I’ve been so busy job hunting (and making my rounds of civic meetings) that I forgot to post about Monday’s CAC presentation by Raleigh police chief Harry Dolan.
Chief Dolan spoke about the state of crime in the city and what needs to be done to reduce it. He stressed again and again that it begins with the parents and the community, not the police, and I fully agree. It was easy to tell that while the chief would rather not put kids behind bars, until someone close to these kids can show them a better way he’ll keep locking them up. But he’d be much happier if these kids had mentors.
I was impressed at the chief’s sharp wit and his grasp of leadership trends. He also seems to have the genuine respect of his officers. I was also impressed that he’s a hands-on guy. When I called in a suspicious vehicle sitting in the park before the meeting, Chief Dolan himself responded to the call. Hands-on and big-picture: what a combination.
I admit I was troubled to hear that 90 officers have left the force in the past year, but I fully believe Chief Dolan will get the department back on track. It seems like Raleigh hit a home run when it tapped him for its chief.
(And I think its important to note that since Chief Dolan joined the force there’s been no sign of Godzilla. Coincidence? I think not.)