There is a Massachusetts Connection. Chief Flynn previously was the Chief in Chelsea MA> The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel posted a three-minute clip of Police Chief Edward Flynn responding to police protesters, who turned out to a Fire and Police Commission meeting to slam the department over the shooting of a mentally ill man. Dontre Hamilton suffered from schizophrenia but was non-violent, according to family members. When Officer Christopher Manney approached Hamilton, he reportedly violated protocols that escalated the confrontation, and he ended up shooting Hamilton 14 times, killing him. Flynn responded by firing Manney, taking flak from the police union in the process. When police protesters showed up to verbally attack him and other members of the police at the meeting, Flynn was having none of it. He shouted back at many of them and took a phone call, much to the chagrin of the protesters. This led the press to ask Edward Flynn about his actions following the meeting. His response is angry, thought-provoking, and impassioned. While the whole rant is epic and genuine and worth the three minutes of your time that it will take to listen, one of the most powerful parts comes midway through. -- Its union politics, Flynn said. Ive encountered no-confidence votes before, any police chief worth his or her salt has. Im not in the business of pleasing the union; Im in the business of accomplishing the mission of the police department. While chief in Chelsea, Mass., in the mid-1990s, Flynn faced a no-confidence vote. Like this one, it occurred in the wake of a disciplinary decision, Flynn said. It didnt affect me there and its not affecting me here, Flynn said. No-confidence votes are overwhelmingly about internal union politics, not about agency performance.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 02:14:29 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015