Well shit, Terry.. I know what a terrible experience an occupied dwelling burglary is.
I am very pleased you received excellent service from MPD. I've been gone 22 years, but even in the dark old ages, I regularly heard stories of a compassionate job well done. Having been the P5 Inspector, they often made me proud.
Thanks for taking time to recognize their work. The occasional act of misconduct gets talked about for a generation, but the day to day excellent work is soon forgotten.
It is not forgotten by everyone. My first 8 years of patrol, I rotated shifts mainly in the Phillips neighborhood. I still remember a nice letter a woman sent to my Captain just to say I did a good job and gave her useful advice.
We are so incredibly sorry to hear about your home invasion! I can't even grasp how scary and overwheming you and your family must have felt at what could have happened had they not changed course and fled your home, your safe space. Thank god you are all safe and unharmed.
Unbelievable that even with such a personal attack on yourself and family you almost immediately start writing so clearly about the event on every level as well as telling us we need to elect a mayor and council who are aligned, pragmatic and serious about public safety.
Elections do matter. So many serious issues that need to be worked on by our City Council and Mayor to come up with actionable changes that truly make a difference in our city. Concentrating on continuing safety improvements, budget priorities accordingly with the upcoming tax shortfalls that are facing our city and getting back to basic services will provide a sense of pride in a city we all still love but don't completely recognize anymore.
Terry, first, I'm so sorry that you and your family had this terrifying experience, and I'm so glad that you and your family came out of this relatively undamaged. An invasion of an occupied home can turn out so much worse than this. And thanks for sharing details of the police response. They deserve praise when they perform well - just like anyone else.
I think one of our biggest problems is the inability some folks have to apply both sympathy and empathy in equal measure to everyone - in this case, both to the miscreant and the victim. Applying none of either to perpetrators leads to the kind of abuses we've seen in law enforcement. Applying none of either to victims just leads to more victims. It should not be so hard to see that society, including government, needs BOTH to reduce the circumstances that lead people into criminal behaviors, AND to effectively enforce the laws we have chosen to have, in order to protect others from those individuals.
It drives me crazy when I hear people talk as though the objective of politics is to choose BETWEEN mitigating the roots of crime, and enforcing the laws in draconian style. Also crazy-making is the crafty rhetorical fall-back that too many on both sides have adopted - that both are important, but "of course" we must do ONE of those PERFECTLY first before addressing the other. It should not be so difficult for our society and its government to "walk and chew gum at the same time". We need to elect leaders who are up to the task of performing this duet. It's not as though it's a high-order skill. If just relentlessly hammering on one end of the problem is "first level", seeing the need for both, together, and simultaneously, is really only "second level", and the hard parts of implementation are still beyond that. We should insist our leaders at least come to their jobs in possession of the ability to think and feel at that "second level"
Terry, so sorry your family went through this and glad everyone is ok. Someone entered an apartment I used to live in here, and I remember the unsettled and violated feeling of knowing someone was in our home while we were vulnerable. Take care, and good girl, Zelda!
I'm sorry for your experience but so many thanks for sharing. And acknowledging the context of your situation is also very important. It is the context of high crime neighborhoods that from what I have understood that too are asking for better police protection and not sacrificing actual officers versus peace officers. But is also the context of neighborhoods where community members become victims of police brutality who are asking for replacement of police officers with peace officers/care givers. I hope we can do both, improve our police culture that does not turn on the community it serves and increase the care givers who have an overwhelming volume of unmet needs to address.
Good morning Stephen. I don't have a problem with referring to officers as, police officers or peace officers, after all they are licensed by the Peace Officer's Standards and Training Board. What I think is wrong headed is referring to them as "law enforcement officers". Especially since it has remained consistent over the many years that the enforcement of the laws is about 15% of what the police do. The rest of their time is other duties as assigned. We were taught that we were the most frequent first point of contact for city government and to be ambassadors for the city. That is a lot more rewarding than enforcing laws.
Oh Terry I’m so sorry to hear this happened to you and your family. So scary and unnerving to experience such a violation by someone entering your home with a weapon. I’m glad to hear your experience with MPD was good - they wouldn’t still be there if they didn’t care. I hope that you all can begin to feel a sense of safety in your home again sometime soon because things can be replaced but the feeling of safety in your home is something that should never be in question.
