The chat lasted a little bit over an hour and yet only 12 questions were answered.
Here is the transcript. I have left everything as it was, typos and all.
Live chat with Chief Chrisman
Tuesday May 14, 2013
1:54 Welcome to the dnj.com live chat with
Police Chief Glenn Chrisman. We're about to get started. We've already got a
few questions rolling in. We'll answer the questions in the order in which
they're received.
1:58 Let's just start by welcoming Chief
Chrisman. First, as someone who's grown up here and spent your entire career
here, can you tell us how the police department's role in the community has
evolved since you were a kid and since you started with MPD in 1976?
2:01 Comment From Glenn Chrisman
I think that increased community involvement is a big change
from earlier years and also the change in the public's expectation of police
services. Since 2001 police have significant local responsibilities for
homeland security that were not part of policing during the early part of my
career.
2:01 Comment From Timothy Meredith
In your presentation to the city council you mentioned that
Homeland security is a priority and went as far to reference Newtown and Sandy
Hook in defense of the cameras. Are you stating that if we did not have the
cameras and had more officers patrolling traffic that we would have a mass
shooting or terrorist attack, or be unable to adequately handle a terrorist
situation?
2:05 Comment From Axl
Good Afternoon, Chief. In the photo enforcement report you
sent to the council on 4/30/13, you said that a new photo enforcement system
installed around 2011 was an “improvement” and “helped reduced crashes
overall”. However, the year after the new system was installed, crashes at
photo enforced intersections rose. In particular, side-angle crashes rose over
37% after the new system was installed. Could you clarify what about the new
system is an improvement?
2:06 Comment From Glenn Chrisman
No. I think that the use of technology such as the cameras
allows us to redeploy police resources for neighborhood patrols, directed
patrol assignments, community policing initiatives, school education programs,
and other needs. In this way, the use of technology is a force multiplier
enabling police resources to be used more effectively in other areas.
2:13 Comment From Glenn Chrisman
The improvements included a new sensor system that included
left hand turns at the monitored intersections. While crashes increased for
2011/12 over the 2011 year, there had been a steady decreasing trend at those
intersections from 2008/09 through 2010/11. For the period of 2007/08 through
2011/12, side angle collisions at these intersections decreased from 71 to 48,
a 32.3% decrease. If side angle crash trends for the 2012/13 year continue as
projected we anticipate a significant decrease for this fiscal year. For the
same time period (2007/08 through 2011/12) side angle crashes at all signalized
intersections decreased from 615 to 359, a 41.6% decrease.
2:13 Comment From Jacob Bogle
Chief Chrisman, you and the Mayor made it very clear that
the purpose of the red light cameras was to enhance safety and even showed
videos of accidents prior to the cameras being deployed. How would the threat
of a ticket deter what were obviously drunk and impaired drivers? Would not an
on site police officer make the streets safer by being able to apprehend the
drunk drive then & there, instead of having to wait for dispatch?
2:18 Comment From Glenn Chrisman
the focus of the program is to change driver behavior at
signalized intersections and to reenforce the message that "red means
stop". Impaired drivers are the focus of all police officers including our
Murfreesboro Police Alcohol Countermeasures Team (MPACT). Last year in
Murfreesboro there were 824 DUI arrests. However, in calendar year 2012, MPD
officers responded to an average of over 300 calls for service daily. The use
of camera technology allows us to use our most precious resources, our police
officers, in the most efficient and economical way possible.
2:18 Comment From Gunner
With websites like 'Photography is not a crime' and public
activists, what is the policy for citizens to film police in action from a safe
distance and what is a safe distance?
2:22 Comment From Glenn Chrisman
MPD actually has in-car video in most of the Patrol fleet.
It is our policy to record most interactions with the public. Any citizen may
film police officers from a safe place so long as they do not interfere with
the officer in the performance of their duties.
2:23 Comment From Timothy Meredith
You mention that it would allow you to redeploy resources to
neighborhood patrols, directed patrol assignments, community policing
initiatives, school education programs, but how do any of these subjects relate
to homeland security? In a homeland security emergency situation could you not
proactively pull resources from all areas including basic patrol? I fail to see
how having police patrol traffic would hinder the police department's ability
to respond to a Homeland Security situation.
2:27 Comment From Glenn Chrisman
Part of the idea of homeland security is detecting
suspicious activity before it turns criminal. By allowing officers to proactively
patrol, they observe activities and not only reduce crime, but gather
intelligence that could be connected to homeland security threats. Timothy
McVeigh (Oklahoma City bomber) was apprehended by a police officer following a
traffic stop.
