The degree of force involved is disproportionate, and according to the documents provided by the department, the reasoning for that was stated as the need to control "intoxicated" patrons. This, along with the time of day they chose indicates that their primary purpose in this sweep was not to spend a bunch of taxpayer money writing up a handfull of piddly citations, but rather through that action, to alter the environment and capitalize on secondary situations.
Cops aren't stupid. When 10 cops invade a busy nightclub or restaurant, an otherwise peaceful environment can change drastically. People naturally become nervous for many reasons. Is their a criminal on the loose? Did someone get shot in the parking lot? Was their a robbery? That level of force naturally develops volatility among a crowd of otherwise peaceful individuals. Police know this, they are trained on how to use "presence" to alter situations.
Sure, there may be 100 law abiding citizens who are only there to have a beer after work, but within that group their will also be a handfull who have had 10 beers, or just smoked a joint, or have a warrant for their arrest for not paying their parking tickets, or owe child support. While 10 officers is a HUGE waste of manpower to enforce the Space Invaders tax, it is not an outrageous number to manage multiple foot chases. The evening atmosphere at any bar becomes an opportunity to catch big fish while you pretend to troll for the small fry.
In my opinion, Blake and the other downtown establishments were part of a raid, that may or may not have produced the result that was hoped for. It seems they were able to engage in a foot pursuit at 5th and Harvard. I hope it was worth it, because as it stands, this seems like colossal waste of resources!
The officers broke off their "directed patrol" to join in on a car chase
http://www.tulsaworld.com/specialprojects/news/crimewatch/article.aspx?subjectid=450&articleid=20130201_450_0_Office297488which is more exciting and looks better on an activity report.
...but in any case, it implies that we have either an excess of officers needing assignments, or poor management of those resources.
Funding another police academy would not make any sense at this point, unless there is a dramatic shift in policy and/or leadership.
When Street Crimes did nightly license checks, they created circumstances where legitimate business were made to suffer or close.
Needless to say, Google, Verizon, etc. are not going to convince their Silicone Valley folks to move here and put up with that backwoods nonsense.
Some of the "secondary situations" Gaspar touched on involved officers asking grey-haired customers for their DL to "prove you are 21."