Yes, very unsettling for your family. I am so sorry that this happened and really appreciate that you are addressing it here. As a shout out to MPD, I do look forward to a time, and hopefully in 2026, when most of our city council members support the MPD and demonstrate consistent appreciation for the work that they do.
I do want to talk about a couple of things though. Every situation, crime incident, can be different, of course. Some of this crime has nothing to do with being " desperate" for money, at least in the way we use that term. It is simply a job for some, a job with some risks, but if can do it enough times, without being stopped, ( caught) so interupted with that separation that would need to follow, these events can be rewarding, re enforcing, and even exciting...for some. That is hard to imagine, because it is unsettling, that some simply do it because they just can. It is working for them..for now. It can even be a decently paid job.
Also, not all of these folks out there are in the throes of hard core addiction, that would be involved in crimes like this. It could be, but just as easily could not be. Kids do different types of crimes, generally, than someone that leans a bit more career, like in their 30s-40s, or 50s, and juveniles, often, like to do it together. So..lots of different things happen...but some of it is just the same, in terms of motivation and outcome.
I have learned a few things growing up in a group that made Sibling Park our home. Some of my friends would go missing because they were " sent up" to Glen Lake, or sometimes even Lino Lakes. I worked for many years as a probation officer in a very large metropolitan county, so I saw this, crime, while there are patterns for sure, not all of it is " need based" and born out of desperation, in they way we often talk about that here in Mpls. Moving forward in Mpls, how we diagnose, and then treat the problem, is going to be very important, these next four years.
When CM Chugtai was first running for office she came by our nightly neighborhood Covid outdoor singalong. After she gave her stump speech, one of my neighbors noticed she had said nothing about public safety, so she asked her about it. Chugtai said all crime is based on need. I asked her about the case of the Somali elder who was riding the Chicago Avenue bus and asked a group of young men to rein in their profanity. They beat him to death when he got off the bus. I asked her what role need played in that senseless crime. No answer.
Chughtai and comrades think that once we all live in a perfect utopia where we all have exactly the same material status, there will no longer be crimes of passion, crimes of jealousy, crimes of opportunity…
Thanks for the reminder that that those creating these events have their own agenda known only to them. Too often people apply their own experience and imagination to reason and response to crime when there is really a much greater unknown to both sides that could be so much worse.
Well shit, Terry.. I know what a terrible experience an occupied dwelling burglary is.
I am very pleased you received excellent service from MPD. I've been gone 22 years, but even in the dark old ages, I regularly heard stories of a compassionate job well done. Having been the P5 Inspector, they often made me proud.
Thanks for taking time to recognize their work. The occasional act of misconduct gets talked about for a generation, but the day to day excellent work is soon forgotten.
It is not forgotten by everyone. My first 8 years of patrol, I rotated shifts mainly in the Phillips neighborhood. I still remember a nice letter a woman sent to my Captain just to say I did a good job and gave her useful advice.
Dear Terry
We are so incredibly sorry to hear about your home invasion! I can't even grasp how scary and overwheming you and your family must have felt at what could have happened had they not changed course and fled your home, your safe space. Thank god you are all safe and unharmed.
Unbelievable that even with such a personal attack on yourself and family you almost immediately start writing so clearly about the event on every level as well as telling us we need to elect a mayor and council who are aligned, pragmatic and serious about public safety.
Elections do matter. So many serious issues that need to be worked on by our City Council and Mayor to come up with actionable changes that truly make a difference in our city. Concentrating on continuing safety improvements, budget priorities accordingly with the upcoming tax shortfalls that are facing our city and getting back to basic services will provide a sense of pride in a city we all still love but don't completely recognize anymore.
Take care Terry!
Terry, first, I'm so sorry that you and your family had this terrifying experience, and I'm so glad that you and your family came out of this relatively undamaged. An invasion of an occupied home can turn out so much worse than this. And thanks for sharing details of the police response. They deserve praise when they perform well - just like anyone else.
I think one of our biggest problems is the inability some folks have to apply both sympathy and empathy in equal measure to everyone - in this case, both to the miscreant and the victim. Applying none of either to perpetrators leads to the kind of abuses we've seen in law enforcement. Applying none of either to victims just leads to more victims. It should not be so hard to see that society, including government, needs BOTH to reduce the circumstances that lead people into criminal behaviors, AND to effectively enforce the laws we have chosen to have, in order to protect others from those individuals.
