[RP TownTalk] car break-in
bob smith
sfmc68 at verizon.net
Sun Oct 11 02:05:26 UTC 2015
Thank you Miss Heather.
I think dialogue on the subject is worthwhile, that should lead to
understanding if all aligns properly.
As others have said on this subject, and others somewhat related,
Riverdale Park is a diverse community, and this diversity adds to its
character.
I know folks might disagree with my next comments, that is their right
but I think we have had a sort of gentle neighborhood watch mindset for
a good while. If we pay attention to the neighborhood, we know who is a
regular - a neighbor, a fellow Riverdalian, a frequent visitor, or even
one who aspires to live here. I think that also allows us to spot that
unusual activity some of the time depending on our own attention span
and level of alertness. Surely our best intentions have missed things
out of place with the break ins, home and car, and other bad behavior.
Maybe simply discussing will make us all tune in a little more, and
recognize the out of place activities. There are always risks with both
reporting suspicion and not reporting it. With police patrols responding
to known issues, maybe calling suspicions might nip a potential issue
before it becomes a problem. Hitting that balance between being a
welcoming community and an alert protective community is not going to be
easy. I would hate to see us become less than welcoming.
thanks again for the clarification!
bob smith
On 10/10/15 9:49 PM, Heather Cronk wrote:
> 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
> <mailto: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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