<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div>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! </div><div>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! </div><div>They go away n never come back ! </div><div>I do it all the time . <br><br>Jason<div>301-943-3017</div><div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-align: center; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">😻</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 13pt;">🙀</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 13pt;">😽</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 13pt;">😼</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 13pt;">🐱</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 13pt;">🐯</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 13pt;">🐈</span></div></div><div><br>On Oct 10, 2015, at 10:05 PM, bob smith <<a href="mailto:sfmc68@verizon.net">sfmc68@verizon.net</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><span>Thank you Miss Heather.</span><br><span>I think dialogue on the subject is worthwhile, that should lead to</span><br><span>understanding if all aligns properly.</span><br><span></span><br><span>As others have said on this subject, and others somewhat related,</span><br><span>Riverdale Park is a diverse community, and this diversity adds to its</span><br><span>character.</span><br><span></span><br><span>I know folks might disagree with my next comments, that is their right</span><br><span>but I think we have had a sort of gentle neighborhood watch mindset for</span><br><span>a good while. If we pay attention to the neighborhood, we know who is a</span><br><span>regular - a neighbor, a fellow Riverdalian, a frequent visitor, or even</span><br><span>one who aspires to live here. I think that also allows us to spot that</span><br><span>unusual activity some of the time depending on our own attention span</span><br><span>and level of alertness. Surely our best intentions have missed things</span><br><span>out of place with the break ins, home and car, and other bad behavior.</span><br><span></span><br><span>Maybe simply discussing will make us all tune in a little more, and</span><br><span>recognize the out of place activities. There are always risks with both</span><br><span>reporting suspicion and not reporting it. With police patrols responding</span><br><span>to known issues, maybe calling suspicions might nip a potential issue</span><br><span>before it becomes a problem. Hitting that balance between being a</span><br><span>welcoming community and an alert protective community is not going to be</span><br><span>easy. I would hate to see us become less than welcoming.</span><br><span></span><br><span>thanks again for the clarification!</span><br><span>bob smith</span><br><span></span><br><span>On 10/10/15 9:49 PM, Heather Cronk wrote:</span><br><blockquote type="cite"><span>Thanks for asking for clarification, Bob -- I was definitely speaking in</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>general terms, not specific to the Riverdale police force.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>On Saturday, October 10, 2015, bob smith <<a href="mailto:sfmc68@verizon.net">sfmc68@verizon.net</a></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span><<a href="mailto:sfmc68@verizon.net">mailto:sfmc68@verizon.net</a>>> wrote:</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> Miss Heather,</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> I am confused by your note, specifically para 3.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> Can you explain to us on the list whether you are talking in general</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> terms when you are referring to the police in that paragraph or if you</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> are talking specifically about the Riverdale Park Police Department when</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> you use the phrase "But when the evidence overwhelmingly points to</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> police bias and when too many of my friends report police harassment on</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> a regular basis," ?</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> Thanks</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> Bob Smith</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> On 10/10/15 9:27 PM, Heather Cronk wrote:</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>I appreciate the background, Sarah. Unfortunately, the idea of</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> calling</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>the police under the policy of, "If it looks weird, give us a call"</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>doesn't make me feel any better.</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>The problem is that a community policing effort that relies mostly on</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>subjective standards still relies on an individual's perception of</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>danger, or even on something being "askew." I'm all for</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> community-driven</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>solutions that supplant a police force -- but the type of effort</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> you're</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>describing still sounds like it's grounded on individual perception.</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>That individual perception is, of course, also grounded in systems of</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>oppression that many of us learn at an early age.</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>I know that we all want to believe that "our" police force is</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> different</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>than those that flagrantly abuse their power and harass people of</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> color</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>for little more than walking down the street (as in the case of Eric</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>Garner in NY) or rolling through a stop sign (as in the case of Sandra</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>Bland in TX) -- and I hope that's true. But when the evidence</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>overwhelmingly points to police bias and when too many of my friends</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>report police harassment on a regular basis, I would really rather not</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>call the police unless I observe someone in immediate danger.</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>I appreciate the conversation and hope that our police force is</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>"listening in" via email. I haven't yet been able to attend a</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> community</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>forum with the police chief, but I hope to do so soon. And unless</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> we're</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>hearing from the police chief that the Riverdale police force has</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>undergone extensive cultural competency training and has an explicit</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>commitment to de-escalation, I'll remain skeptical of calling the</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> police</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>in anything but overtly dangerous situations.</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>-Heather</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>On Friday, October 9, 2015, Sarah Wayland <<a href="mailto:sarah.wayland@gmail.com">sarah.wayland@gmail.com</a></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> <javascript:;></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span><<a href="mailto:sarah.wayland@gmail.com">mailto:sarah.wayland@gmail.com</a> <javascript:;>>> wrote:</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> This is an important point, Heather. Let me provide some</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> explanation</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> & clarification, in the interest of starting a dialog.</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> I used to think exactly what you wrote. Many years ago (wow, I</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> think</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> it's actually been almost 20 years now) crime was worse in our</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> town,</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> and a group of us started up a Neighborhood Watch program. (our</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> current mayor, then a new resident of town, was actually one of</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> those primarily responsible for setting it up!) As part of our</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> training, we spent several hours getting trained by the police who</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> told us when to call and what to call about. This was before cell</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> phones were in common use, so we carried police scanners with</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> us as</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> we walked through the neighborhoods.