San Marcos City Council To Consider Ad Hoc Committee Members
Staff Reports
The San Marcos City Council will consider the applications from interested citizens for service on an ad hoc committee.
The committee is charged with reviewing the use of force policies of the San Marcos Police Department and providing the council and chief of police with recommendations.
During their regular meeting, the council will hold a discussion regarding applicants, hold a discussion, and make nominations to the committee.
This week the regular meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 7, at 6:00 PM virtually.
During the July 7 work session, Interim Chief of Police Bob Klett provided the council with a presentation detailing many aspects of the policy in response to emails and messages received by council members.
Staff provided the council with a recommendation to create an Ad Hoc Committee for the limited purposes of reviewing the department’s policies and making recommendations to Chief Klett and his advisory panel, which is charged with reviewing and recommending policy changes to the department.
The council agreed to select committee members from a pool of applicants; applications were due September 30.
The Chief’s Advisory Panel has recommended that all findings or recommendations of this committee be presented to them for additional review before a final Chief’s report is made to Council.
Director of Public Safety, Chase Stapp, said the initial plan was for the committee to send their recommendations to the Chief’s Advisory Panel for review as the panel’s core functions were policy recommendations.
“This project directly impacts their charge and wanted them to have involvement and input in that process,” Stapp said at a previous meeting.
Residents can submit written comments or register to speak during public comments with the City Clerk’s office. Comments or registration must be submitted by 12:00 PM on the day of the meeting.
An “ad hoc” committee is given no authority. None.
An “ad hoc” committee can scream and throw tantrums, still nothing will happen
It holds absolutely no authority to make anything happen.
—As opposed to a “Board” which has rule making authority.
The local Ruling Elite mayor and council do NOT want interference with THEIR agenda.
Hence, they employ powerless committees for appearances of “democracy.”
For example, they removed Chase Stapp , (for real good reasons) from his authority
held as chief of police, and moved him into an office over at City Hall, where he now
holds absolutely no authority (do you REALLY think he tells the chief of police, or any-
for that matter, how to act or what to do?).
Oh, but isn’t he the Director of Public Safety? Correct. The Ruling Elite canned him and
gave him that title until he can Safely retire with his 30-year pension (about a year from now).
MEANWHILE …..in related news
Blah blah blah blah Staff provided the council with a recommendation to create an Ad Hoc Committee for the limited purposes of reviewing the department’s policies and making recommendations to Chief Klett and his advisory panel, which is charged with reviewing and recommending policy changes to the department blah blah blah blah
This committee shouldn’t have any power. The council opened up this town to the dangers of the Good Idea Fairy. Now, in this political/social climate, they want Joe-Schmoe playing armchair QB on police matters. And its roots are in an incident that happened over 1,000 miles away and has no connection to San Marcos.
Oversight is good. Following every whim of the general population is not. Recommendations are all we can allow it to provide.
Mr. Holeman,
The cunningly tailored deception known as Citizen Committees appointed on behalf of “police reform” which you disparage as the “Good Idea Fairy”, is simply another method by which our local Ruling Elite avoids training police officers to know and enforce the meaning of laws enacted by our legislature, and thereby keeps them employed as political operatives for purposes of enforcing unwritten policies and agendas on behalf of anything involving their own interests.
Our Ruling Elite are the same bunch who made San Marcos a Sanctuary City, and who by their ongoing policy recently allowed an illegal to kill one officer and wound two others. Our local police brass would never dare bring this to the attention of their masters because they’re the same bunch who regularly choose power and political handlicking over law, order and employee morale. When you talk about the good idea fairy you’ve no idea how close YOU and your utterances resemble each other. Should you ever reconcile yourself with the real facts of this ground-pounding town, your air force mind might stop spinning long enough to learn what is really up.
Please stop conflating issues. If the city wants police reforms, it can have them. This is one way for the city and SMPD to hear what the people want. — THAT – IS – A – GOOD – THING.
My issue is the timing and justification. By doing it now, they have opened it up to temporary passions. Those passions need to be tempered. Hopefully, the committee will work in good faith. And, hopefully, the city and SMPD take the committee’s recommendations seriously.
As such, I’m not going to criticize the outcome before the game is played. I’m glad to see the process has checks. They are there for a reason. That strengthens the process. Let’s give it a chance and save our judgements for the after-action.
Mr. Holeman,
You say that you are “not going to criticize the outcome before the game is played.”
Sir, the “game” has been in play for years, as witnessed by the above facts, whose “outcome” you now disbelieve. You ask me to “please stop conflating issues.” Yet you refuse to acknowledge how the “temporary passions” of those to whom you refer, in fact is their permanent agenda. If by telling you the truth I’ve conflated your issues, so be it. Tellingly, your thought process admits how you have never walked a real battleground.
I wasn’t going to respond. But… That just ain’t my style. Instead I’ll say this.
I’ve been called an ideologue. I’ve been told that need to be more realistic. They are wrong. I believe I am a closet optimist. I believe there are ways to improve just about anything. All we need to do is keep an open mind and be willing to act. Sometimes we’ll fail, but we’ll have at least learned something along the way. And occasionally we’ll succeed and look back surprised what we accomplished.
I am also a cynic, but your statements are far beyond me.