Behind the Scenes at Channel 11

This past Friday, after the amazing time I had at the Phoenix Police Academy, I went to Phoenix's Channel 11 for a taping of Phoenix City Council On the Issues with Phoenix Councilman Claude Mattox, State Senator Nelson and Phoenix's Government Relations Director Karen Peters. The topic was the proposed state budget and the effects it, along with the temporary sales tax vote this May, would have on Phoenix.

Dave (my co-intern) and I got to go in the studio prior to the taping. The set is actually a green screen and there isn't really a lot in the studio. It had the hollow feeling of an industrial garage. What was really fascinating was when we went into the control room prior to and during the taping.

Prior to the taping the three participants had to be "synchronized" with (I'm not sure what the technical term is) the green screen so that the colors they were wearing were matched with the green screen. Without doing this matching they people onscreen disappear into the green screen.

Since the show is basically unscripted it was really neat observing the production crew trying to both anticipate and react to the onscreen participants' comments. Whether it was changing cameras or figuring out which graphics to display it was almost like listening to the team communications for a NASCAR crew.

While the final product will undoubtedly look like a seamless conversation between three colleagues the behind-the-curtain viewpoint revealed something totally different.

Police Academy

This past Friday I got to have an amazing experience courtesy of the Phoenix Police Academy. The City Manager's office (where I intern) took some state legislators that represent Phoenix on a tour of the Phoenix Police Academy.

We started at 10:00 in the video simulation room where officers are presented with real-life scenarios and must decide when, or if, they are required to use deadly force. The video was projected on a large screen and participates were equipped with a laser gun, though it had a real trigger mechanism. If and when the participant shot the simulator read the laser to determine where the "bullet" would have hit and then changes the simulation accordingly. It really put a new, and sobering, perspective on police shootings.

From there we got to observe a real training exercise based on the famous Los Angeles bank robbery where two suspects were wearing bulletproof armor and carrying automatic weapons. The exercise took place in the academy's "Tactical Village" which is a couple of real houses and a convenience store designed to mimic real-life potential layouts. The participants used real guns and "simmunition", real bullets but with paint balls instead of lead.

We observed two, seven man squads run an unscripted exercise in trying to neutralize two heavily armed and armored bad guys (played by two Phoenix police officers). We were perched on the third story roof of one of the houses with full access to the police communications.

To say this was cool would be a grand understatement. In fact, this was probably one of the coolest experiences I have ever been a part of. To see the exercise unfold like a chess match was mesmerizing. Adding to the experience was the fact that for all intent and purpose this was real: real guns, real sounding ammunition, real confusion and real mistakes.

All of the officers from Phoenix PD were extremely kind, knowledgeable and instructive. It was a wonderful learning experience for me and I'm sure that the legislators would concur.

I once was Lost… but now am found…

I have a feeling that many Lost fans have conducted more research and spent more thought into decrypting Lost's final season than I have spent in my entire graduate experience at ASU. For the record, that wasn't a critique on my academic expenditures.

I am a bit conflicted with Lost. On one hand, the over-thinking dork in me loves the series and the multiple theories on what happens as posted by 42 Inch Television or EW's Lost blog. Think about it: a popular network television program that not only makes you think, but makes you rethink, debate with friends, conduct research and then come to your own conclusion. Economics aside, Lost is a sharp contrast from the myriad of reality shows that dominate the airwaves.

That said, I am not a master of subtlety. I have to read multiple episode recaps, plus exchange multiple emails just to get above water on Lost and its hidden meanings (assuming my research is correct). I'll grant you I'm not Einstein, but then again I'm not the village idiot. If I have to consult "experts" on the deeper meaning of a TV show…

Case in point:

"An extremely little known fact: the subtitle to the season 3 classic 'The Man Behind The Curtain' was actually 'Very, very loosely based on the novel Push by Sapphire.'"

Seriously? I enjoy thinking but that my friends seems a bridge too far.

In the end I'd prefer a TV show spark more thought versus less, yet I don't think I should have to take the GRE and prepare my application to ASU for a Masters in Lost.

Can't Tell Me Nothing…

Well, to take a phrase from Kayne West's aforementioned song, "La, la, la, la… wait till I get my money right."

That might well be a long wait in Arizona. The Governor's budget proposal is causing chaos throughout virtually every state and local entity. And this all assumes the state will pass a temporary sales tax this May. If it doesn't pass then all bets are off.

As my esteemed co-intern Dave posted, assuming the Governor's proposal passes, and the temporary tax is approved, this will still reduce the City of Phoenix's budget $6M. This doesn't even begin to address the issues that the more rural communities throughout Arizona will face (in terms of percentage of budget).

While fully understandable, it is depressing to watch each agency, city and town reduce itself to a survivalist nature. Perhaps more depressing is the fact that this budgetary crisis may not pass for years to come.

To go back to another one of Kayne's songs, "N- n- now th- that don't kill me… Can only make me stronger." Here's hoping for Arizona's sake.

Horrible News Out of Austin

A small plane has crashed into an office building that reportedly houses an IRS office in Northwest Austin. I drove by this office complex every day when I lived there and I'm hoping and praying for everyone in that office building.

Stimulating

Yesterday, U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis was in Phoenix touting the effectiveness of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), more commonly known as the "Stimulus" program. Perhaps the visit was a preemptive effort to get in front of the news that the City of Phoenix would not receive additional ARRA funding for the PHX Sky Train project that Mayor Phil Gordon has long been touting.

The PHX Sky Train is a people mover that, once completed in 2013 will connect all of the terminals at Sky Harbor Airport with the light rail and the parking lots. According to Scott Wong's Arizona Republic article, Phoenix will instead finance the project with "airline passenger fees, airport bonds and other revenue."

Perhaps adding insult to injury, Arizona "rival" Tucson was awarded $63 million yesterday for a transit project of its own. Mayor Gordon was quoted as saying, "Anyone who knows me knows I don't accept no for an answer." It will be interesting to see what Mayor Gordon is able to accomplish before he leaves office, either due to term limits or a potential bid for the US Congress.

It’s All About the Benjamin’s

I'm now of the assumption that this will be a looming topic throughout the semester: money, money, money. It seems that virtually every meeting I attend eventually circles back to the topic. The State of Arizona is broke, the City of Phoenix is broke, virtually every other city in the Valley is broke and the outlook for the near future does not offer much hope. And when there is a lack of resources the infighting begins, though typically it is behind closed doors and not in public.

And now cuts are coming. According to this article by Scott Wong of the Arizona Republic, "The City Manager's Office would face nearly a 30 percent cut, losing about $720,000. Meanwhile, Mayor Phil Gordon's office would be slashed by 25 percent, or $522,000, while offices for the eight other council members would see a 24 percent cut, totaling more than $1 million." And the most controversial cuts are those to public safety (police and fire).

Citing Scott Wong again, the proposed cuts to police and fire would be, "The Police Department would lose about 353 sworn positions, from patrol officers to assistant chiefs. The Fire Department would cut 144 sworn jobs." The City of Phoenix has never laid off sworn police or fire employees. It is in this context that the city proposed, and passed a 2% food tax on Phoenicians to help mitigate the budget shortfall and to help keep these positions.

One thing that is certain though is this will not be the last post from me regarding budgetary issues and their fallouts.