Three years ago, Rodney Monroe came here with a new attitude. He challenged the status quo, engaged our citizens in a common effort to fight crime and he got results. Not only did Chief Monroe send his officers into the neighborhoods, he went out there himself. He was willing to try new ideas, even ones that initially unnerved the bureaucracy within the police department. I will increase police presence in the neighborhoods to make sure the crime rate continues to drop. We need to hire the new police chief now and not wait until after the election, over half a year from now. We cannot take a chance on going backwards, but need to increase the real progress we have made in fighting crime.