NEW - Retired Police Chief Fumes

Mr. Jackson and other ALN members:

Now that I have retired, I wish to relate that I sincerely resent the allegations by Mr. Jackson and hence the ALN, that I have lied. Instead, someone, presumably Mr. Jackson as he attended some of the meetings on the ALN issues, has taken statements out of context, and in some cases, simply made them up, in an obvious effort to rally people behind the cry that the "mean ol' police chief" won't help Astoria residents. In truth, that inaccurate allegation was never the case, as anyone who worked with the police department over many months on this project knows. Clearly, the ALN leader's efforts to appear abused by the government have not resulted in a solution satisfactory to anyone, and as long as ALN members allow this attitude to continue, it likely they will not be satisfied. It is shameful that all ALN members have allowed a few in their organization to resort to this effort to defame me and others in government service. Please consider this a request that all defamatory statements about me be removed from the ALN website and its literature.

In an effort to help the ALN effort, I suggest: rather than trying to build a case for simply bashing people in government, especially those who volunteer their time to make Astoria more livable, could the ALN actually present some specific actions they are willing to support and assist the government in doing to eliminate the problems perceived by its members? Reciting magazine and newspaper articles from afar may be interesting, but they are not very helpful in formulating a plan. Simply using the "just do your job" approach is equally not helpful, since the people who have worked on this problem believe they are doing their job, albeit for the good of the whole citizenry. Why can't the ALN say that it wants the police to write tickets to everyone going 2 or 5 or 10 or some specific amount over the speed limit every where in the City? Could the ALN give some time to developing a legal method to determine if vehicles are too loud, since it doesn't like using a sound meter on moving traffic? Finally, of course, could the ALN do something to ensure that its recommendations are ones that ALN members will individually support when talking to others?

Rob Deu Pree

E-mail Response to Former Police Chief Deu Pree - 2/23/08

Hello Robert:

Alleged defamation : As webmaster for the ALN website, I take great effort in trying to be accurate with information presented on the website. If there is inaccurate information on the website, I will remove it. Please be specific about what you feel are "made up", "inaccurate", "unsupported" or "defamatory" statements about yourself. Once you send me [e-mail preferred] the exact text of such statements and explain why you feel the statements are inaccurate or defamatory, I will review what has been published on the website and remove any inaccuracies.

Alleged bashing : If you define "bashing" as an effort to get government officials to do their jobs and enforce existing laws, then, using that definition, you were bashed.

"Doing your job" : We will have to agree to disagree that you, the City Manager, City Council and Mayor were/are doing your job with respect to vehicle speeding and noise. If you had done your job, Astoria resident's would not be in support of our efforts. ALN has over 500 signatures** on its petition. To get a real taste of what residents think about the job you did as Chief, with respect to traffic safety and vehicle noise, go to http://home.earthlink.net/~aln-info/id25.html

News articles : Regarding the newspaper articles I sent on how other communities are addressing vehicle noise and speeding problems, I am sorry you and Blair Henninsgaard* are close-minded to hearing about new ways of addressing old problems.

Ticket writing : There are safety and quality of life issues caused by the APD's failure to issue citations for violations of vehicle speed and noise laws. It is the APD's and the City's responsibility, not the ALN's responsibility, to create policies and procedures to address these problems. After all, the APD and the City Manager are paid professionals.

Enforcing Oregon's vehicle noise statute : Why would, as you suggest, the ALN spend time "developing a legal method to determine if a vehicle is too loud"? The State of Oregon has already done this ! You either don't understand, or choose not, follow Oregon revised Statute 815.250 (Operation Without Proper Exhaust).

Clarification please : I do not know what you mean by ALN "literature". Please advise me as to what literature you are referring. Also, your last statement of your e-mail was particularly unclear, please clarify.

As soon as you get back to me with the requested information, I will review the ALN website for inaccuracies.

-Leon Jackson-

Notes:

Mr. Deu Pree has not responded to Mr. Jackson's e-mail.

* Blair Henninsgaard is an Astoria City Councilor.

** Over 600 Astoria residents have signed the petition todate.