Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Follow-Up To The CPI Fire Extinguishers



I received an email from the Crime in Charlotte Blog this morning who was kind enough to forward this morning's email from CMPD plumber Rob Tufano.

Crime in Charlotte noted that the following press release didn't say anything about CPI, referring to Cedar Posts Odds and Ends from yesterday, and hinted my information might be wrong.

Interesting, no mention of CPI only that the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Foundation will present the department with a check.

From: "Tufano, Robert"
To: Media Release
Sent: Wed, March 30, 2011 11:17:03 AM
Subject: Police Foundation Presentation

On Thursday, March 31, 2011, The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Foundation will present the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department with a check that will enable the department to purchase 1141 to mount in all of the department’s police vehicles. This generous gesture comes on the heels of a 2010 incident that nearly cost one of our officers his life.

On December 30, 2010, North Tryon Division Officer Keith Trietley was assisting in the apprehension of a dangerous suspect when the cruiser he was traveling in was involved in a head on collision with the suspects truck. Officer Trietley was seriously injured and trapped in the vehicle, which also caught fire. A responding officer secured a fire extinguisher from a civilian and quickly extinguished the blaze before it reached the vehicles interior.

This incident could have resulted in tragedy had it not been for the citizens assistance.

On Thursday March 31st representatives from the Police Foundation, CMPD and the community will come together for this event. Please join us at 2:30 p.m. in the 4000 block of the Plaza. Confirm your attendance by contacting Rob Tufano at rtufano@cmpd.org or 704-301-86.

The presentation will be relocated to the North Tryon Division located at 4045 North Tryon Street in the event of rain.


It should come as no surprise to the Crime in Charlotte Blog that the Police Foundation is chaired by Ken Gill, Chief Executive Officer of CPI Security.

I want to be clear about one thing I think this is a great idea and frankly I'm amazed that our CMPD patrol cars aren't already equipped with fire extinguishers.

But I'm equally amazed at the shadyness of the way things are done around Charlotte.

Pick your poison, CMUD, DSS, CMS, Airport, CMPD, BOCC or Charlotte City Council they are all a bunch of shady half truth operations. Like the citizens of Fukushima Japan, one day we will rely on our city county agencies to tell us the truth and I doubt we'll get a straight answer.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Interesting photo Cedar, and I like the way you tie it to your closing line about Fukushima Japan.

I never know what to expect when I pull up your blog. Always good reading.

The connection to RoMo and Fukushima is a big reach but I get it. I really do.

Anonymous said...

CMPD cruisers had fire extinguishers and blankets in the trunk many years ago. The problem was/is NO MAINTENANCE plan! Fire extinguishers need inspecting, replacement, and re-filling. Blankets require a scheduled laundry service. CMPD doesn't have a good track record with this sort of stuff. Cedar you should put a reminder on your calendar for a follow-up story 1 year from now. Your readers will be surprised.

Anonymous said...

Like you, Cedar, I do not believe that ANYONE is questioning the need and safety of having fire extinguishers in CMPD cars!
What is in question is the ethics of having one company
"giving" as I think CPI did with fingerprint locaters, once again under the auspices of the same tax exempt organization, so CPI not only gets a huge tax write off, but lots of free advertising.
And as someone said, if it is such a safety issue, why hasn't rodney used some of the money he has had at his disposable to provide his Officers with them?
Could it be they weren't a priority?
When ethics and integrity constantly take a back seat, what happens is everything becomes questionable!
And rightly so!

Anon said...

Safety? Monroe is too busy spending our tax dollars pimping his Chief uniform with more gold...
I always said he was almost as bad as the thugs in Charlotte-- I'm waiting on him to show up at a presser with a new grill.

Anonymous said...

Wouldn't this be a tacit endorsement, also?

I mean, come on!

I wonder if anyone at CMPD got, how shall we say, anything gratis?

Nothing would surprise anyone, from what I hear, about
the goings on at Cmpd at the top.

The rank and file deserve much better.

Anon said...

You are so right! Our rank and file DESERVE SO MUCH BETTER!!!

Anonymous said...

I have to agree with others......
Why weren't fire extinguishers a priority for rodney BEFORE one was needed in an emergency?
I don't get it?!
It makes you wonder what other safety equipment is not a priority for rodney? We know training isn't!!
I guess you can see where his priorities are.... Got to "look" good!
So now because rodney did not see fit to equip his Officers with fire extinguishers, his Buddy is "donating" them?
Makes rodney look like a jackass, but it's a win/win for his Buddy!

