There’s a loud party next door. You’re annoyed.
You call police.
But by the time they arrive, nothing’s going on.
Does that mean your complaint was “unfounded?”
Depends on who you ask.
If you’re looking at the monthly crime reports for the department, that call might just be filed away as “unfounded,” a category that includes complaints that are not able to be substantiated.
But city police commissioners wonder if that wording might offend residents — it’s not like residents are lying, right?
The question sparked a short debate about the category at a Board of Police Commissioners meeting earlier this month.
Commissioner Dennis Phipps asked Chief Kevin Hale if the wording can be changed to “Gone on Arrival.”
Hale said he has already spoken to officers about reporting unfounded complaints and will look into changing the wording.
At the meeting, commissioners also questioned why only two officers issue the majority of the department’s parking tickets.
“We’re not looking at a quota system,” Phipps said. But considering recent complaints about parking on Wakelee Avenue, Phipps wanted to make sure that police were enforcing parking violations.
Hale said he would bring up the topic to his supervisors.
“We’re looking for a more balanced enforcement,” Hale said. “I would agree it definitely needs to be flushed out. It certainly needs to be a more balanced effort.”
