Attorney and mayoral candidate Charles Carpenter released a crime plan today that drew a harsh response from Memphis Police Director Larry Godwin.
Carpenter's plan, called the "All for One" crime plan, calls for increasing the number of police on the streets and increasing efficiency.
Carpenter said today that morale at the police department is low and that he would replace Godwin, but the police director fired back.
"I have reviewed Mr. Carpenter's crime plan and I have come up with a more suitable title: 'The one-hour crime plan,'" said Godwin. "This is not a plan as it has no notable strategies, just double talk."
"I would venture to say that many of the candidates out there have no idea what it takes to run a police department, let alone deal with the criminal element that wishes to prey on our community," said Godwin. "I do understand that it is the prerogative of any mayor elect to appoint their own directors; however, as a taxpaying citizen I can only hope that the future of this city and the safety of our citizens are taken into consideration rather than any personal or political agenda."
Do what you want with Chico but leave my yard cars and chickens alone, Chuck.
That is not a plan - that is an re-tread of old ideas with no substance. More community policing?? No. We need cops enforcing the law and arresting the bad guys - not hosting BBQs and senior citizen breakfasts. All that touchy feely stuff does NOT improve police morale either as those officers became cops to be cops - not babysitters. I have to agree with Godwin - Carpenter has no clue what it takes to run a police department.
I agree with Godwin.What kind of plan is this? I could say all of this stuff. Everyone hates Herenton and everyone Herenton appointed.So they all want to get rid of those appointees.It seems as if it is all about getting back at Herenton. It's all personal and STUPID. Is there anyone out there who really cares about this city? Stop it Carpenter and all of you other so called grown people.Children are watching you. Opps I forgot you don't care.
Godwin should be held accountable to the high crime rate in this city. He is not very effective.
With that said, Charles Carpenter has no idea what he's doing. He is only out for himself here. He has made millions off of the city from being willie's campaign manager and willie tossing a lot of city contracts his way. If you look at carpenter's own website, his little law firm has 95% of its business with the city. All of that has stopped now that willie is gone.
Carpenter wants to keep the gravy train rolling and will bleed this city and it's taxpaying citizens dry if he is elected.
Hey Dave - crime is DOWN almost 15% since 2006 - looks like Blue Crush may be working. It took time for NYC to turn their city around crime-wise,too. Other than that blogger issue I am not sure why so many dislike Godwin.
Suze, for a while now there has been pressure from above to police officers that arrest people to charge them with lesser crimes than what they caught them for. That 15% drop you claim could very well be attributed to this. But even with a 15% drop in crime, we are still top in the nation of crime per capita. It was bad before he was promoted but this has happened on godwin's watch and he should be held accountable.
I don't "claim that drop" in crime - it was recently reported here in the CA. Besides the FBI cautions comparing city crimes rates as, in their own words, it it like comparing apples to oranges.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/may/09/if-you-missed-it-crime-declines/
And yes, he should be held accountable - and also lauded - if indeed crime is reducing under his watch which it appears to be doing. Sorry but I don't buy your "forced from above for lesser charges" theory in regards to the drop in crime - especially homicides or violent crimes. I would look more toward the issue of the courts letting these criminals go on reduced or dismissed charges. The cops keep locking up the same people and the courts keep letting them go.
Ok, I think we can agree to disagree on godwin. The decrease in crime stats takes us back to a level of when godwin was promoted?
What I'm sure we can both agree on is carpenter. From all I've heard from him, he wants to be 'CEO' of Memphis. This city is not a business and if he gets elected he will look at the citizens as customers and to his maximize profit from us. His law firm had most of their business come from willie giving him city contracts. Now that willie is gone, so is his business. Crime, which is the number 1 issue this city has, is a long afterthought to him. His "crime plan" is a joke.
His campaign is financed thru money he got from the city thru the crony contracts willie gave him.
Yes, I agree with your assessment of Carpenter and have been tracking his contracts with the City. ASTOUNDING amount of money. While I have not made up my mind on who I want to vote for in October I do know I do not like what I am seeing from Carpenter and I do not believe his claims of being different or disconnected from Herenton.
Crime, what are we taking about, Crime? That fool Carpunkter don't know nothing about cirme, except the ones he and King Willie "Mugabe" perpetrated and that goomba Godwink aint even smart enough to fudge the numbers so we can get more federal money down here to pass around. That fool couldn't catch a fart in a windtunnel.