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Police

Whitewater Chief Coan’s Interview with the Mankato Free Press: Dodgy!

Whitewater Police Chief Jim Coan has treated Whitewater, WI (and Mankato, MN) to one of the greatest examples of dodgy answers in their respective histories. Whitewater Police Chief Jim Coan is a candidate for the public safety director’s post in Mankato, Minnesota. I’ve written about his candidacy there before, in Signs of a Broken Police…

Whitewater Chief Coan Interviews with Mankato [MN] Free Press

Whitewater Police Chief Jim Coan is a candidate for the public safety director’s post in Mankato, Minnesota. I’ve written about his candidacy before, in Whitewater’s Police Chief and the Job in Mankato, MN. The Mankato Free Press has published interviews with all four candidates for the job. The paper posed the same five questions to…

“Ultimately” Responsible

I live and blog in a small rural town, of about fourteen thousand people, and one often imagines that such places are preserves of plain-speaking officials and straight-talking politicians. I suppose that many rural American towns are like that. We’re not one of them. Governance — official action first and foremost through law and legal…

Whitewater’s Police Chief and the Job in Mankato, MN

Update, 6:21 PM: Fixed link for “What Happens in Vegas…” appearing below.  Link now leads correctly to that post. Longtime readers of FREE WHITEWATER know that I have been a critic of Whitewater’s long-tenured (too long, really) police chief, Jim Coan. A search of this site offers ample analysis of Coan’s disappointing tenure in Whitewater,…

The Unfortunate Choice of Words

I have contended that a community benefits from a vigorous press, one that is willing to question incumbent politicians and bureaucrats. It’s one of the ways that the press in Whitewater, Wisconsin fails the community: asking hard questions of officials seems like treason. To someone in Chicago or Atlanta, that’s absurd; newspapers, television, and radio…

Vandalism and Alcohol

Whitewater’s had more than its share of property damage from vandalism. Strong property rights make a for a strong community; free markets in private property are the foundation of a productive society. We have vandalism, too, and just about everyone contends that much of it comes from over-drinking, leaving a bar, after weekend last call.…

Trust, but Verify

Every community relies — and wants to rely — on its police force for protection. Therein rests the honor and burden of the right to use force on behalf of the community: that trust is readily given, and a worthy leadership in return commits to a practice of openness and verification. It was Reagan to…

Whitewater’s Latest Police and Fire Commission Meeting, of May 2009

Has Whitewater Police Chief Jim Coan already hired a trainer for Whitewater’s Police and Fire Commission members? Earlier this week, on May 20th, 2009, Whitewater’s Police and Fire Commission met for a quarterly meeting. They met in a small conference room, rather than a chamber suitable for public attendance, and unlike so many other public…

“Riding (along) in the fast lane!”

Oh, too funny ~ Look what the Royal Purple offers up for an April 1st dateline: Chief Jim Coan “Riding (Along) in the Fast Lane.” Someone at the Purple is assured a fine career at… The Onion. Enjoy. Riding Along in the (Fast) Lane.

What Happens in Vegas…

Update, 2/09/10: Coan’s account of his travels is no longer online.  I challenge the City of Whitewater to put that work back online.  The Travels of Marco Polo are readily available online, so why not Coan’s series?  The original link to the City Manager’s Weekly Report for 3/13/09 is no longer online, as the city…

Inbox: Reader Mail – Whitewater Citizen Police Academy

I received an email over the weekend asking if I’d comment on the post and pictures on Whitewater’s Citizen Police Academy, published recently at the Whitewater Banner. I will. I’ll take my time, though, with replies that consider the Citizen Academy as policy, public relations, open government, and journalism. Strictly speaking, a consideration of the…