the undesirables out of Davenport and hold the slumlords responsable for doing just that. Not higher taxes but higher fines and fees for breaking the law and over using public services. Charge for excessive fire and police calls. Fee the crap out of the dirty properties, lets go after problems, to erase crime and make this city a "Mayberry" without the Barney!.
Anyones opinion is welcome, you just may get some flak. I think I'd kind of like Mayberry myself, we have an Opie on the police force. Sorry Chuck, but I couldn't help myself. I have said many times getting rid of Bladel won't fix the problem. He's a part of the problem, but a small part. We have to get these bangers an education, and give them a work detail when they're on probation. We have to stop building the big box low-income rental projects, clean up the inner city, and give people a program that makes low interest loans available SoLo. That would be a good start. That's my 2 cents worth. Good comments people.
I'd say both sides are somewhat right. I agree that crime is worse in some other cities, but I also absolutely agree that we have a crime problem here that requires attention. We don't want to wait until we're the worst. That said, people can't be so afraid of SoLo that no decent citizens move down here, or the problems will continue.
How do you bring a serious crime problem to people's attention without lowering the already-bad reputation of the central city? I wish I knew.
QCI, I believe that the general public knows of the increase in crime but fails to get involved until they themselves become victims. As long as the toilet flushes and the street lights go on and off people will fail to come out of their safe heaven. If I were to run for city council, I would make crime a large part of my campaign. Not the paking meters in downtown, not the sewer problems, and not the storm water fees. These campaign promises failed but the public tends to let the issues go away.
Now come this fall, if you and all the others would be so kind as to push the crime issues to the max, maybe the rest of the public will listen (Remember only 11% of Davenport voters poll). Don't allow those running for office to get off the hook and push the election topics to what they want to talk about, maybe we can corner them into responding to crime prevention. We need to get this city back on track and hold all of those elected accountable. Enough said.
Saw the Mayors last "State of the City" speach, he stated that crime in on a downward trend compaired to this time last year. All I can say is wait until summer. Oh boy!
Post a Comment