I've obtained the public information available from the Minneapolis Police Department regarding this incident.
The report did not have as much information as I would have liked, but here's the basics of what was said, omitting personal info. - - - begin information from police report - - - Arrestee 1 (AP1), 42 year old female Charges: Disruptive Party Arrestee 2 (AP2), 46 year old male Charges: Obstruction of Legal Process, Disruptive Party Force used in arrest Arrestee 3 (AP3), 24 year old female Charges: Assaulting a police officer, Obstruction of Legal Process, Disruptive Party Force used in arrest Arrestee 4 (AP4), 67 year old female Charges: Obstruction of legal process, Assaulting a police officer, Disruptive Party Force used in arrest There was a name listed as a "police victim", but I'm unsure if that refers to an officer or a civilian. No other information was given on this individual. Four other witnesses were listed as well as an auto that was used in the crime (presumably the one with the stereo). - - - Public Data - - - AP3 and AP4 kicked officers as they were trying to make an arrest. AP2 physically prevented officers from making an arrest. AP1 was having a noisy assembly, where all this occurred. AP1 cited and released. APs 2, 3 and 4 were booked HCJ. - - - - - - end information from police report - - - Well, two main complaints with the public record. First of all, it isn't available online. Working downtown, it wasn't so bad to go get it and it only cost me a quarter. The desk staff were efficient and helpful, but it would be difficult for people not working downtown to get this information. The data is also available from a public terminal in the office, so it shouldn't be hard to put online. I did have to sign a receipt for the printout. It would be more difficult for people not downtown to get this information, and even in my case, it took me about 45 minutes to get there, get the information and get back. Secondly, the information is really sparse. What is missing from the picture is how what was presumably a citation going to AP1 for a Disruptive Party escalated to three people attempting to obstruct a(n) arrest(s). Was any chemical irritant used? No medical treatment was listed but an ambulance showed up. Is this standard practice or were there no injuries? If there were injuries, are injuries treated on location reported? Right now the only place I can go for this information are those who were in the house, but that perspective was already posted to Indymedia. If I understood the records clerk correctly, the full police report becomes available to the plaintiffs when they go to court. It is important to note that the citation was for "disruptive party" and not "unlawful assembly without a permit" as originally stated. This is obviously an appropriate citation based on all accounts. The information should be available online and it should have more detail. I still want to know the officer's perspective on how the situation escalated. I appreciate the people who helped point me to the resources for getting what information is available. - Jason Goray, Sheridan, NE After the incident in Jordan a couple weeks ago, I'd posted the following idea but received no feedback, positive or negative: They make very small video and audio recording devices. What if we had every officer wear a "tamper proof" device into every incident. Those recordings could be available to the public and when a report like this cropped up, people who wanted to get an "unbiased" version of what happened could view the video record. You'll still have cases where the camera gets obstructed and you'll still have allegations that the records were modified or removed, but when those records exist, they'll be far better than the "he said, she said" scenario we have now which does not accomplish much in a community where there is a lack of trust on both sides of the issue. It may be necessary to blur faces or that sort of thing, but it must be relatively legal given the cameras on police cars and the various TV shows which video police on the job. I believe that what is needed is a dialog and that's not going to happen until people start talking to each other, asking questions, giving answers, and listening rather than making assumptions. Any neutral records that could be created would help establish the facts in these situations. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance - Get real-time stock quotes http://finance.yahoo.com _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
