Real TASER story will be most shocking

NOTE to Mayor Foxx and City Council:  Please stop the backroom, secret meetings of the police department “explaining” what they are doing to the City Council and Mayor, with no public accountability.  Assigning this function to a dinner meeting to hide it from public view is opposed to at least the spirit of the open meetings law. 

Have our Police Chief stand up in front of Council, on camera, and answer questions (asking some questions would be great, too) like anyone else in his position would be expected to do.

By the way, what happened to City Council Video on the Charmeck.org web site?

There’s no reason to recap all the excellent reporting details given in Cedarposts’ story CMPD Chief Monroe's Taser Shocker regarding the road Chief Monroe has taken in removing TASERS from cops on the street in Charlotte for months, now.  Please read the detailed dates and numbers there. 

The bottom line is that despite that a lengthy and thorough review by his own staff concluding that the current equipment and staff were safe, the Chief paid an outside consulting company that he has worked with before more money to really REALLY be sure we should spend a couple million dollars more with TASER to buy different ones.

Reports are that Chief Monroe signed a deal with TASER in advance of getting City Council approval Monday night. 

Reports are that Chief Monroe and his always-tight command staff will be having a wonderful luncheon together with the folks from TASER International on Monday afternoon.  Maybe this will be a celebration of the enormous play they have pulled off?  How will Monroe get through this luncheon AND the dinner meeting with City Council, where he is expected to make a presentation on the purchase of these TASERS?

Here’s a suggestion:  Open presentation to the public on this and other police matters, including release of all Asset & Forfeiture financial matters (some A & F money is earmarked for this project as well—although that would usually be an approved use).

·       When did Monroe sign a contract to purchase new TASERS?

·       Did Curt Walton approve this?

·       When did Monroe hire an outside firm to determine if there was a problem with our current TASERS?  Or was this just more ‘justification” for spending money with this company?

·       How many times has TASER International entertained any CMPD/City employee here or elsewhere, and at what expense?

Where is City Council and the Mayor in their oversight duties on all of this?