(EDITOR’S NOTE: The Renton Reporter asked Mayor Denis Law to share a letter he wrote to his city employees last week in which he tries to put the recent controversies in the Police Department into perspective. What he has to say to his employees also will help the community at large understand the situations better, too. Dean A. Radford)
It can be tough working for a government agency. We live in a glass house and, unlike the private sector, our dirty laundry can’t be hidden in a clothes basket. We have to hang ours in the windows for everyone to see.
The current controversy surrounding internal issues within the Police Department, which is being played out in the media, is demoralizing for us all and I want to take a few moments to share some thoughts with you.
When the media points out our “dirty laundry,” it’s our tendency to want to blame them for just wanting to sell newspapers or airtime at our expense. Some of this is true, but we always need to remember that our actions are accountable to the public and the public chooses to use the media as a primary source of keeping its eye on us. When you add blogs and social media, there is no shortage of public scrutiny for everything we do.
It’s not only embarrassing to have internal problems aired in the public, but frustrating that there doesn’t seem to be the same focus on all the good work that is being done for our citizens every day of the week. Despite reduced resources, our employees continue to provide excellent service to those living and working in this community. Our parks remain clean and welcoming, and well-planned and managed special events are being enjoyed by thousands of our residents.
Our roads are maintained better than most jurisdictions in King County and the quality of our emergency services, from medical aid and fire response to emergency preparedness, continues to receive public praise. And while police departments in most cities maintain a system of merely responding to crimes and taking reports for insurance companies, our officers are developing and utilizing creative tools to address our commitment to actually reduce crime and to make people feel safer in our community. And they are making a difference.
Behind the scenes and away from the media cameras are city employees, using creativity and collaboration to improve our service to the public during challenging times. As a resident and taxpayer of this city, I appreciate all you do and I love being a resident of Renton.
We do have some management issues that need to be addressed. All of the hard work that is being done by dedicated employees is undermined by the actions of disgruntled individuals who are unconcerned that their actions hurt those they work with. It’s important for you to know that the incidents depicted in the set of cartoons against quality employees were either fabricated or not true.
As much as I would like to provide all of our employees and the community with “our side of the story,” in cases like this where there is an ongoing investigation and where employee discipline or criminal action may be involved, I am constrained to ensure that everyone’s rights are protected as much as possible.
I believe that the greatest asset we have to offer our “customers” is our workforce. We’re fortunate to have employees willing to work as a team to help identify ways to improve productivity, efficiencies and outcomes, which ultimately results in providing better service to the public.
The current controversy will pass. Thanks to your ongoing efforts, Renton continues to be viewed by our residents and business owners as a wonderful place to live and conduct business.
We live in a glass house, but behind the “dirty laundry” is a team of hard workers providing quality service every day of the week. While this might not make the evening news, it’s not lost to those of us who know and appreciate what you do.
