Intersting Blog Posting

A friend of mine sent this link to me today.  It is from the St. Paul Pioneer Press.  There has been discussions for years about how education or the lack of it impacts police officers' conduct and how they go about doing their jobs.

The ability of obtaining an education  in and of itself will not cure all the ills facing the law enforcement community, but it is part of an overall process to address issues of what makes good officers dating all the way back to Woodrow Wilson.

What the article doesn't state; however is most Minnesota law enforcement agencies' starting salaries for police officers is in excess of $50,000 per year; the pension plan is fully vested in 3 years and individuals can retire before they are 60.    There are  generally educational incentives and the POST board in Minnesota is proactive in the ability to provide law enforcement administrators the information necessary on potential candidates and their histories.

The combination of all these factors provides the opportunity for hiring quality officers.  The bottom line; however, still revolves around the community's willingness to invest the dollars necessary to hire and retain quality police officers.  This means good equipment, support by elected officials, the ability of elected officials to stay out of the  law enforcement aspects of the job and to make sure that city administrators and managers  allow police administrators to do their jobs.

There are success stories in other states and communities.  Each community  receives the type of policing they will tolerate or the type they demand of their police agency. A community that promotes integrity through actions and accountability sets the  groundwork to such  an environment in a police agency to happen.  Communities that  want special favors, try to  interfere with the just administration of the law create corrupt environments.

Bottom  line, there is no "silver bullet" for good  cops or police agencies.  It takes a community effort to make this happen and a financial commitment to ensure the long-term success.

Interesting Post

Thought some of you might be interested in viewing this web site.

Congratulations

Congratulations to the Lady Hornets on their national championship basketball win last night. The details are right here.

Tornado Season Is Here Again

This the season,  at least  throughout the Midwest part of the
United States to be ready for tornado season.  I know
that with snow on the ground in some parts of
the place it's hard to think about it but you should
have your emergency plan in place and know
what to do and where to go in the event of severe
weather.  Be prepared!

You Know You Are From Kansas IF:.....

1. You no longer associate bridges or rivers with water.

2. You have never met any celebrities. (Bob Dole isn't a celebrity; he's your neighbor.)

3. You know the meaning of Rock Chalk Jayhawk.

4. Your closest neighbor is more than a mile away and you can still see him from your front porch.

5. You can properly pronounce Salina, Basehor, Cimarron, Schoenchen, Kechi, Olathe and Osawatomie.

6. Going on vacation means going to Hutch to the fair or to Abilene to Ike's museum.

7. A traffic jam involves two cars staring each other down at a four-way stop, each determined to be the most polite and let the other go first.

8. A Mercedes Benz is not a status symbol. A Ford F150 4x4 is. (Except in Johnson County)

9. You discover that in July it takes only 2 fingers to drive your car.

10. The terms Sooners and Huskers cause hairs on the back of your neck to stand up straight and your blood pressure to rise.

11. You have owned at least one belt buckle bigger than your fist.

12. You think people who complain about the wind and weather in their states are SISSIES!

13. You are not surprised to find movie rentals, ammunition and bait all in the same store.

14. You know that the true value of a parking space is not determined by the distance to the door but by the availability of shade.

15. You have been asked, "Where is Toto" more than once.

16. You had at least one summer job that was bucking bales or custom cutting.

17. More than once you've made a beer run to another state.

18. You learned how to shoot a gun before you learned to multiply.

19. Your school classes have been canceled because of the cold.

20. You know in your heart that KU or K-State can beat Oklahoma in football.

21. Traffic congestion is ten cars waiting to pass a combine on the highway.

22. You have had to switch from heat to A/C in the same day.

23. You know everything goes better with Ranch.

24. Your school classes have been canceled because of the heat.

25. You have ridden the school bus for more than an hour each way.

26. In August, you break a sweat the instant you step outside at 7:00 a.m.

27. You instantly know someone is from Johnson County when they call everything west of Topeka "Western" Kansas.

28. A tornado warning siren is your signal to go out in the yard and look for a funnel.

29. You know the real way to pronounce the name of Clinton's state and the river. ar-KAN-saw (former) & arKANSAS (latter)

30. You think the opening day of pheasant season is a national holiday.

31. "Vacation" means going to Kansas City or Wichita for the weekend.

32. You measure distance in hours.

33. You know several people who have hit more than one deer.

34. You see people wearing hunting clothes at social events.

35. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.

36. You think of the major food groups as beer, beef and beans.

37. You carry jumper cables in your car and make sure your better half knows how to use them.

38. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.

39. You know the 4 seasons as: summer, road construction, still summer, winter.

40. It takes you 3 hours to go to the store for one item even when you're in a rush because you have to stop and talk to everyone in town.

41. You lock the doors to your truck but leave the windows rolled down.

42. You call sodas just plain ol' "Pop"!!

43. You feel safe leaving you truck running while you go in the gas station.

44. You had at least one field trip in grade school that went to a dairy farm or one room school house.

45. FINALLY..... you are 100% Kansan if........... You actually understand these jokes and invite all your friends to this group.
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