Here are some others that we would like to know about as well.

–What is the status of the gas fired power plant the city council approved on public land south of the airport?

–How come the city has not scheduled a bond election for an airport parking garage as the Supreme Court said they had to to go into long term debt.

–What is the status of all the surplus land the city owns in the area of Fairview and 25 and Fairview and 29th?

–Did the second worker fired at the Poop Farm get convicted of any crime?
–Why no bond election for a police station and are there plans afoot for alternate financing?

If you have and answers to these questions, please let us know. You may also have questions of your own.

For those who don’t remember–and that may be half of you–the big flat building with a parking lot at Americana and Shoreline was formerly an office, US Post Office facility, and K-Mart.

Three years ago at the end of Carolyn Terteling-Payne’s administration the Council voted to pay “up to $80,000” to a real estate agent (who still does work for the parks department) to acquire the property using revenues from sale city-owned land at 25th and Fairview and 2900 Fairview. He was paid something, but no deals ever resulted. We haven’t heard who is involved in the current undercover sting.

The GUARDIAN has been critical of the city’s handling of land speculation deals all in the name of a new police station. Editor David R. Frazier even went to court and won a land mark decision which resulted in a court order to have an election for long term debt. Despite the court ruling, voters are still out of the loop as the mayor and council have been taxing citizens and creating a slush fund for a future police facility.

We posted an item about COUNCIL INDECISION on November 25–perhaps that has caused the latest rumors about renewed interest in the Americana property. We don’t question the need for police facilities, but if Team Dave and the Councilors ever want support of the taxpayers it would be smart to ASK before spending their money.

ADA COUNTY Coroner Erwin Sonnenberg has decided to “try something different” with the investigation of two recent fatal police shootings. Instead of inquests, he is asking prosecutors in Twin Falls and Bannock Counties to handle the investigations. Both of these cases have a different wrinkle than the shooting of the 16-year-old boy in the Highlands a couple years ago. Downside is most of their info will come from the locals.

In both the Boise and the Meridian cases, police and sheriff’s deputies were on scene for at least half an hour before killing men who were brandishing pistols. The sticky question is WHY did police in each incident use BOTH deadly and non-lethal force? Reports say the victims (suspects?) were shot with bean bag rounds as well as rifle and pistol rounds. The GUARDIAN won’t question use of either weapon, but BOTH? Nearly impossible to tell which weapons were fired first, but we fear “contagious fire” may be a factor–one shoots and they all shoot.

DEVELOPERS need to post huge bonds posted before they are allowed to go forward with public involved projects. Another planned community was announced last week and the media pretty much ignored it.

We fear these developers won’t come through with the proper infrastructure and if they fail to sell as many houses as expected, it could be cheaper to walk away and leave the few homeowners–and taxpayers–to provide for sewer and water needs…the latest developer to get the CCDC nod to build a 34 story tower on the infamous “hole” has a history of bankruptcy… and a parcel intended for condos at Idaho and 16th is in foreclosure.

Instead of involving the citizens who consume the services and pay the bills, both the BPD and Team Dave have been dancing around trying to cut land deals, do studies, assessments, plans, and they haven’t gotten their act together any better than the past administration. This should have been done years ago.

The track record of this Chief and City Administration hasn’t been much better than the last one. Nearly six years ago the city obtained about five acres at 25th and Fairview from CCDC–and paid a realtor a commission on the deal which is absurd. It was the “ideal location” for a police headquarters.

A few months later they bought eight acres at the old Larry Barnes car lot at 2900 Fairview–another “ideal spot.” Then they ran afoul of the law when the former councilors voted to go around the citizens on the financing. Judge Cheri Copsey said the city had to let the people vote on long term bond debt in 2003.

Mayor Terteling-Payne got the council to authorize even more money for a realtor to make offers on the old K-Mart property at Shoreline and Americana and sell the other two “ideal locations.” That deal never happened either.

More than three years later the city is STILL trying to subvert the will of the people and has not scheduled an election. Instead, they are overtaxing the citizens each year and creating a $10 million “slush fund” which is “earmarked” for police facilities, but there is no legal obligation to spend the cash for BPD buildings. They call it “savings”, but it is truly an attempt to spend without citizen permission–as a bond election would do.

