I can't speak much for the recent events involving the suspensions and such. Most of these take times for facts to come out and even then you often have to read in between the lines to better understand what happened.
I will tell you how anyone would believe the rumors involving officer Ngo. I am only trying to make a case for the existence of the rumors. I'm still troubled by all of this and do not believe he shot himself. But there is a lot behind why these rumors would be going around and why they aren't as absurd as one may think. Duy Ngo was working undercover alone. While this is not against MPLS PD policy, it was not wise and most likely against the rules set by his sergeant. There had been a string of armed robberies in the area. Common sense alone says that he should not have been out there alone for his safety. Most of the officers in Minneapolis ride 2 to a car with officer safety being a primary reason for that. And they're not normally working undercover trying to find an armed robber. This type of behavior by itself would naturally raise suspicions. As a side note, if McManus wants to make some meaningful changes, updating the department's policies and procedures in regards to officers being undercover would be a good start. It likely would've prevented this mess from occurring in the first place if all undercover officers had to work with one or more people when working undercover. If Ngo had done this, he would've had at least one other officer who could've witnessed what occurred, helped catch the shooter, and such. Duy Ngo was an officer that was not liked. While it's not a crime to be a person that officers avoid working with, it does make it easier for the rumors to exist. Humans seem to like to believe the worst in those they don't care for. He's an example of that. Another thing that raises eyebrows is the fact that he was out there alone so soon before being shipped off. It's not just an issue of officer safety. People don't understand why he wasn't spending his last free hours with family and friends before having to ship out. He's not the only cop in MPLS. And by working alone like he was, people don't understand what kind of evidence he could've gathered to help find the perpetrator let alone the issue of arresting an armed robber solo. Just another thing that makes people wonder what was going on. Duy Ngo didn't drop either of his firearms when told to in the alley. Most officers that works those type of jobs have had a time or three when another officers pointed a weapon at them in the middle of action. They've dropped their weapon. That Ngo did not drop his was at best unwise. At worst, one has to ask the question if he purposely did not drop the weapon just to get shot. Again, an unusual action like that adds to the rumors. Duy Ngo was one of the officers that is (or was) being investigated for not paying taxes. He claims that he is own sovereign nation and does not need to pay them. Here is a peace officer who has taken an oath to uphold the law openly, consciously ignoring the law. It raises lots of questions about his judgment, about his integrity, if he was in need of money to get the IRS off his back, et al. For example, if he's willing to do this maybe he really is capable of shooting himself or having someone shoot him. Not paying his taxes and giving the reason that he did is another log on the rumor fire. On another side note, this is another thing that McManus could do if he's concerned about changing the department for the better. It's a shame that Minnesota allows peace officers keep their license when they openly flaunt laws such as this. But Minneapolis is capable of setting their own policies in regards to this. Officers take an oath to uphold the laws. And while they'll have moments where they break them, I don't feel that this one should be acceptable. Again, I am not saying that any of this means anything in terms of what Ngo did or didn't do that night. I am trying to show as to why these rumors are out there. - Allen Graetz -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Ed Fesler Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2004 9:37 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Mpls] News stories, Doug Grow column on the Police Inquisition Should law enforcement or prosecutors charge people with crimes for political reasons? If bosses want subordinates fired, should they be charged with crimes as a way of getting rid of them? All I know about this very strange case is what I read in the papers. Read these news stories from both newspapers and decide for yourself if the 3 officers committed a crime. Or does it sound more like politics? http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/8061877.htm http://startribune.com/stories/462/4633698.html Do you remember how the Strib greeted the McManus appointment with joy and rapture? More facts will come out as the investigation proceeds. The Chief's vindication of Duy Ngo was a very good thing. How could anybody believe such an implausible rumor, anyway? If the charges against Gerold, Martin, and Carlson don't stick McManus will be ridden out of town on a rail. Doug Grow has a very interesting column in today's Strib: "from 3 good cops to 3 bad suspects". http://www.startribune.com/stories/465/4634652.html Ed Fesler [EMAIL PROTECTED] Minneapolis Corcoran neighborhood __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Get better spam protection with Yahoo! Mail. http://antispam.yahoo.com/tools REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
