I’m not sure who’s stupider: the person who thought up this bizarre program or the guy who left his garage door open and his front door unlocked - enabling any random pervert to waltz in, abduct three small children and make off in the getaway car the homeowner thoughtfully provided.
I left my garage door open one night in Lino Lakes. The police rang my door bell. I closed my garage door and thanked them. They DID NOT walk into the house, waltz upstairs and shine flashlights into my eyes. If they had I probably would have shot them.
OTOH, the cops found a bunch of terrified kids downstairs in an unlocked house who were afraid to go upstairs. Someone nearby had been savagely assaulted under similar circumstances. If I were a cop, little red flags would be popping up in my mind. So you've gotta feel for the cops, as well.
Thank God no one was hurt.
All in all, perhaps a perfect opportunity to revise department policy a little bit and improve training? In other words, live and learn. An upsetting episode, but everyone lived through it and learned something too, hopefully.