We are working on the third police chief now and he has to be frustrated as well. He has voiced a desire to have several smaller police stations (precincts) located throughout the city while maintaining the HQ at Barrister with the Sheriff, but we don’t know much else about his ideas.

The GUARDIAN says it is time to make a decision PERIOD. The cops are crowded. They are also in rented space at several locations which in itself is inefficient. The councilors keep growing the city–both in residents and area– and the chief can’t do much until he gets some direction from the council. Seems they all have different views on what to do with their vast real estate speculation holdings.

This lack of progress in a basic city service points out the need for a POLICE COMMISSION of citizens who can advise the chief and the council on what is needed AND what the citizens are willing to fund.

Give us a proposal and we citizens will gladly tell you if we want to fund it at specific locations or areas. JUST DO IT!

NOTE TO COPS AND CITY HALL–Watch what just a handful of GUARDIAN readers can offer up in the way of sound proposals in the next few days.

Closer examination showed a shoulder patch shaped like the state of Louisiana!

What the heck is a Louisiana copper doing at Bronco Stadium toting a pistol? Like Boise cops, we have to assume it was loaded. What legal authority would he have to shoot Bronco fans, intruders, or even nut cases willing to attempt to do harm to any one of 45 big ugly football players?

The GUARDIAN admittedly hasn’t been on the sidelines in many years, but we have never seen visiting teams bring along their own cops packing heat to out of state games. Is this common and who allows it to happen?

Does BSU not provide adequate security? Does BSU take pistol packing police on their away games?

Just curious.

Today she jumped on a story about all those bus stop benches that aren’t necessarily at bus stops. While there are only a few specific bus stops around the city–like the mall and downtown–the advertising benches seemed to have just blossomed through the cracks like weeds.

The GUARDIAN remembers when the ad scam got started in about 1973. The Ada County Highway District got a piece of the action–which was something like 10% of the gross. Apparently some 700 benches have been dumped all over the city. At one time the city got federal grants to build bus stops at Vista/Overland and Capitol/University among other spots.

Both Boise City and the ACHD want to control access to the public right-of-way and eliminate the benches. If they are like the EMS folks they will go into business and do their own advertising signs.

Kreller’s other no nonsense story was a routine report on the Boise Police Department’s “annual report.” She jabbed the chief about forgetting some of the unsavory aspects of the look back at the previous year’s activities.

He said “no corporation” puts that stuff in an annual report. TILT! Chief Mike Masterson is the COP–not the CEO. Good job Katie.

A Boise Police officer requested an engine crew from station #5 to respond to the area of 6th and Main where police were confronting an angry crowd after a stabbing at a bar. A GUARDIAN source told us, “He told the cops to go pound sand.” Deputy Fire Chief Dave Hanneman was a little more diplomatic when he said, “We don’t do that, so we said no.”

Police did unleash pepper spray on the angry crowd and marched in skirmish lines pushing the people west of Capitol Boulevard. The GUARDIAN has had reports of “heavy handed tactics” by police who shoved people around.

The daily paper quoted police spokeswoman Lynn Hightower who soft peddled the actions of the officer who requested the fire hoses for crowd control…She thought he was a sergeant or lieutenant.

“He was reaching for options. What is important to note is that it is not an option. It is not something that would have been used. It is way outdated,” said the police spokeswoman. She termed the situation as “desperate” and “scary” and then qualified the remark as TEMPORARILY desperate and scary.

We worry that ANY policeman of any rank would make an urgent call to the fire department without the authority of superiors who all claim they would never approve turning fire hoses on citizens.

If dousing human beings with fire hoses is NOT an option and would never be considered by cops, we hope police commanders are making it clear to the rest of the department that whoever called for firemen used BAD JUDGMENT and violated department chain of command by making a request that was beyond his pay grade.

In summary, if it were not for the good judgment of the Fire Department captain, the inappropriate action would have been taken and both police and fire brass would be defending the actions. No doubt MONEY MAGAZINE would have taken away our #8 ranking as well!!

