Germantown cops have a good day; not so much for administration

That was quite a day in Germantown on Monday.

Police in the suburb spent the middle part of the day chasing down a pair of suspects in connection with an attempted burglary where shots were exchanged with a homeowner. Maybe not a major deal in other places, but something that draws attention in a suburb. I will add that GPD filed charges against the two earlier today.

Then, Monday evening, the city’s elected officials tried to determine if a former alderman, unsuccessful in his attempt to retain his position last November, was an acceptable nominee for the suburb’s Industrial Development Board. That consideration was enough to further rankle those who contend the haves were still trying to retain their hold on city appointed positions – one of the issues that contributed to new alderman Dean Massey defeating Klevan.

And out in Arlington, it looks like the town could be on the verge of dueling freestanding emergency rooms as another application was filed for a facility near the junction of Interstate 40 and Airline Road.

GERMANTOWN

TENACITY REWARDED: The call came in shortly after 10 a.m. Monday from the north end of Hacks Cross in Germantown, not far from a little stub of a street called Ann’s Lane at the dead end of Hacks.

Not an area well-known to many Germantown residents. Or anyone else for that matter.

A homeowner said someone was breaking into his house in the 2500 block of Hacks. When he saw the pair, there was an exchange of gunfire. The suspects fled.

And the Germantown police converged.

A lot of them.

The call numbers of an officer or two breathlessly involved in the initial chase weren’t just daily patrol officers. They were some of the department’s senior, highest-ranking officers.

That’s what happens in Germantown when such a major crime occurs. Just about everyone on duty rushes to the scene. In this case, the result was one suspect -- Jaylin Pritchard -- caught hiding in a backyard on Effingham a short time after the call.

But that second suspect? Well, it took hours to find him. Even the Germantown police channel chatter was diminishing. Deputy Chief Rodney Bright was announcing officers would continue to monitor the area, but the intensive tone of the pursuit – checking every open gate, homeowners’ dogs sniffing at the other side of a fence, screen doors that seemed askew or car alarms sounding -- was being cut back.

Until someone saw a man bolt through the area of Waverly Crossing and Laurinburg Circle. Matching the description of the guy for whom the cops were looking and captured George Casper Jinkins.

Two suspects in custody.

The reaction to the shooting call might seem overdone to those who witness crime daily. An everyday occurrence in Memphis. And, absolutely, the situations and circumstances are different. There aren’t many such crimes in Germantown, so when they happen, it’s news.

Still, this is what Germantown residents pay for with their property taxes. They expect this response. They want their police department answering calls quickly and sticking with the search until the suspects are captured.

And, yes. There isn’t much crime in Germantown. So, when it occurs, every available officer flocks to the area.

Still, I assure you, those who pay for that service with their tax dollars are glad there are few such instances in the suburb, glad that officers swarm quickly and glad when the suspects are in custody.

Most feel they are getting a return on that portion of their property tax payments.

Heck, shortly after word got out that the second suspect was in custody, residents had already taken to Facebook organizing thank-you dishes for the day shift officers and those involved in the capture.

A SIDE NOTE: During the hours when police were searching for the second suspect, the area expanded well beyond the central intersection of Poplar Pike and Hacks Cross. And the pair did get across Poplar Pike into the subdivisions near the Memphis-Germantown border.

Residents almost were presenting a play-by-play of the search on social media.

And out on the east side of Germantown, one Facebook poster seemed prepared, posting “armed and ready,” in case a suspect ventured that far.

GERMANTOWN NO. 2

KLEVAN APPOINTMENT DELAYED: The appointment of former alderman David Klevan to the Industrial Development Board was sitting on the Board of Mayor and Aldermen’s consent agenda Monday night – a place usually reserved for non-controversial items that just need a wave-of-a-hand approval from the board. Streamline the process by approving all such routine items with one vote.

That was the wrong place for consideration of putting Klevan on the IDB.

That became apparent pretty quickly.

As Germantown reporter Ron Maxeyrecounted, the item was removed from the consent agenda in the briefing session before the regular meeting. Then it faced a buzzsaw of questions from opponents – both on the board and from the audience.

And those resistors were prepared with research as to why Mayor Mike Palazzolo's administration hadn’t followed the rules in selecting Klevan. Enough backing of their position that – while Palazzolo officially recommended Klevan -- consideration of the nomination was delayed until the board’s Feb. 13 meeting.

A delay that follows the language on such appointments, according to new alderman Dean Massey.

Look, I’ve covered David Klevan over the years. I consider him a worthy volunteer. Smart guy. Friendly guy. Well-informed. Someone who has given a lot of unpaid time to making Germantown better. That includes his appointment to the alderman’s post for two years – filling in after Palazzolo was elected mayor.

And, I think he still has a lot to offer to a citizen commission if he never runs for office again.

But there were any number of political pitfalls with Palazzolo bringing Klevan’s name to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen for appointment to the IDB, starting with resistance from Massey, who defeated Klevan in November, and Alderman John Barzizza, who has steadily taken a stance against the Palazzolo administration.

In addition to having two opponents on the board resisting Klevan’s appointment, there is a segment of Germantown residents who want to give a different group of folks a chance to serve in appointed citizen positions.

And they are a vocal resistance.

I have tried to warn the ruling group that these residents are persistent in their opposition to things they don’t consider transparent. And having this on the agenda without discussion fell into the lack-of-transparency column in their view.

Look, I can tell you in any number of suburbs, appointments to citizen boards are made by the mayor, easily blessed by the board and everyone seems happy.

There is a different view of things right now in Germantown.

And Klevan’s attempted appointment was evidence the administration is tone-deaf to the railings of that vocal group.

Maybe that’s the approach they choose to take. And that’s fine, I suppose.

Except the opposing party had their evidence to delay the vote. So, they were more prepared for their part of the fight than the city.

Finally, consider this – Klevan applied for the IDB position well after the city’s posted deadline for applications. So, technically (and, after all, why should we consider the technicalities of rules), he wasn’t eligible to apply.

Palazzolo’s reasoning: "There's no hard-and-fast rule that if you don't have your application in by a certain date, you won't be considered. It's the prerogative of this board, and past boards, to bring forth nominations even when there hasn't been an application."

I’m just guessing here, but I’ll bet if the applicant who filed their intentions after the deadline wasn’t on the administration’s list of desirable candidates, their application would have made it to the trash without consideration.

But, hey, who wants to worry about deadlines. They aren’t hard-and-fast.

ARLINGTON

POPULAR PLACE: Remember when we told you recently that St. Francis Hospital-Bartlett wanted to put a freestanding emergency facility on the southern side of the Interstate 40-Airline Road interchange?

Well, apparently St. Francis isn’t the only entity thinking Arlington is a proper spot for such an endeavor. Baptist Memorial Hospital is looking at the junction for a satellite emergency department. The Baptist one has 10 treatment rooms for all that CT, X-Ray and ultra sound scanning equipment they show in the notice that they intend to file for approval of such a facility.

The investment is estimated at $10 million.

That compares to the legal notice for the St. Francis-Bartlett plan advertised earlier this month, with intentions of having a facility with 12 treatment rooms for “emergency diagnostic and treatment services, including CT, X-Ray, and ultrasound.” Almost a $14 million investment.

Last year, Baptist Memorial Hospital wanted to put a free-standing emergency room in Lakeland near the corner of Canada Road and U.S. 64 – an idea that drew staunch opposition from competitors, including St. Francis Hospital-Bartlett.

So, now, Baptist and St. Francis trying to go about five or six miles east for the emergency facility.

And, I’m not sure if this is to eventually compete with each other out there or to see if one can open out there and trump the other.