</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> I was stunned to learn during the training that the police</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> *wanted*</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> us to call, even about little things. I had thought this would be</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> annoying to them, and that they didn't want to hear about random</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> annoying little things. It turns out that what seems "a little off</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> but not harmless" can often be the information that helps to the</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> police solve a crime. The rule the police gave us was, "If it</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> looks</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> weird, give us a call."</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> I learned that things like "cars parked on our side street that</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> aren't usually there" might be a drug deal. I had no idea! Now</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> that</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> I know what to look for, I'm sorry to say I can spot a drug deal</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> pretty easily now. They happen *fast*, as do most crimes.</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> Of course the problem with this is that it's a slippery slope. A</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> neighbor of ours was watching his friend's car while his</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> friend was</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> away on travel. Another neighbor called the police about the</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> "strange car parked on the side street", and our neighbor's</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> friend's</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> car got towed without even a notice! That's exactly the kind of</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> thing we don't want!</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> In the 20 years since we started that Neighborhood Watch</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> program, my</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> car has been broken into twice, and my garage has also been broken</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> into. It was never horrible, just a slight violation. The time my</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> garage was broken into, a neighbor's shed was broken into just</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> prior, and another neighbor called me because she was very shaken</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> up, having just witnessed the shed break-in. Little did I know</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> that</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> while I was talking to her on the phone, my garage was being</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> broken</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> into!</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> That string of shed break-ins, by the way, was solved when a</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> resident called the police when he saw a guy jumping over a fence.</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> The police caught the guy in the act of stealing stuff from</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> another</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> shed because they had a lead from someone in the community who</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> called right away.</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> Of course these folks usually commit their crimes when no one is</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> looking, and they operate quickly. It's hard to even know whether</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> you are seeing something weird, and I can personally attest to the</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> fact that sometimes you don't even realize how weird it is until</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> hours later.</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> To be clear, what I don't mean by "weird" is "someone who looks</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> different than me and my neighbors".</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> But what *is* weird? This write up on the City of Lonsdale (MN) is</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> quite consistent with what the police told us during our</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> Neighborhood Watch training:</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> <a href="http://www.lonsdale.govoffice.com/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7B8E39A899-29E8-4B18-AF14-ED1081ACCC6B%7D">http://www.lonsdale.govoffice.com/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7B8E39A899-29E8-4B18-AF14-ED1081ACCC6B%7D</a></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> I keep thinking about another neighbor whose home was broken into</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> while I was home. I heard a loud bang, but because of the</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> noise of a</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> nearby construction site, thought it was nothing unusual. I didn't</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> call the police. My neighbors lost many things that were not</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> only of</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> monetary value, but also of great sentimental value. I still feel</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> really really bad about that. I should have called.</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span> -Sarah</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>_______________________________________________</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>TownTalk mailing list</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>To post to the list, send mail to <a href="mailto:TownTalk@riverdale-park.org">TownTalk@riverdale-park.org</a></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> <javascript:;></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span><a href="mailto:TownTalk-request@riverdale-park.org">TownTalk-request@riverdale-park.org</a> <javascript:;> is for</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> automated subscription processing only</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span><a href="http://riverdale-park.org/mailman/listinfo/towntalk">http://riverdale-park.org/mailman/listinfo/towntalk</a></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span>For more information about Riverdale Park, visit</span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> <a href="http://www.riverdaleparkmd.info">http://www.riverdaleparkmd.info</a></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> _______________________________________________</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> TownTalk mailing list</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> To post to the list, send mail to <a href="mailto:TownTalk@riverdale-park.org">TownTalk@riverdale-park.org</a></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> <javascript:;></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> <a href="mailto:TownTalk-request@riverdale-park.org">TownTalk-request@riverdale-park.org</a> <javascript:;> is for automated</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> subscription processing only</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> <a href="http://riverdale-park.org/mailman/listinfo/towntalk">http://riverdale-park.org/mailman/listinfo/towntalk</a></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> For more information about Riverdale Park, visit</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span> <a href="http://www.riverdaleparkmd.info">http://www.riverdaleparkmd.info</a></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><span></span><br><span>_______________________________________________</span><br><span>TownTalk mailing list</span><br><span>To post to the list, send mail to <a href="mailto:TownTalk@riverdale-park.org">TownTalk@riverdale-park.org</a></span><br><span><a href="mailto:TownTalk-request@riverdale-park.org">TownTalk-request@riverdale-park.org</a> is for automated subscription processing only</span><br><span><a href="http://riverdale-park.org/mailman/listinfo/towntalk">http://riverdale-park.org/mailman/listinfo/towntalk</a></span><br><span></span><br><span>For more information about Riverdale Park, visit <a href="http://www.riverdaleparkmd.info">http://www.riverdaleparkmd.info</a></span><br></div></blockquote></body></html>