Charlie takes things too far

Dear readers,

First off I'll admit that I'm the one who ordered the creation of the IAB Traffic Unit. After Mike dropped by last year and showed me one of his nifty Power Point presentations with charts and graphs and everything showing how we could gain some easy political expediency points by towing off-duty cop vehicles I was more than convinced we need to do it.

But good heavens, when I came across this story in the Daily News two weeks ago I thought it was some kind of late April Fools joke. Read this particular nugget that sums it up:

"The chief of the Police Department's Internal Affairs Bureau nominated his own division for a unit award at this summer's Medal Day, sources said."

Charlie has lost his mind. Even a politically savvy guy like me knows that there are certain lines you just don't cross. And nominating an Internal Affairs unit that isn't even concerned with anything remotely resembling the investigation of corruption - which is what IAB is actually supposed to be doing - is taking things way too far. Then some asinine "source" who clearly needs to be tracked down and issued some green paper for opening his mouth states:

"The feeling at the top is that it is a horrible, thankless job," one source said."

Interesting. Did I sign off on this "feeling at the top"? I don't remember, but the fact is that nobody forces anybody to sign up for that "horrible, thankless job" of summonsing and towing MOS vehicles. I purposely made it an all-volunteer detail so that I could get the cream of the crop, the true believers, and Kool-Aid gulpers.

But seriously, nominating any Rat Squad unit at all would be a stretch, but the Parking Placard Enforcement Clowns? Really, Charlie? While we had a rookie running around last year robbing banks at gunpoint Charlie was apparently way too busy typing up that unit citation recommendation. I need to find some way to force this guy out, because he constantly disappears while the real corruption is happening only to emerge and pull a stunt like this. Horrendously ridiculous.