I appreciated reading the post from Luther Krueger, who is, I believe,
an officer working for the MPD. It is easy to find discussion about our
police department both polarizing and vitriolic. That won't solve or change
anything, but only perpetuates the "us them" feelings that seem to be held by
members of both groups. Whether we may be able to reach agreement on issues
or not, I appreciate being able to get the ideas of someone within the force.
In our neighborhood, many citizens worked for and supported the
philosophy of community oriented policing. We had countless meetings,
allocated funds, worked to educate the community, bought bicycles which left
with the first two officers, established a "cop shop", and paid to have
objective professional "outsiders" evaluate the results.To those in our
neighborhood, community oriented policing did not mean having officers give
talks in schools, or participate in anti- drug programs. It meant having
officers who would stay around long enough to become a part of our
community, spend time out of their cars, build relationships with residents,
work with business owners, etc. In short, to establish some sort of on-going
"human" connection. For a number of reasons, this effort was unsuccessful. In
a time when so many residents are raising serious questions about the
performance of our police department, I wonder whether other neighborhoods
have any interest in this kind of policing? I have talked to St. Paul
officers who strongly support this sort of policing and believe that it
strengthens and supports their work. Are our communities really so different?
Does a simple physical division like a river really make such a difference?
Any ideas out there?
Jean Johnstad
Seward Neighborhood
