If I were a reporter in DeKalb on Tuesday, Police & Parks would be my focus.

If I were a reporter covering DeKalb County on Tuesday, the Board of Commissioners meeting in Decatur is the obvious item to cover with the probable fight over the means in which to fund police pay raises. The angle of the story probably being missed is the DeKalb Police Officer Anonymous Blog written by the officers themselves. The site was setup as a place to vent without fear of retribution and the commenters do not hold back on their frustration and anger at the Department. The pay raises being proposed appears to only be the first step in raising the job satisfaction and retention rate of the officers, with apparently many other internal changes being needed. Hopefully the DeKalb County politicians and the Police Chief are taking notes on the problems of the Department as perceived by the officers who serve in that role, instead of going on a witch hunt looking for the authors. Maybe the officers will take advantage of the available web space to make logical suggestions to improve the Department as well as highlight the problems? http://dekalbofficersspeak.blogspot.com

If the DeKalb BOC meeting wasn’t exciting enough for one day, there is a little known meeting being held Tuesday Night at 6:00 p.m. in room 102 of the Maloof Building. The DeKalb County Parks and Recreation Department Citizens Advisory board meeting is sure to be revealing as the Parks Department explains to the members of the CAB why the County never mentioned the fact that the contract for the Parks Master Plan was canceled when members of the CAB have been asking for months for a update on the master plan? In my open records request regarding the master plan, I learned that about $200,000 dollars were wasted on the development of the plan which will never be finalized and there are numerous e-mails obtained from the county and posted to my blog which shows that the County was being uncooperative with the contractor in the process. If the fact that DeKalb was hiding information from the volunteers who serve on the CAB wasn’t enough, the e-mails obtained document an intent on both the contractor and the county to withhold information from the citizens and news organizations who were also looking for the same information.

The County might also have to explain during the meeting why playgrounds in the county are not being inspected and maintained on a regular schedule as they should be? Is DeKalb aware that a certification course on Playground Safety is available in October? Maybe someone needs a refresher course?

The last time I attended a CAB meeting, I wasn’t allowed to ask any questions, but if I had the ability to be at the meeting, I would try to ask the same question that I have been asking for some time… When will the back of Brook Run Park be opened to the public?

If someone could assist me in getting that answer, it would be much appreciated. My other questions about additional benches in playground and replacement shade trees along Peeler to block out the skate park for the neighbors, have also been forgotten by the County, so if someone attends this meeting, maybe these questions could be squeezed in as well.

It would be appreciated since the County refuses to answer my questions.