Rent a Cop

"They would prefer to see a Dallas policeman rather than a hire-a-cop, because they probably feel that they're going to get a higher-quality service. To say there's a conspiracy, I couldn't really say that."

I said OK. But you were a deputy city manager. You know way more about City Hall than most people. What about the property owner who's not so sophisticated about this stuff? Somebody who's never really had a run-in with City Hall or the police before. Now all of a sudden, here comes "the Safe Team" from City Hall, talking about a lawsuit against you for not reducing crime, and somehow somebody over here on the side, maybe a cop who has nothing to do with the Safe Team, suggests you hire some off-duty cops.

Might you not get the idea you're being squeezed?

"Sure," Henigsman said, "I think you're absolutely right. They read a totally different meaning to it. They read that, 'I'm being told to hire them.' It's a misunderstanding, a difference between what the police think they're saying versus what the owners think they're hearing."

Yeah. Well, I see his point. But I'm not quite willing to cut City Hall that big a break. I don't exactly blame the cops for all this. Their main problem is they're wearing the wrong uniform at the Little Big Horn.

Certainly we can't blame Kunkle: He hasn't been chief that long. He's shown nothing but integrity so far.

But ultimately City Hall issues are leadership issues. And what is the message from our elected leaders? Their message is that they're going to suck up to what they imagine to be the wishes of rich North Dallas and oppose any and all tax hikes. That means Kunkle might as well just go ahead and change his name to Kuster.

And this is the really amazing part: Then they're going to blame the fact that this city has one of the nation's highest crime rates on us.

Don't allow any crime to happen on your property, you naughty devils, or we'll have to come out with the Safe Team and sue your socks off. Hire some off-duty cops. Oh, and that other thing. Don't be late with our tax money.

Next week, let's talk some more about off-duty.

You guessed it: It gets worse.