en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/620668 Comments by turkno http://gazetteonline.com/blogs/covering-iowa-politics/2009/11/24/agreement-for-furloughs-saves-law-enforcement-jobs#IDComment44668131 Exactly. I'm wondering why it was up to the State Peace Officer's Council to remedy a terrible situation they had no hand in creating? There are long term cost saving/revenue generating measures that can and should be taken; an added $5 on each vehicle registration that goes directly to the DPS (3 million cars in Iowa at $5 per car), increased scheduled fines for traffic violations, etc... But those things won't be done because this is a political goat rope and reelection is all that matters, right, Chester? Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:51:58 +0000 http://gazetteonline.com/blogs/covering-iowa-politics/2009/11/24/agreement-for-furloughs-saves-law-enforcement-jobs#IDComment44668131 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/52884917.html#IDComment30333524 they do it to me too Tue, 11 Aug 2009 00:40:49 +0000 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/52884917.html#IDComment30333524 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/52575657.html#IDComment29750766 Two things have to happen ASAP for the City to be able to get a handle on this problem. First, STOP advertising Section 8 housing availability in Iowa City in cities such as Chicago. Second, fully staff the police department. Right now, the ICPD is short several officers. They run at bare minimum most nights and are barely able to keep their heads above water dealing with what they are called to. There are precious few nights were officers can be proactive and patrol problem areas such as the one where this shooting happened. As another facet to my second point, the City needs to stop tying up valuable manpower doing things like towing cars off private property and devote that time and effort into solving problems like the rising violence. The ICPD Chief went to the City Administration and proposed just that, only to be denied by his boss. The City's priorities are all wrong, and this is what we all have to deal with as a result. Until the citizens of Iowa City elect City Council members with half a brain, this will continue to deteriorate. Thu, 6 Aug 2009 18:57:44 +0000 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/52575657.html#IDComment29750766 http://gazetteonline.com/local-news/public-safety/2009/08/06/iowa-city-police-unable-to-locate-shooting-victim#IDComment29728354 Doesn't make a lot of sense, does it? Thu, 6 Aug 2009 14:37:14 +0000 http://gazetteonline.com/local-news/public-safety/2009/08/06/iowa-city-police-unable-to-locate-shooting-victim#IDComment29728354 http://gazetteonline.com/sports/iowa-hawkeyes/2009/08/05/decision-not-immiment-on-painting-water-tower-near-kinnick#IDComment29566527 By industry standards, Coach Ferentz is a good coach getting good pay. However, it's the industry that's messed up. How do we allow coaches to be paid at least six figures, if not more, yet teachers, nurses, paramedics, cops, and firefighters, who are arguably MUCH more important in society than a football coach, be making significantly less? Does anyone really believe the work that coaches such as Ferentz do is that much more important than an ER nurse? Or the paramedic that scrapes you off the highway and gives you top notch emergency medical care to keep you alive until you can get to that underpaid ER nurse? Wed, 5 Aug 2009 18:18:14 +0000 http://gazetteonline.com/sports/iowa-hawkeyes/2009/08/05/decision-not-immiment-on-painting-water-tower-near-kinnick#IDComment29566527 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/statewide-news/2009/08/03/hearings-open-up-marijuana-debate#IDComment29440184 I agree. My mother survived cancer, chemo, and radiation without marijuana. It's a horribly painful experience. I don't disagree that marijuana could be used in certain medical situations. I also think a lesser criminal offense should be instituted for small amounts of personal use possession in first time offenders and drug courts should be instituted state wide. The state could potentially make a lot of money in taxes, etc, of marijuana sold for medicinal purposes. Believe it or not, there is a middle ground between opposing sides in this issue, but it'll take compromise to get there. So, I really don't see it happening any time soon. Tue, 4 Aug 2009 18:24:12 +0000 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/statewide-news/2009/08/03/hearings-open-up-marijuana-debate#IDComment29440184 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/statewide-news/2009/08/03/hearings-open-up-marijuana-debate#IDComment29439768 I agree. A lot of first time small amount offenders can benefit from a Drug Court. There is also one in Johnson County and it seems to work well. I believe Scott County has one as well. Tue, 4 Aug 2009 18:19:42 +0000 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/statewide-news/2009/08/03/hearings-open-up-marijuana-debate#IDComment29439768 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/52361937.html#IDComment29422550 It appears the Deputy was on patrol duty. The shotgun is stored in a particular location and manner for a reason - so it is easily accessible to the Deputy and other officers if it is needed in a hurry. Not really "common sensical" to have a trigger lock on and need the shotgun in a big hurry. If it had been stored as is most likely required by County policy, there is no way it could've been fired, even if the kid was repeatedly pulling the trigger. Tue, 4 Aug 2009 14:28:58 +0000 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/52361937.html#IDComment29422550 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/statewide-news/2009/08/03/hearings-open-up-marijuana-debate#IDComment29341427 It doesn't matter what I "believe", but it does matter what I have seen with my own two eyes. I never said that serious traffic crashes occur more often with marijuana impaired drivers as those with alcohol impaired drivers. In Iowa, that is not the case. However, marijuana does run a close second to alcohol in that category, and the mixing of marijuana and alcohol seems to be another popular way of causing significant damage to yourself or others on the road. I do know, for a fact, that marijuana impairs a person's ability to operate a motor vehicle safely, just the same as a nearly endless list of other substances, legal or illegal, that people put into their bodies. However, we are off point. These hearings aren't to determine whether or not marijuana impairs drivers' abilities. That's