2:27 Taylor Loyal:
With the push for more school resource officers following
Sandy Hook, do you feel we have an adequate police presence in Murfreesboro
City Schools?
2:30 Comment From Glenn Chrisman
MPD has a team of DARE and GREAT officers that partner with
Murfreesboro City Schools to provide a police presence in our City Schools. In
addition to the curriculum provided, they assist teachers and administrators
with school safety issues and other campus related concerns. At present, I
believe we do have an adequate police presence in Murfreesboro City Schools
(MCS). We are continuing to work with MCS to strengthen and improve security
safety issues.
2:30 Comment From Timothy Meredith
If we have less police paroling traffic and stopping people
at lights, would that not mean less possibility of stopping people such as
Timothy McVeigh? Would that not mean less possibility of stopping drunk drivers
who run red lights?
2:35 Comment From Glenn Chrisman
In order for us to provide traditional enforcement at one
red light at the same level as the automated system, we would need a minimum of
4 officers for one approach at one intersection for a limited period of time.
By deploying these resources city-wide, they are able to cover more territory
and observe for violations in the larger geographical area.
2:37 Taylor Loyal:
We seemed to have seen an increase in gang activity in
recent years in Murfreesboro. Can you discuss your creation of the gang task
force and how effective it has been?
2:44 Comment From Glenn Chrisman
In 2009 we partnered with CADCOR to implement an anti gang
education program for at risk youth and a gang investigative unit whose focus
is to investigate and prosecute gang related crimes. The Gang Resistance
Education And Training (GREAT) provides anti gang education which begins at the
fourth grade level in selected Murfreesboro City Schools. We believe that
anti-gang education prepares children to resist gang recruitment efforts, and
that target enforcement of criminal violations committed by suspected gang
members has improved the safety of our City and its neighborhoods.
2:44 Comment From Jacob Bogle
If we aren't spending money on having officers at the
intersections, and if ATS are the ones who operate the camera system, what is
the $740,000 allocated in the budget to red light cameras spent on?
2:48 Comment From Glenn Chrisman
When ATS upgraded the system in 2011 the capital investment
in the infrastructure replacements was approximately $2.4 million. The
expenditure in the Police Budget represents payments to ATS to defray the cost
of this infrastructure investment which was no cost to the City. Violators
therefore pay for the enforcement of red light violations.
2:49 Comment From Timothy Meredith
Of course they are able to observe for more red light
violations, but again how does that help prevent or stop drunk drivers? If
Timothy McVeigh got an automated ticket in the mail, would that have stopped
him? If a drunk driver gets a ticket in the mail, does that stop them from
potentially wrecking into someone after the red light violation occurs?
2:53 Comment From Glenn Chrisman
If officers are able to focus patrols and call responses on
other police duties, excluding red light enforcement, they have more time for
DUI enforcement, selective traffic enforcement, suspicious activity
investigation and reporting among a myriad of other duties.
2:58 Taylor Loyal:
We'd like to thank Chief Chrisman and all of our readers for
participating today. We look forward to future live chats. I understand you all
have a Peace Officers Memorial Day coming up this week. Could you tell us about
that?
2:59 Comment From Glenn Chrisman
I would like to invite the readers to come to the 2013 Peace
Officers Memorial Day this Thursday at 9:00am on the Civic Plaza (outside City
Hall). The day was set aside by Congress to honor and pay respect to officers
who gave their life in the line of duty. Locally, we have lost 9 police
officers. Trooper William James, MPD Officer Herbert McClanahan, US Deputy
Marshal Sam Vaughn, Trooper Lewis Hendon, MPD Officer Butch Tomlinson, MPD
Officer Kay Rogers, MPD Officer Matt Lovejoy, and Trooper Andy Wall will all be
honored. Please join us in remembering those fallen officers.
2:59 Comment From Glenn Chrisman
Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this live
chat.
End of transcript.
The main participants were myself, Axl David and Tim Meredith, and the three of us are co-founders of the Murfreesboro C.A.P.E project. Taylor Loyal is a DNJ employee and was the moderator.
We asked several questions which were not answered including one dealing with the fact that a person who is caught by a red light camera is under no real obligation to pay since the City cannot force them, it is not listed against their driving record and collection agencies cannot list it on their credit report.
Another question dealt with the efficacy of the system and since that there is no direct evidence that the camera system works, why should we install more of them?
As you can see, Chief Chrisman deflected most of the questions, refusing to answer them directly. 12 questions
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