[RP TownTalk] car break-in

Sun Oct 11 01:49:38 UTC 2015

Thanks for asking for clarification, Bob -- I was definitely speaking in
general terms, not specific to the Riverdale police force.

On Saturday, October 10, 2015, bob smith <sfmc68 at verizon.net> wrote:

>
> Miss Heather,
> I am confused by your note, specifically para 3.
>
> Can you explain to us on the list whether you are talking in general
> terms when you are referring to the police in that paragraph or if you
> are talking specifically about the Riverdale Park Police Department when
> you use the phrase "But when the evidence overwhelmingly points to
> police bias and when too many of my friends report police harassment on
> a regular basis," ?
>
> Thanks
> Bob Smith
>
>
>
> On 10/10/15 9:27 PM, Heather Cronk wrote:
> > I appreciate the background, Sarah.  Unfortunately, the idea of calling
> > the police under the policy of, "If it looks weird, give us a call"
> > doesn't make me feel any better.
> >
> > The problem is that a community policing effort that relies mostly on
> > subjective standards still relies on an individual's perception of
> > danger, or even on something being "askew." I'm all for community-driven
> > solutions that supplant a police force -- but the type of effort you're
> > describing still sounds like it's grounded on individual perception.
> > That individual perception is, of course, also grounded in systems of
> > oppression that many of us learn at an early age.
> >
> > I know that we all want to believe that "our" police force is different
> > than those that flagrantly abuse their power and harass people of color
> > for little more than walking down the street (as in the case of Eric
> > Garner in NY) or rolling through a stop sign (as in the case of Sandra
> > Bland in TX) -- and I hope that's true.  But when the evidence
> > overwhelmingly points to police bias and when too many of my friends
> > report police harassment on a regular basis, I would really rather not
> > call the police unless I observe someone in immediate danger.
> >
> > I appreciate the conversation and hope that our police force is
> > "listening in" via email.  I haven't yet been able to attend a community
> > forum with the police chief, but I hope to do so soon.  And unless we're
> > hearing from the police chief that the Riverdale police force has
> > undergone extensive cultural competency training and has an explicit
> > commitment to de-escalation, I'll remain skeptical of calling the police
> > in anything but overtly dangerous situations.
> >
> > -Heather
> >
> >
> >
> > On Friday, October 9, 2015, Sarah Wayland <sarah.wayland at gmail.com
> <javascript:;>
> > <mailto:sarah.wayland at gmail.com <javascript:;>>> wrote:
> >
> >     This is an important point, Heather. Let me provide some explanation
> >     & clarification, in the interest of starting a dialog.
> >
> >     I used to think exactly what you wrote. Many years ago (wow, I think
> >     it's actually been almost 20 years now) crime was worse in our town,
> >     and a group of us started up a Neighborhood Watch program. (our
> >     current mayor, then a new resident of town, was actually one of
> >     those primarily responsible for setting it up!) As part of our
> >     training, we spent several hours getting trained by the police who
> >     told us when to call and what to call about. This was before cell
> >     phones were in common use, so we carried police scanners with us as
> >     we walked through the neighborhoods.
> >
> >     I was stunned to learn during the training that the police *wanted*
> >     us to call, even about little things. I had thought this would be
> >     annoying to them, and that they didn't want to hear about random
> >     annoying little things. It turns out that what seems "a little off
> >     but not harmless" can often be the information that helps to the
> >     police solve a crime. The rule the police gave us was, "If it looks
> >     weird, give us a call."
> >
> >     I learned that things like "cars parked on our side street that
> >     aren't usually there" might be a drug deal. I had no idea! Now that
> >     I know what to look for, I'm sorry to say I can spot a drug deal
> >     pretty easily now. They happen *fast*, as do most crimes.
> >
> >     Of course the problem with this is that it's a slippery slope. A
> >     neighbor of ours was watching his friend's car while his friend was
> >     away on travel. Another neighbor called the police about the
> >     "strange car parked on the side street", and our neighbor's friend's
> >     car got towed without even a notice! That's exactly the kind of
> >     thing we don't want!
> >
> >     In the 20 years since we started that Neighborhood Watch program, my
> >     car has been broken into twice, and my garage has also been broken
> >     into. It was never horrible, just a slight violation. The time my
> >     garage was broken into, a neighbor's shed was broken into just
> >     prior, and another neighbor called me because she was very shaken
> >     up, having just witnessed the shed break-in. Little did I know that
> >     while I was talking to her on the phone, my garage was being broken
> >     into!
> >
> >     That string of shed break-ins, by the way, was solved when a
> >     resident called the police when he saw a guy jumping over a fence.
> >     The police caught the guy in the act of stealing stuff from another
> >     shed because they had a lead from someone in the community who
> >     called right away.
> >
> >     Of course these folks usually commit their crimes when no one is
> >     looking, and they operate quickly. It's hard to even know whether
> >     you are seeing something weird, and I can personally attest to the
> >     fact that sometimes you don't even realize how weird it is until
> >     hours later.
> >
> >     To be clear, what I don't mean by "weird" is "someone who looks
> >     different than me and my neighbors".
> >
> >     But what *is* weird? This write up on the City of Lonsdale (MN) is
> >     quite consistent with what the police told us during our
> >     Neighborhood Watch training:
> >
> >
> http://www.lonsdale.govoffice.com/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7B8E39A899-29E8-4B18-AF14-ED1081ACCC6B%7D
> >
> >     I keep thinking about another neighbor whose home was broken into
> >     while I was home. I heard a loud bang, but because of the noise of a
> >     nearby construction site, thought it was nothing unusual. I didn't
> >     call the police. My neighbors lost many things that were not only of
> >     monetary value, but also of great sentimental value. I still feel
> >     really really bad about that. I should have called.
> >
> >     -Sarah
> >
> >
> >
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