Nashville: Taxicab Inspectors Not Sensitive Enough

The Tennessean (thank you Emerelda) is carrying this story at the top of their website - the Abdo conviction AP story is down at the bottom (probably buried inside the paper).

City officials on Thursday recommended sensitivity training for all city inspectors of taxis, limousines and wrecker services after one of them said in an interview that most of the city’s drivers are Muslim and “a lot of them blow up places.”

I imagine this "sensitivity training" will be put on by Muslims, dictating the proper respect they are due from kafirs because they are Muslim.

In a report released for the first time at the city’s Transportation and Licensing Commission meeting, Metro’s Department of Human Resources also confirmed allegations that inspectors had illegally carried firearms and police badges while on duty, giving motorists the impression that they were police officers.

Not "motorists," but taxi drivers they were pulling over for inspection.

No decisions were made based on the report, which the commission requested after city Police Chief Steve Anderson accused inspectors of using badges, guns and blue lights in the course of their work. The commission’s executive director, Brian McQuistion, had not seen the report before Thursday’s meeting.

But it confirmed much of what Anderson had alleged.

“In this case, there were some considerable missteps that could have been avoided with greater communication with the Metro Police Department, TLC staff, the Metro Legal Department, and the Metro Human Resources Department,” the report said.

All three commission inspectors admitted to carrying firearms while on duty, which investigators found was a violation of civil service policy. After those practices came to light in April, McQuistion said, that practice ended.

But McQuistion himself also received criticism.

“It is reasonable to believe that inspectors believed they were authorized to carry their personal firearms absent further instructions from Director McQuistion,” the report said. “While Director McQuistion made some effort to understand the requirements to obtain a Police Commission (required for firearm use), he did not exercise the due diligence required for such a significant responsibility.”

Would you want to be completely defenseless while pulling over Muslim cabbies most of whom are Somalis?

The investigation also found that inspectors used police badges indicating they were police officers. McQuistion said those badges had been turned in and are no longer in use.

Two of the inspectors admitted to having police lights in vehicles they had used previously, but said the vehicles they use now don’t have them.

The recommendation for sensitivity training for all commission employees, including McQuistion, stemmed from comments one of the inspectors made when he was interviewed.

“One inspector explained that they had 98 or 99 percent of foreign drivers and most were Muslim. He said they did not mind ‘taking you with them,’ ” the report said.

The same inspector told investigators that “a lot of them blew up places,” an unfounded allegation for which no evidence was offered.

No evidence??!! Read the newspapers - any that is but The Tennessean.

Human resources department officials noted “a heightened anxiety” among the inspectors “due to the culturally diverse population that they deal with on a consistent basis.”

Can you blame them? These people aren't Quakers. Somali Muslims aren't an exotic equivalent of the Amish.

The report suggested that all employees of the commission, including McQuistion, would benefit from training in diversity awareness.

“Having a better understanding and respect for various cultures is fundamental to effect working relationships with constituents, will help foster good will, and support the continued safety of inspectors and the community,” the report said.