Police fighting police
You'd think that the shooting Sunday afternoon of Mercer County Sheriff's Department officer Joshus Hahn might serve as a wakeup call, or a reminder, that the enemy our police officers should be fighting is "out there," not within the walls of the station.
So it was sad at the very least ... and a frightening statement about how this crap might be putting our public safety at risk ... to see open hostility among officers at the scene Sunday, while the punk suspected of shooting the unarmed Hahn in the chest at close range was still at-large.
The tension within the Trenton Police Department boiled over this past week when critics of Police Director Santiago and Mayor Doug Palmer made public a photo of Capt. Paul Messina, a Santiago ally, sleeping while on duty.
Messina, understandably feeling victimized by critics of the administration but ready to serve his suspension, had to endure chants of "Capt. Sleepy, Capt. Sleepy!" as he worked the crime scene of Hahn's shooting yesterday.
Blame Santiago and Palmer for this situation, as a number of disgruntled cops do, or blame the disgruntled cops for poisoning the atmosphere in the department.
Either way, it's up to the top leaders of the city - Palmer and the council - to do something about Santiago, do something about the disgruntled cops if they are acting inappropriately, or do something about all of them!
Let's get the focus back on crime fighting, instead of infighting.
So it was sad at the very least ... and a frightening statement about how this crap might be putting our public safety at risk ... to see open hostility among officers at the scene Sunday, while the punk suspected of shooting the unarmed Hahn in the chest at close range was still at-large.
The tension within the Trenton Police Department boiled over this past week when critics of Police Director Santiago and Mayor Doug Palmer made public a photo of Capt. Paul Messina, a Santiago ally, sleeping while on duty.
Messina, understandably feeling victimized by critics of the administration but ready to serve his suspension, had to endure chants of "Capt. Sleepy, Capt. Sleepy!" as he worked the crime scene of Hahn's shooting yesterday.
Blame Santiago and Palmer for this situation, as a number of disgruntled cops do, or blame the disgruntled cops for poisoning the atmosphere in the department.
Either way, it's up to the top leaders of the city - Palmer and the council - to do something about Santiago, do something about the disgruntled cops if they are acting inappropriately, or do something about all of them!
Let's get the focus back on crime fighting, instead of infighting.
Labels: Capt. Sleepy, Doug Palmer, Joseph Santiago, Trenton Police Department
posted by Trentonian Editor at
3:54 AM
1 Comments:
As a retired Trenton Police Officer. I have seen the department go from well functioning department to one torn apart by bickering and back stabbing.
In defense of Director Santiago he has done a lot to make the department more efficient by obtaining better equipment etc. On the other hand he has completely demoralized the majority of the department by playing favorites.
A case in point the three deputy chif positions the department lost. In my opinion that was done for one reason to let the rest of the department know that he was the boss, and he could do anything he pleased,and apparently he can because Mayor Palmer lets him do it.
Previous Chiefs could not get the mayor or council to approve much of anything in there budget requests and it appears that Santiago has a blank check to do anything he wants. Something is vary wrong with this picture. You have to wonder how he apparently gets what ever he wants and you still have all this dissension within the department. The crime rate is out of control no matter what the statistics show they can show what ever you want them to show, If there not being reported accurately.
Just one mans opinion.
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