by DENNIS GEISINGER

“When you get up during the night,” Crime Prevention Specialist (CPS) Karen Notsch recommends, “take time to see out the window.” Notsch reported to the 3rd Precinct Advisory Council (3-PAC) at its regular meeting on April 28 that a suspect who had thrown rocks through the windows of several South Minneapolis businesses was arrested with rocks in his vehicle.

What police call “senseless crimes,” which involve broken windows but no thefts, are “difficult to combat,” said 3rd Precinct Police Inspector Lucy Gerold, because no one sees or hears anything. Neighbors talking about these types of crimes often leads to identifying who is doing the deed, Gerold said.
“Good police work,” added Gerold, “starts with immediate calls to 9-1-1. [We] don’ t wait for more information; [we] just get started,” Gerold said.
“A good 9-1-1 call led to a recent arrest,” said CPS Shun Tillman. An officer dispatched to the wrong address noticed someone walking down the street with something square protruding through a plastic bag. Knowing a laptop was missing because of a 9-1-1 burglary call, Officer Dean pursued and arrested the suspect, Tillman told the police advisory group.

Gerold described the arrest of three burglars in March with a combination of the 9-1-1 calls from victims who gave a good suspect description and a license plate ID, and a subsequent “great team effort” by uniformed and plainclothes officers. Responding to a call from the 3000 block of Chicago Avenue South, officers received info that three suspects had broken into a home, robbed its residents at gunpoint and fled by car. A traffic stop led to the arrest of the driver, who was found with property from the burglary in his vehicle, and a foot-pursuit of two others.

One of the suspects—wearing a cream-colored jogging suit—was later seen by two plainclothes officers, who trapped him in a fenced area. A corrections officer later recognized the other burglar, and off-duty officers at the Little Earth housing development observed someone matching his description.
“We can’t solve every problem so we work [together] to reduce problems,” said 3rd Precinct officers. Finding creative solutions to crime problems involves coming up with long-term, consolidated efforts that bring in various city agencies and residents alike, according to crime specialists at the neighborhood level. Identifying a “crime triangle,” say police, addresses the location, the offender and the victim of a crime. Residents who report incidents to CPSs get the appropriate city resources involved so that solutions are “moral, ethical and legal, and within department policy,” said Notsch.

“Block clubs are very important and effective,” Notsch said. “Impact statements (for reporting crime, available at different precinct locations and through the City’s website) do work,” she said, “although the process requires time—sometimes years.”

City License Inspector Richard Tuffs put out a recent warning about door-to-door solicitors.

“Each year I deal with a number of complaints about door-to-door solicitors,” said Tuffs in a statement released near the end of April. “If anyone comes to your door trying to sell you anything or take orders for future delivery, make sure they have a Minneapolis Solicitor’s License,” Tuffs said.

According to the City Licenses and Consumer Services, when you open the door, your first words should be, “Let me see your Minneapolis Solicitor’s License.” Failure to produce one should be met with a sendoff and a 9-1-1 call, says the City. Residents may face great difficulty getting out of contracts signed with an unlicensed solicitor, according to Licenses and Consumer Services, and trying to reach some companies is extremely frustrating.

“Help your neighbor,” said Tuffs. “If they come to your door, take appropriate action,” he said.