[Mpls] police

[James E Jacobsen]

I have had fair amount of experience with the police in 31 years of living in South Minneapolis and lots of it was good. There are lots of good police officers.  I have had good discussions with them and good and honest suggestions about things.        But, like with any entity employing hundreds of people, there always will be some shirkers.       When I bought my house 26 years ago, the neighbor accross the street, -a couple in their 90's- they had owned the original hardware store where Electric Fetus is now. The guy told me how some thugs got in, pointing guns at them and were going through the house looking for money.  He managed to call the police and they happened to be right in the block so they came in just as the robbers were casually walking away.        He told me the police had to take a report first while the thugs were just getting in their car and driving out like they were on their way to church.  Of course they never caught up with them -and didn't want to.         In numerous issues and problems with small time crime, I never saw anyone get caught or even pursued.  I learned to only report small time breakins and theft for purposes of insurance claim.        Of course there is politics and differing directions taken by the Mayor and Police Chief, but not much difference in the on the street police activity.  Their presence on the street -at $50,000 per officer per year- is their main strategy for deterence.        I have often thought if the city needed to cut its budget the police is one catagory that, if they cut out a few million dollars, I don't know how we would be any worse off.  They could put plywood cutouts of police strategically around the town and really get police bang for the buck.      James E Jacobsen // Whittier