12 JUL 07: FIT FOR THE FORCE?

Mayor Jim Wetherington says as of last week, the Columbus Police Department had 17 open police positions. Has the number dropped due to lower standards? Higher starting pay? Or are laid-off mill workers in better physical shape than some skeptics thought?

BLOG EXCLUSIVE: Your blog has learned that the Columbus Police Department has offered an officer's job to a man who was charged with stalking within the last two years. We're told that man happens to be the son of the Assistant Police Chief. And you thought this sort of thing went away when "NYPD Blue" went off the air....

But before you jump to conclusions: it appears Brian Rowe legally can join the Columbus Police Department. That's because the stalking charge against him never went to trial, and was dropped by prosecutors in May. Uh-oh - now officials will have to deny that motto on the C.S.I. shows, that "everything is connected."

Court records which we reviewed Wednesday show Brian Rowe was arrested in November 2005 for stalking and criminal trespass. He was accused of parking outside his ex-wife's house for 30 minutes, "just watching for the purpose of harassing." So it would seem Rowe has experience in conducting surveillance operations.

Brian Rowe had to post a $3,500 bond to get out of jail in November 2005. But during 2006, the Muscogee County District Attorney moved his case to what's called a "dead docket." No, I don't think that means there was another body stored at the morgue for months....

A court clerk tells me a case on a "dead docket" can be recalled at any time prosecutors wish. So the District Attorney may have imposed his own sort of probation on Brian Rowe, waiting to see if he would commit any more crimes. There's no record that he did - so it appears Rowe's boat has been more gently down the stream.

A filing by the Solicitor General's office in May asked for the Brian Rowe case to be declared "Nolle Prosequi." That fancy Latin phrase essentially means the charges were dropped. In other parts of the South, it might be called a "motion to not do nothin'."

The blog reader who tipped us off to the Brian Rowe case clearly was concerned about him joining the police force. Here's part of that reader's e-mail:

I have seen some improvement with the new city Mayor. However, when you still have lower requirements and the "get some bodies in the uniforms" attitude, the department still suffers.... Would you want this person responding to your house in an emergency?

If he's only going to stand outside my home and stare for 30 minutes, of course I wouldn't....

But a check of the requirements for Columbus Police officers shows applicants must have "no felony convictions and no misdemeanor convictions involving moral turpitude." The key word there is CONVICTIONS. Brian Rowe only was charged. So with no conviction, he can apply for the police force. Once he's trained, we hope Rowe WILL have a conviction - to uphold the law.

You may not know about the other requirements for joining the Columbus Police Department. An applicant has to be a 21-year-old U.S. citizen, and has to pass a polygraph test. People with records such as Brian Rowe's should be thankful those tests are NOT admissible in a court of law.

Police applicants in Columbus also have to pass a "physical agility test." It includes a one-mile run, push-ups and sit-ups. The web site says nothing about having to down a minimum number of doughnuts.

By the way, we wanted to learn what the ex-wife of Brian Rowe thought about his potential employment with Columbus Police. We were unable to track her down - but then again, she might have accused us of stalking as well.

E-MAIL UPDATE: The message about Brian Rowe also commented on something we mentioned last Sunday:

To explain why Officers don't jump start batteries any more...the city bought cr*ppy cars and any attempt to assist a motorist with a jump start will kill the cars.

Then maybe the Columbus Police need to learn a lesson from that Bruce Willis movie - "Live Free or DieHard."

Another blog reader spotted a familiar name in a Wednesday message:

Richard, Speaking of "Talkline" do you know how WRCG's morning ratings of Bill Bennett's Morning in America show compare with the former local "Talkline" show? Inquiring minds would like to know!

I have on several occasions tried to listen to Bill Bennetts syndicated show but find his monotone voice boring. Furthermore I get a distracting buzzing sound intermittently during his show on my radio. I'm not sure if it's a problem with WRCG or with the satellite feed.

This area really needs return of "Talkline" or another local call-in show to focus on local issues. Through the years callers to "Talkline" exposed many subjects that never would have come to the attention of area residents without the program. That's probably the reason some area politicians wanted the program off the air.

As a faithful listener for over 25 years I remain saddened by the fact that WRCG abruptly took such a popular local program off the air with no explanation to their faithful listeners.

I saw on TV that another city "Buried the N-word" but WRCG didn't even bother to give "Talkline" a decent burial.

Many of us miss you Robbie!

Barbara

If you're listening before sunrise, that buzzing sound on WRCG might be a wasp flying around the transmitter - and overpowering the weak signal.

The next set of Columbus radio ratings should be out around the end of July. But keep in mind, at least one station put an "embargo" on the public release of the last two reports - so nothing's been made public in more than a year. Even Vice President Cheney shows more openness than that.

Robbie Watson tells me she's doing well, and has recovered from some undisclosed recent health problems. Hopefully she didn't hurt her wrists while ripping apart old Archway Broadcasting paycheck stubs.

Now let's see what made news on Wednesday:

+ FBI agents raided the office of Physical Therapy of West Georgia on Armour Road. All an agent would tell WRBL is that there's been a six-month investigation into some kind of "health care problem." Please don't tell me the canes are made in China....

+ Ground was broken for a new Northwest Harris County Business Park. One site at the park already is reserved for a concrete company - so the community's economic future should be quite solid.

+ The Talbotton City Council approved several steps to handle a budget gap of close to $30,000. Among other things, the city will return two out of three new police cars it recently bought. You'll know which ones they are if you're shopping - because the "new car smell" will be more like used drunk.

+ The group "Concerned Citizens of Phenix City" admitted its petition drive to change the form of city government is dead for now. State officials apparently told group members it's too late to change the government before the 2008 election. So now it's up to City Manager Bubba Roberts - would he dare challenge Jeff Hardin for Mayor?

+ The evening news finally revealed who reported Hurtsboro City Council member Mae Dell McVay to Alabama ethics officials. It was a man named Tag Williams, who says he wanted to bid on surplus city cars. He apparently became annoyed when the council didn't say, "Tag, you're it."

+ Former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman was moved out of a federal prison in Atlanta. Officials would only say he was moved to a different location - perhaps one with a desk, to help him write more letters to Democrats to pay his legal bills.

(Don Siegelman reportedly complained he didn't like the food at the Atlanta federal penitentiary. For once, a politician actually longs for some of that "rubber chicken" at political banquets.)

+ The King Ford infomercial on WLGA CW-66 featured a new mascot -- a real bird called "KFC": the King Ford Chicken. If it can't dance around and wave for 30 minutes like the Rivertown Ford turkey, it's not worth the drive to Valley.

+ Instant Message to the family of Lady Bird Johnson: Our condolences. You may not realize the impact the late first lady had on my family. When we dined out during my youth, we'd notice sprigs of parsley on the dinner plates - and joke it was all part of her beautification program.

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