It drives me crazy when I hear people talk as though the objective of politics is to choose BETWEEN mitigating the roots of crime, and enforcing the laws in draconian style. Also crazy-making is the crafty rhetorical fall-back that too many on both sides have adopted - that both are important, but "of course" we must do ONE of those PERFECTLY first before addressing the other. It should not be so difficult for our society and its government to "walk and chew gum at the same time". We need to elect leaders who are up to the task of performing this duet. It's not as though it's a high-order skill. If just relentlessly hammering on one end of the problem is "first level", seeing the need for both, together, and simultaneously, is really only "second level", and the hard parts of implementation are still beyond that. We should insist our leaders at least come to their jobs in possession of the ability to think and feel at that "second level"
Terry, so sorry your family went through this and glad everyone is ok. Someone entered an apartment I used to live in here, and I remember the unsettled and violated feeling of knowing someone was in our home while we were vulnerable. Take care, and good girl, Zelda!
I'm sorry for your experience but so many thanks for sharing. And acknowledging the context of your situation is also very important. It is the context of high crime neighborhoods that from what I have understood that too are asking for better police protection and not sacrificing actual officers versus peace officers. But is also the context of neighborhoods where community members become victims of police brutality who are asking for replacement of police officers with peace officers/care givers. I hope we can do both, improve our police culture that does not turn on the community it serves and increase the care givers who have an overwhelming volume of unmet needs to address.
Good morning Stephen. I don't have a problem with referring to officers as, police officers or peace officers, after all they are licensed by the Peace Officer's Standards and Training Board. What I think is wrong headed is referring to them as "law enforcement officers". Especially since it has remained consistent over the many years that the enforcement of the laws is about 15% of what the police do. The rest of their time is other duties as assigned. We were taught that we were the most frequent first point of contact for city government and to be ambassadors for the city. That is a lot more rewarding than enforcing laws.
Oh Terry I’m so sorry to hear this happened to you and your family. So scary and unnerving to experience such a violation by someone entering your home with a weapon. I’m glad to hear your experience with MPD was good - they wouldn’t still be there if they didn’t care. I hope that you all can begin to feel a sense of safety in your home again sometime soon because things can be replaced but the feeling of safety in your home is something that should never be in question.
Yes, very unsettling for your family. I am so sorry that this happened and really appreciate that you are addressing it here. As a shout out to MPD, I do look forward to a time, and hopefully in 2026, when most of our city council members support the MPD and demonstrate consistent appreciation for the work that they do.
I do want to talk about a couple of things though. Every situation, crime incident, can be different, of course. Some of this crime has nothing to do with being " desperate" for money, at least in the way we use that term. It is simply a job for some, a job with some risks, but if can do it enough times, without being stopped, ( caught) so interupted with that separation that would need to follow, these events can be rewarding, re enforcing, and even exciting...for some. That is hard to imagine, because it is unsettling, that some simply do it because they just can. It is working for them..for now. It can even be a decently paid job.
Also, not all of these folks out there are in the throes of hard core addiction, that would be involved in crimes like this. It could be, but just as easily could not be. Kids do different types of crimes, generally, than someone that leans a bit more career, like in their 30s-40s, or 50s, and juveniles, often, like to do it together. So..lots of different things happen...but some of it is just the same, in terms of motivation and outcome.
I have learned a few things growing up in a group that made Sibling Park our home. Some of my friends would go missing because they were " sent up" to Glen Lake, or sometimes even Lino Lakes. I worked for many years as a probation officer in a very large metropolitan county, so I saw this, crime, while there are patterns for sure, not all of it is " need based" and born out of desperation, in they way we often talk about that here in Mpls. Moving forward in Mpls, how we diagnose, and then treat the problem, is going to be very important, these next four years.
When CM Chugtai was first running for office she came by our nightly neighborhood Covid outdoor singalong. After she gave her stump speech, one of my neighbors noticed she had said nothing about public safety, so she asked her about it. Chugtai said all crime is based on need. I asked her about the case of the Somali elder who was riding the Chicago Avenue bus and asked a group of young men to rein in their profanity. They beat him to death when he got off the bus. I asked her what role need played in that senseless crime. No answer.
Chughtai and comrades think that once we all live in a perfect utopia where we all have exactly the same material status, there will no longer be crimes of passion, crimes of jealousy, crimes of opportunity…
Yep...
Thanks for the reminder that that those creating these events have their own agenda known only to them. Too often people apply their own experience and imagination to reason and response to crime when there is really a much greater unknown to both sides that could be so much worse.