This morning Reclaim Rampart members attended the police commission meeting. Our goal was to request that the Freedom of Information Request we submitted in February be answered. We had gotten a letter from them in response asking for 14 days to respond due to "special circumstances." That was the last we heard. We are still trying to find out how the decision was made to use excess Prop Q funds to build a new headquarters for Metro Division at Old Rampart. So far we have been told by the AOC (Administration Oversight Committee) and the COC (Citizens Oversight Committee) that the police commission was responsible for the criteria and had made the decision about what stations would receive money. But yesterday, the police commission told our members that they had nothing to do with deciding what stations got the excess prop Q money. They hadn't found any discussions about the topic to send us because their were no discussions.
So. who decided? What were the factors in making that decision? How did Metro Division get to the top of the list of things to do with excess Prop Q money? And why doesn't anyone know?
"Have you asked Thom Brennan?" asked the commission. We had put in many calls to Mr. Brennan in February and March. Our calls were finally returned by a woman asking us why we were calling him. She said that she would relay our information to him and that if wanted to he would call us back. We never got a phone call.
Now I am beginning to wonder whether their was any discussion leading up to the decision to spend 18+ million dollars of taxpayer money for Old Rampart's renovation at Metro Division headquarters. Everyone seems to think the other commission or committee was responsible.
Did Thom Brennan make the decision all by himself? If he did, he chose not to enlighten the COC at the meeting where we finally met the elusive head of facilities yesterday. He didn't say a word to contradict the COC when they suggested we talk with the Police Commission. Sort of unhelpful of him. One wonders why not?
Curiouser and Curiouser.