You’ve probably been to those web sites, but wouldn’t admit to such a thing in polite company. It goes like this: The site is named “Rate My Whatever.” And then you’re shown pictures of various whatevers. You can score the whatevers from 1 to 10 and review how others have scored them as well. That may seem like a silly exercise, and it is a common diversion. Then there’s the Rate My Cop website.
Rate My Cop is legitimate. Like this site (OpenCdA), Rate My Cop is about open government. In this case, it’s about providing citizens with information regarding their local police department.
By using the “rate my” approach, Rate My Cop allows people to provide both positive and negative feedback regarding their experience with the local constabulary. And, yes, it’s completely anonymous.
Now, obviously, someone who is disgruntled or just wants to stir the pot can raise a lot of cane. But the site strives to keep the information honest and useful. This is not about bashing cops, any more than it’s about providing some artificial, glowing, plaque-worthy praise. I think it’s worth a mention, and a look.
Thanks for pointing out this new venue in regards to public information. I see that it is upsetting some folks. I did a serach and found this interesting article here.
However, I cannot get the site to work at this time. Other searches revealed comments by officers trying to get the site shut down.
Comment by Stebbijo — March 27, 2008 @ 9:47 am