[RP TownTalk] car break-in

Sun Oct 11 21:52:28 UTC 2015

I would caution every one on calling riverdale park police , I recently had a minor fender bender with another motorist that was as fault , I have the sgt on video saying it was the other persons fault for going againt the flow of traffic but yet when I got the police report it said we were both at fault! 
Be very careful these days calling 911 is all I can say! If u see something weird in the neighborhood simply make the person that u think don't belong aware u know there present by yelling hi how are you doing ! It works wonders! Better yet yell to them that your block is monitored by security cameras! 
They go away n never come back ! 
I do it all the time . 

Jason
301-943-3017
😻🙀😽😼🐱🐯🐈

> On Oct 10, 2015, at 10:05 PM, bob smith <sfmc68 at verizon.net> wrote:
> 
> 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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