Round one, fight! Ward 1 councilman and MPD Chief Cathy Lanier got into in a bit on the MPD 3D Substation listserve over a plan to move a couple police service areas into the 4th police district (right now all of Ward 1 is in the 3rd district.)
Graham argues “[in the past,]With the 4D headquarters many blocks away up on the 6000 block of Georgia Avenue, all manner of problems of communications, chain of command had resulted for years. It was nowhere near as convenient for Ward 1 residents as the 3D headquarters and the Substation.”
Chief Lanier responded “Police boundaries should prioritize optimal police service as well as minimize risk to police officers…This move is absolutely critical, because the Third District currently has the highest volume of crime in the city, and the third highest volume of calls for service. Since the Fourth District has a much lower workload, the move would enable both police districts to better serve the residents of Ward 1.”
Ok, it’s not really a smackdown, but it’s interesting to see it in public. Graham also claimed that only the City Council could change the borders.
Personally I think Lanier is right, since it’s basically an artificial boundary anyway, but what do you think?
