UPDATE: 6/19, 6:50 PM — What? No big story, no banner headline, no headline at all? I’m stunned, shocked, and super-surprised. Although I would not purchase a copy of the Register myself, I spent at least an hour this afternoon persuading a drunk in Starin Park to let me see his copy. (He’s apparently one…
Police
City, Police
Whitewater Police Department Re-Accreditation
by JOHN ADAMS •
Update: 6/17, 6:58 p.m. At our Common Council meeting tonight, Chief Coan predictably lauded his department’s position (and implicitly his leadership) as one of only 16 accredited departments in the state, out of over 600. He didn’t say how many even bothered to apply for accreditation. (See Point 1, below.) One more point, not minor…
City, Police
Common Council’s June 3rd Meeting: The PFC
by JOHN ADAMS •
City, Police
Ed Burns at Reason on “30 Years of Failure”
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over at Reason, there’s an interview with Ed Burns, the co-creator of HBO’s The Wire. The Wire was an account, for five seasons, of criminal justice in Baltimore. The administration of justice is seldom depicted accurately, and in any event, Whitewater is almost nothing like Baltimore, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, or New Orleans. Burns…
Police
Accreditation
by JOHN ADAMS •
I’ve received questions about my view on the re-accreditation effort of the Whitewater Police Department under Jim Coan. What should matter most to a person (or an organization) is actual conduct and statements, not the assignment of certification, accreditation, or external honors. The latter cannot supplant or erase the former. Accreditation should be the effortless…
Police
Officers and Rights
by JOHN ADAMS •
Someone wrote to me, and mentioned that in the comments section of the Janesville Gazette stories on FREE WHITEWATER, some of the most supportive comments on free, anonymous speech came from those who are apparently police officers. (See, City Officials Seek Blogger’s Identity and Blogger Keeps a Watchful Eye on Whitewater.) I’m not surprised. Most…
City, Libertarians, Police, Press
To the Municipal Opponents of Free Speech
by JOHN ADAMS •
Good afternoon, readers from across Wisconsin. Earlier this Sunday, the Wisconsin State Journal‘s veteran reporter, Dee Hall, published a story describing my recent experiences as a blogger in Whitewater, Wisconsin. It’s on the front page of the State Journal, and is entitled, “Whitewater Police Pursue Anonymous Blogger, Critic.” Her story recounts how City of Whitewater…
City, Libertarians, Police
Front Page: The Wisconsin State Journal Covers Municipal Actions Against Free Whitewater Website
by JOHN ADAMS •
Good morning, readers from across Wisconsin. This Sunday, March 16th, the Wisconsin State Journal‘s veteran reporter, Dee Hall, published a story describing my recent experiences as a blogger in Whitewater, Wisconsin. It’s on the front page of the State Journal, and is entitled, “Whitewater Police Pursue Anonymous Blogger, Critic.” http://www.madison.com/wsj/topstories/277169 The story details how City…
City, Police, Public Records 1
Police Commission Compliance: The Email Reveals Concern
by JOHN ADAMS •
Frequent readers know that, last week, I ran a series entitled, “Witch-Hunting a Blogger in Whitewater, Wisconsin,” in which I posted public records that showed how public officials used their resources, time, and effort against the lawful, pseudonymous commentary. (For that series, please click this link: Witch-Hunting a Blogger in Whitewater, Wisconsin.) There is another…
City, Police
Lawsuit Against Larry Meyer Continues
by JOHN ADAMS •
Longtime readers of FREE WHITEWATER know that I have followed the federal lawsuit against Larry Meyer, a former investigator of the Whitewater Police Department. The lawsuit is a matter of public importance: (1) it involves constitutional claims against a former public employee, (2) it tells much about how that employee was supervised and managed, and…
City, Police
Police and Fire Commission: February Meeting
by JOHN ADAMS •
City, Police
The Upside Down Commission
by JOHN ADAMS •
A reader wrote me, and observed that there would be no response to my Police Commission Series, or my follow-up post, because PFC members would be asked to step down if they acted independently. That’s turning the roles and responsibilities of those on the commission, and those under its authority, upside down. That’s likely true,…
City, Police
Police & Fire Commission: Reasonable Procedures Update
by JOHN ADAMS •
Readers may recall that I posted a series in December on the Whitewater Police and Fire Commission. I set out reasonable suggestions for a sound police policy based in part on a U.S. Justice Department white paper, entitled, “Principles for Promoting Police Integrity” Below I have reproduced a table that lists reasonable suggestions, and progress…
City, Police
No Enforced Settlement in the Lawsuit Against Larry Meyer
by JOHN ADAMS •
On January 22nd, U.S. Magistrate Judge William Callahan, in a thorough, thirteen-page decision and order, denied federal defendant, and former Whitewater investigator, Larry Meyer’s motion to enforce settlement in this the lawsuit against him. The order including setting a scheduling conference between the parties for February 8th, at 10:00 a.m., to “discuss with the parties…