Anonymous said...

It will be interesting to see if CPI gets any credit for the gift to the department even if its "under the covers".

What do you bet RoMo has an alarm at his home and its got a CPI sign out front?

Anonymous said...

Please don't tell me all of those typos and errors were in Tufano's original release! They snuck in as a result of your cut-and-paste, right, Cedar? I mean, good grief, the first sentence alone is missing the words, "fire extinguishers" after the 1141. And suspects should be suspect's, citizen should be citizen's....

Anonymous said...

So this is the community I serve - A CMPD Officer gets shot, is able to return fire and shoot the guy that shot him and it gets a sentence and 0 comments. Yet the donation of fire extinguishers seems to have people pretty upset. Interesting.

Like Allen Iverson said "Practice, we are talking about practice, not a game, practice"

Rea Road Neighborhood Coalition said...

4:56AM I understand how you feel but don't take the interest in this story personally.

Charlotte really does care.

I posted news of the shooting of officer Brent Harrison just as soon as it came over the radio.

But as details developed and the main stream media began to cover the story, there was little need for Cedar Posts to add to the coverage.

There are also times that the real job takes me far from the computer and I'm not able post a follow up as is the case with officer Harrison.

I think I speak for everyone who reads Cedar Posts with I say thank you for your service and commitment to our city and to officer Harrison we all pray for your speedy recovery and return to work.

Cedar Out!

Anonymous said...

Of course people care about an Officer being injured.

I just think people are sick and tired of all the crap that continues to go on with rodney.

No one has a problem with the Officers who serve Charlotte with dedication and selfless disregard for their own safety.

In fact, the Officers do certainly deserve better, they deserve to be lead by people with integrity and ethics.
People that put the safety and well being of the Officers first. Before their own self promotion and their overwhelming desires to curry favor and be promoted.

They seem to never really have the interest of CMPD and the Officers at heart, but only dog and pony shows trying to "showcase" how great THEY are!

The Officers should demand better and should have real leadership.

Anonymous said...

Open wide and say AAAAHHHHH.

It is amazing we are looking in the mouth of a gift horse...and complaining.

JAT said...

The parallels to CMS and middle school sports are instructive -- or should be.

OF COURSE all cruisers should have fire ext. --- that is a FIRST DOLLAR expense. Except if you divert first dollars to all kinds of questionable spending. Then, you can still guilt trip and beg for primary needs as no one can deny their importance.

Beat cops should be calling BS on this move, not defending it.

Anonymous said...

JAT,
Exactly, point well made!!

Anon 1:25:
As JAT said, the point is all patrol cars SHOULD HAVE BEEN EQUIPPED WITH THESE NECESSARY, ESSENTIAL AND LIFE SAVING FIRE EXTINGUISHERS.

Perhaps rodney should have asked for the new "dress" uniforms to be "gifted". Priorities all screwed up, as usual. Lots of SHOW and little GO.

But rodney is not one to pass up a "ceremony" and recognition, and a little quid pro quo while he's at it!

Really disgusting and embarrassing.

Anonymous said...

Cedar!
Check with your readers about a plan to place defibrillators in every police vehicle. This was many years ago, somewhere in the 90's i believe. A company donated $10,000 to begin the process.The company was in business with CMPD and City billing. They processed all fines and billings for false alarms.
You will find this program also went by the wayside. What happened to the idea, which was a great one, and was the money spent on defib's?
Maintenance and care of the equipmetn will be its downfall as it was then.
I dont see the problem with companys donating money to help Officers and citizens save lives.
The idea of bullet proof vests for all officers began with citizend donations because the city was too cheap or the department played the "we cant afford it" card.
Im just saying! Take everything you can get because the city will not pay for it and the "leaders", and i use that word loosely, have other ideas for our tax money. Dog and pony shows come and go!!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 7:36 is right RoMo and the idiots in city county govco will make any excuse not to improve equiptment even if it makes our job safer. It took 911 to get the radios upgraded and a gift from Washington even if the loss of 2 officers was due in part to a dead zone on the CMPD radio.

Anonymous said...

I don't folow the gripe on this one. CMPD has gotten donations for equipment for a long time. CPI has kicked in money way before ROMO was here. The Hornets and B of A donated money yearly to help purchase ballistic vests. Are there things we spend money on that are stupid? Yes. We should be happy we got the items donated.

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