Police asked to obey laws

At tonight's City Council meeting I asked the Council and the Mayor to ensure that the Police Department obeys laws while enforcing them.

At issue for me was the sting on February 18, when the Police Department supervised four minors and sent them into stores to attempt to buy tobacco products. They went to 23 stores, and in three stores the minors were successful in purchasing tobacco.

The police should be the first to obey the laws, not the last.

I also reminded the City Council that the Open Meetings Act training for the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners (BOFPC), directed by the City Attorney's May 19th letter, had not yet happened. The BOFPC has met numerous times for Special Meetings, and it has canceled its last two Regular Meetings (December and March).

The BOFPC violated the Open Meetings Act (OMA) by meeting in closed session without audio-taping the proceedings, and the City Attorney wrote a very stern letter to them. Not stern enough, I guess. Although it said he was to present OMA training at the next Regular Meeting, the BOFPC has not scheduled it. Along about November the City told me it would "try" to get them to schedule it.

I've always had a bug about the word "try". As Yoda said, "Try not; do, or do not." It's time to tell the BOFPC to schedule it!