The closed-session meetings between the City of Hollister and
Police Chief Jeff Miller to discuss the police presence at the
Independence Rally is a troubling display of hiding local
government’s action from the public.
The closed-session meetings between the City of Hollister and Police Chief Jeff Miller to discuss the police presence at the Independence Rally is a troubling display of hiding local government’s action from the public.
The chief and council members will continue meeting behind closed doors as the rally quickly approaches to discuss how many law enforcement officers will be available during the busy event and what their plan of action will be during the rowdy weekend in Hollister. However, the group declines to discuss how many officers will be present at the event because they say publicizing police staffing could attract a criminal element.
That leaves one to wonder if they want to keep the numbers of cops under wraps because they will be fewer in number than in years past. In this case, their silence appears to speak volumes. The council labels the closed-session hearings as a “Threat to Public Services or Facilities” to comply with Brown Act regulations for meeting away from public scrutiny – apparently indicating they feel there is some danger approaching.
Plus, the rationale for refusing to tell the people of San Benito County how many officers will be on duty when thousands of people flock to town smacks of hypocrisy. The committee worries that by telling residents about the police force, biker gangs or worse will descend on Hollister armed with information to terrorize the populace. But Miller told the Free Lance of the police department’s staffing strains in an article on March 31.
In the article, Miller said often only three officers and one sergeant are on duty protecting the entire city of 37,000 people, and sometimes the force shrinks to just two officers and one sergeant. Doesn’t Miller worry the local criminal element will exploit that information as well?
Pretending that criminal biker gangs and other miscreants will scour the local media in hopes of gleaning information to pull off their next crime is a ridiculous notion indeed. And to use it as an explanation for why the city won’t tell residents how their homes and loved ones will be protected during the rally is foolish.
If Miller can detail the size of the Hollister Police force when hinting at the need for more funding, he certainly should be able to disclose at least general staffing numbers for the city’s busiest weekend of the year.
The city should realize public’s right to know about their own safety far outweighs the red-herring argument of possibly attracting criminals to the rally and disclose how our elected officials are working to ensure the safety of the people who voted them into office. And, if keeping police staffing a secret is our best line of defense against these “criminals,” perhaps residents truly do have a reason to be worried.
