Carpundit

And End to Paid Police Details in Massachusetts? Maybe Not, But It's a Great Start

I've posted about paid police details, and about the police unions many times over the past several years.  Finally, some good news on the topic.  Kudos to Governor Patrick for accomplishing what Mitt Romney couldn't.  Unlike Romney, Patrick promised AND delivered.

An end to idling state police cruisers and pacing local cops on state highway jobs is long overdue.  If only the 350 cities and towns could find the same political will.  We can break the back of the police unions here, if people don't chicken out.  And what's with Arlington Police Chief Ryan and his snit, quoted in the Boston Globe:

"In my 25 years in law enforcement in this state, I have never worked with a more insensitive and arrogant administration that is simply unwilling to listen on this issue[.]"

He must be facing a contract renegotiation with his department's organized crime unit union.  Or at least some of his fellow city chiefs are.

These new anti-detail regulations are a victory for the taxpayer, for common sense, and for law enforcement.  We need police who give their attention to their jobs, not to holes in the ground.

Photographic Proof that the paid police detail system is ridiculous

Here's a Boston police officer working a detail in a Back Bay alley. The alley is completely blocked by the truck and a front-loader. What's the police officer for? Keep the traffic flowing smoothly?

Asinine. It's time we ended the union stranglehold. And did you see all those cops in uniform trying to intimidate the opposition at the hearing Monday?

Maybe Troopers Need Bigger Guns

A police officer was shot last night in Boston; he is expected to make a full recovery, but that's pure good luck.  If the Herald's account is accurate, the suspect was then shot twice by a trooper, but got right up and laughed about what he had done.

Life in prison isn't long enough.

Those Mansions on Commonwealth Avenue

The Boston Globe today carries a story about two homes for sale in the heart of Boston's Back Bay, at 128 and 130 Commonwealth Avenue.  Vaguely interesting, I guess, but it jumped out at me for one reason:

Auto dealer Herb Chambers is selling 128 Commonwealth. Ave. for $14.95 million.

He probably needs somewhere with a little more parking.

Dan Kennedy Thinks Finneran Is Classy?

I don't really care about WRKO's decision not to employ Bernard McGuirk as a fill-in or co-host for Tom Finneran.  McGuirk is lousy as a host, I don't listen to WRKO, and we've already seen that Al Sharpton can control the airwaves when he wants.  So there's no there in that story.  But I laughed at something ancillary in the Boston Globe report of the decision:

Dan Kennedy, who teaches journalism at Northeastern University and blogs on the local media scene, applauded the station for reversing course.

"To actually bring McGuirk into Boston, and to pair him with a guy who -- although he's not doing that well on the ratings certainly, has some class and some dignity -- was an awful decision, and I'm glad they're not going to do it," he said.

I'm sorry, Dan?  Class and dignity?  Finneran?

He's a convicted felon.  An unrepentant, convicted felon.

You've lost all perspective.

Bumper Cars In Boston or Why I Park Mine In a Garage

Here's the rear end of a Porsche Carrera (996) that's seen some better days, cosmetically.  Those protuberances on either side of the license plate may have been black originally, as on my car.  The painted versions are available aftermarket (bumperplugs.com, e.g.) and look a lot better, I think.  That is, they look a lot better until they get scratched and dinged from parking in Boston.  Click for larger and see the damage.   Yikes.

Police Dispatch

There's a nice article about a Boston Police dispatcher by Suzanne Smalley in the Boston Globe.  A good dispatcher makes all the difference in policing -ask any cop anywhere- and it sounds like Brenda Ortiz is one.

Wednesday Morning Rush

Just quick takes today:

Falwell's dead.  I can't think of anything to say except: good riddance.  With each passing year I become more angry at those who would abrogate the civil rights and human dignity of an entire class of people.  So, screw Falwell.  The world is better off without him.  There; I did think of something to say.

Boston ranked third in road rage.  Third?  We let New York beat us again?  Get with it, people!  All it takes is a single finger and a little random horn-blowing.  Maybe all our psychotherapists are dispensing too many meds.  Anyone care to do a correlation survey?

Well-Wired, But Clueless In a Volvo

Spotted driving near Alewife on Tuesday, headed toward Boston, was this 30-40 year-old man with a bluetooth phone in his ear, chatting up a storm.  It's safe to assume some of his attention was going to the phone call.  Some of it might have been going to directions, too, because he had a car-portable GPS in the car.  Not much attention left for driving.  That's OK, though.

There's no point paying attention to your driving when you can't see where you're going.  His GPS is smack in the center of the windshield, right below the rearview mirror.  (See detail; click for larger.)  It blocks a good 10 degrees of visibility.  How stupid can someone be?

Speaking of Commonwealth Avenue

Toward the end of the afternoon, when the Walk for Hunger participants were straggling back to the Common, I was walking home after parking the car.  I saw two things of note.

1. This is about the only Nissan 350Z I've ever liked.  It has aftermarket wheels and exhaust, and that's about it.  Really nice looking in the afternoon sun.

2. It's the Walk for Hunger, people, not the Walk to Feed the Rats.