It was no parade. They were watching 35 cops from four agencies squirting partyers with pepper spray following a violent stabbing incident at the Loft, a bar at 622 Idaho. Cops were scared (“felt threatened”) after the crowd failed to disperse taunted police who ordered them to leave the area.

Police Chief Mike Masterson is being placed in an unfair bind. He needs to maintain law and order in an area of concentrated partying and alcohol consumption. Friday night police initiated a “crackdown” and were forced to bring in outside agencies to assist the “bar team” which was created in September 2005. Apparently there are not enough Boise uniformed cops to keep the peace in downtown–evidenced by the outside troops who are routinely summoned to help.

The City recently amended–or is in the process of amending–an old ordinance which prohibits sale of alcohol on the sidewalk after sunset. It appears to the GUARDIAN there are two forces at work.

One is to sell more booze to make more money and attract more people downtown at night. The other force is charged with maintaining a safe place for citizens to enjoy their evenings. We hope both can reach a common goal, but when there are stabbings and murders it casts doubt on the issue.

The report comes across as accurate, factual, and impartial. The conclusions and recommendations are well reasoned if not predictable. The response of Top Cop Mike Masterson are cautious and tend to defend the officers and the department–also predictable.

During the Dec. 2005 “show trial” coroner’s inquest conducted by the coroner–dressed in a robe acting as judge–and presented by the prosecuting attorney, the GUARDIAN was concerned about the lack of impartiality and quest for the TRUTH. We feel even stronger about that flawed system today.

If you followed the case at all you know the Jones boy was apparently high on drugs, his dad called the cops, officer Andrew S. Johnson responded and was confronted by the teen who was wielding an unloaded W.W.II rifle with a bayonet attached.

From that point it all got fuzzy. Dad said the cop shot without warning (Murphy agrees). The kid was never close enough to poke the cop (Murphy disagrees). Dad told dispatch the Japanese rifle was unloaded and dispatchers told cops he had an assault rifle (Murphy agrees . The trauma of a cop shooting a teen in front of a father who had called the cops to help–not kill–his son rocked the community.

The mayor got involved, making a phone call to the coroner, the former police chief did a show-and-tell simulation of the tragedy at a press conference which compromised the evidence, and the prosecutor made a case against the dead kid at the inquest. It was not a proud period in Boise law enforcement history.

Top Cop Mike Masterson was not even on the force at the time of the incident. He seems to be well respected by his officers and has taken some small steps toward changing the “culture” of the police force, while not making wholesale changes. The ombudsman wants more training and suggests a “crises intervention team” to deal with mental and drug induced situations…the Jones matter was all over in 10 seconds.

Since police chiefs, mayors, and city councilors come and go, the GUARDIAN thinks it is time to truly involve the community in the police department with the creation of a police commission. Mayor Bieter has so far refused to propose it, despite our repeated requests to him.

We see a commission as establishing: broad policy, training parameters, budget priorities, and generally serving in the same capacity as the airport, library, parks, and other commissions. The commission would NOT be involved in personnel matters and the ombudsman should remain in place with the same duties.

Citizens have no voice in the most expensive and highest profile department in city government. It is time we got a voice for the benefit of all concerned.

Boise Dispatch reported 261 illegal fireworks complaints from 8pm to 1:30 a.m. Overall there were 400 calls for service during the five hour period. There were 31 fire calls and 19 medical assist calls.
Total calls for the day numbered 2,477–a 1,766 jump over last year.

Based on comparision with 2005, we would have to call the enforcement effort a resounding failure. Even with all the media play, TV ads starring Mayor Dave Bieter, and threats of tickets, there were nearly as many fire calls in 5 hours as there were during the entire 24 hour period a year ago. The Boise sky was filled with illegal fireworks. Spent bottle rockets in our yard and a casual view over the valley on the 4th, prompts us to say there were more illegal fireworks than ever.

Boise Fire Department Deputy Chief Dave Hanneman said the department will evaluate the enforcement efforts and costs and pass the data along to the City’s decision makers. The prolonged thunderstorm probably did more to put a damper on wild and crazy fireworks fires than all the tickets in the world.