Yesterday I received a campaign postcard from TenHaken in which he was endorsed by former Police Chiefs Barthel and Burns.
Besides the fact the Barthel never worked for him and Burns was hired by Huether, the postcard came off very partisan;
• Stood first against a national narrative and provided proper funding and unwavering support for Sioux Falls law enforcement.
The defund the police movement had nothing to do with actually defunding police departments. It has been debunked several times. It has to do with redirecting police funds for preventive crime measures and training officers on diversity issues and better deescalation efforts. If anything it would expand police departments by adding other services and counselors.
It’s just a right-winger partisan talking point like CRT (which is actually a law-school college level course on civil rights suits). Nobody wants to defund the police, including the most vulnerable like minorities in poorer neighborhoods. And it has never been a discussion in Sioux Falls. The only thing debated is whether they should get overtime for running parades which brings us to who actually approves the funding for the SFPD, the city council NOT the mayor.
He also brags about stealing an idea from his former opponent by renaming it;
• Opened the city’s first Police Department remote report-to-work location.
C’mon Poops! You are NOT fooling anyone with all your fancy name changes. If it walks like a duck, it’s a precinct. One of the dumbest things he has ever came up with. Also, he acts like we are NY City and that the officers can’t bother themselves by checking in at the main law enforcement center. You can get anywhere in Sioux Falls in about 17 minutes max.