John Gaccione

04/10/18

The scuttlebutt around headquarters seems to be one of great concern for the Matrix exploration of police service delivery options. Even with the so-called Dorroh Ordinance as insurance, uneasy questions are now being asked.

The relentless barrage of the faithful’s communiqués and the faithful’s excellent turnout for the first Matrix meeting helped to create an image of solidarity. Despite what path others may take, the faithful are on track to make Kensington a safe place for a local independent department … even with a below minimum standard of professional police service.

The faithful would do well to always stress the personal service aspect of a local independent police department. Strive to invoke a Mayberry image of our tiny community and leave the others to spin their dark Peyton Place visions. Some of our police officers may occasionally lose important evidence, show poor judgment, resort to intimidation now & then, ignore privacy laws, and behave in a manner unbecoming a sworn officer, but they still remain “our” independent police.

The stalwart faithful have spearheaded the recent attacks on Matrix’s efforts. The recent torrent of comments on Nextdoor savaging Matrix’s opinion poll on SurveyMonkey attests to the faithful’s zeal. “Sample control-vacant”, anyone? And let’s not forget the inflammatory “Kensington Independent” mailer. In a cat fight the natural instinct is to first attack the messenger and then trash the message.

In the past the faithful have hammered home the claim that our hillside community was the 5th safest community in the state. As it turned out, 3 of the 5 top ranked communities had some form of contracting with other agencies for police services. The schools are a much bigger attraction than any real estate poll for new residents.

Kensington is an exceedingly small community. Folks here share many channels of communication and intersecting lines of interest that may not be obvious. You may find yourself confronting some ugly truths about our independent police department from folks who have acquired their knowledge the hard way. They lived it.

Nevertheless onward Kensingtonians, let’s bring the fight to those who do not share the wisdom that an independent police department is the bedrock of our small community. “Put Kensington First” and let others proclaim our police department is broken and needs to be fixed.  Let others spend $70,000+ of our taxpayer’s money to determine what the faithful already know. The solution is “our” very own local independent police. Can I get an amen?

“The hardest thing about any political campaign is how to win without proving that you are unworthy of winning.” (Adlai E. Stevenson)

Keeping K-town First in Litigation since 2008