Posted on 06/20/2008 6:42:16 AM PDT by LibWhacker
Troy Molde awoke at 3 a.m. Thursday to police flashlights shining in his face. Two uniformed Lakeville officers were in his bedroom, knocking on the wall to wake him up.
They were there, they said, to warn him to keep his doors closed and locked.
Their surprise visit was part of a public service campaign. Officers had fanned out across the city, leaving notices on doors to remind residents how to prevent thefts by keeping garage doors closed, not leaving valuables in cars and locking windows or doors.
But at Molde's house, they went further.
His two sons, ages 5 and 7, and 5-year-old twin nephews were having a sleepover in the living room. They awoke to find the officers in the house.
"I was violated, but ... I wasn't physically damaged," Molde said of what he considers an invasion of privacy.
The officers told Molde his garage door was open, the TV was on, keys to his truck were left in the ignition and the door to his house was ajar.
Police said the intrusion was justified because the officers' initial door knocks went unanswered. Police went inside to check if anything was wrong, Sgt. Jim Puncochar said.
He said the kids were afraid to wake their dad, so the officers went upstairs.
"It really was suspicious," Puncochar said.
But Molde, 34, said he went upstairs to bed at midnight. Molde didn't shut the garage door, and he remembers leaving the doors to his house closed — but unlocked. The kids fell asleep watching TV.
Three hours later, he had police in his bedroom. He immediately thought something was wrong.
"I was just dazed," said the 34-year-old dad. "It's not a safe way of (police) protection."
Puncochar said officers left pamphlets Thursday at eight other houses as a friendly reminder of ways residents can avoid becoming victims of crimes, such as burglary.
"We went there to determine that everyone was safe," Puncochar said.
Officers also leave the messages when checking on a home security alarm or to warn of a law violation they see at the residence. The department began using door hangers a year ago to tackle a rise in burglaries in 2006, Chief Tom Vonhof said at the time.
Police say many crimes originate with open garage doors.
Last month, a 52-year-old Burnsville man was stabbed and left to die in his burning town house after two assailants entered his home at 4:30 a.m. by way of an open garage door.
The suspects, who stole the man's car to escape, entered the garage and home through unlocked doors. Police have not found the assailants.
Leaving a door hanger for residents is a method used by other police departments nationally, Vonhof said. It can help create a police presence.
Lakeville police gave Molde a reminder he won't forget anytime soon.
"I haven't figured out what I should do with it yet," Molde said.
Many years while standing shore patrol with the Providence, RI police, one hot summer night, we entered a sailor’s house went to his bed room, hit him on the sole of his foot with a night stick to wake him up, to question him about a drug purchase. The sailor’s wife never fully woke up during the “interview”.
When I questioned them about entering the house they said,” It was not breaking and entering because his door was open and the screen door was not hooked. I mentioned if they did that where I lived in Pennsylvania, they might have been shot.
A few years back a local cop ignored the sign at my gate to ring the bell. He walked in and felt threatened by my dangerous Jack Russell and maced the dog.
He was a big city cop assigned to a small town and found out in a hurry that I had no problem calling his boss and his boss had no problem chewing his butt for being an idiot.
Not that people usually respond to door knocks at 3:00 in the morning...
Geeze ... it isn't prudent to do many things.
Are we a nation of LAWS, or not?
Never mind ... I answered my own question.
ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE
“Take the keys out of your car,”
yes
“lock your doors,”
yes
” thank the cops and shut up.”
hmmm, a door hanger woulda worked too.
Hey, anybody can do anything they want, as long as they have no personal fixed ethics. I admire Tom, but this is typical politico talk. We are but serfs, and we better make sure that check is in the mail to the IRS. I still keeping asking what "service" is being rendered!
I would say with those circumstances that they were right to have done what they did.
It would appeared very strongly to the cops on the scene that night, that someones safety was in danger with the above circumstances.
Especially since someone was murdered in a similar situation a month before.
Actually I would amend my comments, they should have rung the doorbell first, and then have done the above if he didn’t come down.
Appearing in a homeowner's bedroom at 3AM unannounced, unsolicited and unexpected sure sounds like an attempt to approximately repeat the situation.
"Contemplative reflection is not required in the presence of an upraised knife." Ditto for abruptly discovering armed strangers in the inner sanctum of your home; action with extreme prejudice is called for, not friendly banter and exchange of advice.
Ringing the doorbell doesn’t mitigate the stupidity of entering one’s home unbidden at wee hours. If the homeowner doesn’t answer, we have scenarios:
- he’s asleep, didn’t hear it, and may not respond well (i.e.: come up shooting) to armed strangers hanging over him when he does wake
- he did hear it, chose not to answer, and may not respond well (i.e.: come up shooting) to armed strangers entering his home unbidden.
Ok, so the door was unlocked and keys were in the car. Foolish, but far less so than the corrective measures taken.
In this area, questions will be asked later.
I don't disagree, but I am trying to figure out what the correct response should have been, with what they encountered on the scene that night
But, but....you gotta have ...
“Police said the intrusion was justified because the officers’ initial door knocks went unanswered. Police went inside to check if anything was wrong, Sgt. Jim Puncochar said.”
And if everyone in the house was dead and it wasn’t discovered for three days everybody would be jumping on the cops for not investigating the open door. Hard to call, this one.
I might bleat right along with if cops stopped and frisked gangbangers they suspected of being strapped.
But law-abiding homeowners have rights, too.
“Last month, a 52-year-old Burnsville man was stabbed and left to die in his burning town house after two assailants entered his home at 4:30 a.m. by way of an open garage door.”
Now I’m confused, which is worse, going to sleep with your garage door open or with the house on fire?
I posted that just to get a word in before the ‘Sue the cops’ stuff started flying. Because I knew that would be the overwhelming response. Yes, it was stupid and beyond, what they did. On the other hand ...
We are in a small town in Los Angeles. We love our policemen here. Do they occasionally do stupid things? Yes, truly. But it is safe here and they keep an eye out for us. We PAY them to do that. If they did something really stupid, I would definitely be angry. I would raise Hell at City Hall. But I would not sue them for ‘stupid.’
Didn’t your preschoolers ever sing this song??:
“I’m a policeman, dressed in blue.
Here are the things I like to do:
Protect the people in your town;
Help to keep them safe and sound.
It’s my job, and I like it fine.
No one has a better job than mine.”
Please note the difference.
I wouldn’t sue them but this is stupid. They see a garage door and use that as justification to enter the home? If they saw something else upon entering they would then use that as evidence.
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