been scientifically established as fact. The legislators need to pull the stick out of their collective rear and see the opportunity that is passing them by. People are involved in serious crashes under the influence of prescription medications like Ambien all the time. The State government should take the opportunity to make a little money in these lean times and tax all medicinal marijuana sales, just like California does. Mon, 3 Aug 2009 20:16:38 +0000 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/statewide-news/2009/08/03/hearings-open-up-marijuana-debate#IDComment29341427 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/statewide-news/2009/08/03/hearings-open-up-marijuana-debate#IDComment29340920 There are other medications that reduce pain. Mon, 3 Aug 2009 20:11:05 +0000 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/statewide-news/2009/08/03/hearings-open-up-marijuana-debate#IDComment29340920 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/52361937.html#IDComment29320625 Nearly every department under the sun requires that long guns (shotguns, rifles, less than lethal), are carried with the magazines fully loaded, the chamber empty, and the safety on. If it was not secured in this manner, an individual is to blame. Mon, 3 Aug 2009 16:49:26 +0000 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/52361937.html#IDComment29320625 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/statewide-news/2009/08/03/hearings-open-up-marijuana-debate#IDComment29319806 Alright, using your logic, I can reasonably say that 98% of the people that I know who drink alcohol relax and have fun. They're not trying to fight with other people. Sometimes their driving is impaired... and so on and so on. This was not a scenario on television... it happened at the 4 mile marker on northbound I380. I loaded the girl into Life Flight myself. And the driver operating under the influence of marijuana is serving a 5 year prison term for it. I don't believe I misunderstood a word of ctiger's comment. Or yours. Open your eyes. When used by a person who gets behind the wheel, marijuana and alcohol (and Ambien, Benadryl, NyQuil, and so on, and so on, and so on...) are deadly. With that being said, I also believe jailing non-violent first time offenders who are holding a "personal use" amount of marijuana is ridiculous. Iowa should take the route of several other states and create a lesser offense where having under a particular amount of marijuana is a simple misdemeanor. This would mean a ticket and a court date, a fine for the State to stuff in the General Fund, not jail. It seems to me to be a compromise for the time being between the legalize it crowd and the stuffy upper class white guys that make the rules. What most people are missing out when being so adamantly opposed to it is the money making opportunity available to the government. I wonder how much the Commune of California makes in taxes every year off stores that legally sell to citizens with Marijuana cards? But I digress... Mon, 3 Aug 2009 16:38:37 +0000 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/statewide-news/2009/08/03/hearings-open-up-marijuana-debate#IDComment29319806 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/statewide-news/2009/08/03/hearings-open-up-marijuana-debate#IDComment29313187 Actually, I have seen several individuals fitting that description. A few that decided to drive and then hit someone else, seriously injuring them. One particular victim was a woman in her early 20's who had just started her career as a dental hygienist. As a result of the individual driving's decision to smoke dope and drive, she is permanently blind. So yeah, it happens. Mon, 3 Aug 2009 15:23:55 +0000 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/statewide-news/2009/08/03/hearings-open-up-marijuana-debate#IDComment29313187 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/statewide-news/2009/08/03/hearings-open-up-marijuana-debate#IDComment29310035 FYI, there is a legally prescribed drug, Marinol, that is, in a nutshell, marijuana in a pill. It is a Schedule III controlled substance. Has the same benefits that proponents of medicinal marijuana are championing; increased appetite and helping patients with nausea and vomiting, as well as other "uses as directed by your doctor". In its warnings, it also sounds a lot like pot: "SIDE EFFECTS, that may go away during treatment, include drowsiness, dizziness, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, clumsiness, changes in mood, changes in behavior, difficulty with memory, muscle weakness, or nausea...." So, you can actually be legally prescribed a medication with the same benefits as medicinal marijuana without the bothersome cancer risks or pesky police attention. Mon, 3 Aug 2009 14:48:57 +0000 http://oldgo.gazlab.com.php5-15.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/local-news/statewide-news/2009/08/03/hearings-open-up-marijuana-debate#IDComment29310035 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/52270657.html#IDComment29197468 you're right. The only law being broken in this instance is littering. Until the law is changed, law enforcement can't do much about it. Sun, 2 Aug 2009 12:17:55 +0000 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/52270657.html#IDComment29197468 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/52270657.html#IDComment29197314 And being an employee of a business does not guarantee your freedom of speech. Businesses are not democracies. Sun, 2 Aug 2009 12:14:43 +0000 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/52270657.html#IDComment29197314 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/52270657.html#IDComment29197259 And urinating in a public place like Wal-Mart is not legal. Sun, 2 Aug 2009 12:13:43 +0000 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/52270657.html#IDComment29197259 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/52270657.html#IDComment29197224 Actually, outside a city's limits, yeah, you can walk around naked on your property. Sun, 2 Aug 2009 12:13:09 +0000 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/52270657.html#IDComment29197224 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/52208207.html#IDComment29024587 BTW, when a violent individual with a knife is 15 feet away from someone, they are deadly. They can cause serious injury or death in moments. Any move toward any person that close was plenty of justification for use of deadly force. Fri, 31 Jul 2009 23:15:35 +0000 http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/52208207.html#IDComment29024587