More new clothes for Mikey
Oh, that Multnomah County D.A., Mike Schmidt. After three full years of overseeing Portland's descent into utter lawlessness, he's read a poll or two and realized that he'd better start looking law-and-order-ish. This week he's strutting around pointing to the apparent fact that his office has a few new minions working cases involving crimes on Tri-Met.
Ha! Ha! He's a little late. People are getting stabbed and otherwise assaulted on Tri-Met buses and trains on a regular basis, and the whole transit system is literally covered in a thin layer of fentanyl residue. But Mikey's going to wake up now and make it safe. Sure. Sure he is.
I love how KGW isn't really buying it:
TriMet and the DA's office have worked together since 1998. They recently agreed to an expanded contract that increases the number of deputy district attorneys assigned to TriMet-related crime from one to two. Another new stipulation in the expanded contract is that two investigators from the district attorney's office can be assigned to help with TriMet cases....
Currently, TriMet has 315 unarmed security staff, TriMet Executive Director of Safety and Security Andrew Wilson said. That's twice as much security staff that TriMet had a year ago, Wilson added.
Wilson said that transit police, TriMet security staff and the district attorney's office will work together "to keep criminals off our transit system."...
"The new prosecutorial resources will help streamline and speed up investigations, while simultaneously freeing up transit police officers to focus more time in the community and helping to prevent future crimes," said Multnomah County Sheriff Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell.
During a Tuesday news conference, O'Donnell announced she added a sergeant and plans to add two more deputies under TriMet's transit police force. Currently, TriMet has only 18 of a budgeted 65 transit police force positions filled.
Wow, 47 out of the 65 transit police slots are vacant. But one more lawyer's going to make a dent in the crime wave?
We get 441 more days of Mikey unless he does what the Portland police chief wisely did a few weeks ago: resign. Or Maybe Governor Kohoutek could make him some sort of judge. Is there a jaywalking court?
IIRC, the OR AG can file cases if the local DA doesn’t. I’d vote for the AG candidate who promises to to file the case’s Little Mikey won’t.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a valid campaign issue. That and Michael Francke.
DeleteMikey and his staff have concluded that the area electorate can be influenced by press releases which basically say “don’t believe your lying eyes”
ReplyDeleteI see Mikey's in the Weed today. He gives himself an A for excellent performance. After all, he's spending more money than ever! Portland's decline is everyone else's fault. https://www.wweek.com/news/courts/2023/10/18/mike-schmidt-portlands-embattled-prosecutor-rises-to-his-own-defense/
ReplyDeleteMaybe he can hook up with Phil Stanford and actually solve the Franke murder case- I mean all those corrupt evil people no longer work for the state, right?
ReplyDeleteI have wondered for years how the cost of gates that limit riders to those who pay would compare to the cost of all the security personnel and if it would decrease crime. Like in NY on the subways. But wait, that just makes sense. Never mind. That kind of idea is dead on arrival.
ReplyDeleteSt. Louis is planning to install such gates on its light-rail system. But it is still in the planning stages, will cost tens of millions, and won't happen for several years. Just one of the problems with any form of rail transit: even the most minor changes are costly and take forever.
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