Category Archives: Uncategorized

The meeting was called to order at 6:17; 20 attenders
Our speaker was Judge Lisa Janzen, Fourth Judicial District.  After several years as an assistant public defender in the 7th and 1st districts and managing attorney in the 1st District Public Defender’s Office, Judge Janzen requested a rotation into treatment courts because she had a background working in treatment courts as a defender.  Her appointment in Hennepin County Mental Health Court began in January 2020.  She also presides in Veterans Court. That presentation is summarized in Part 1 of this report.It will be released no later than Wednesday.

COURTWATCH presented by Nnamdi Okoronkwo, City Attorney’s Office
UPDATES
Richard Breen had a hearing on Feb. 12, in Restorative Court
Tanner Dewitt has a hearing on 2-21 for felony auto theft

Kelli Durow is charged with misd. trespass and interfere with a Police Officer.  She has been found incompetent and has a May 12 competency hearing

Samuel Haase has a Feb.25 hearing on 3rd degree burglary, but had been doing well.

Johnny Hall is under supervision after conviction.  He’s trying to get back into chemical dependency treatment.

Paula Heille violated probation on 11/19/19 and was sentenced to 180 days, with furlough to treatment after Rule 25 at the workhouse is complete and a bed is available. 

Christian Klockeman had a hearing on Feb.10 for felony threats of violence on 11/11; trespass at U of M on 12/14/19.  There is a note about Vet’s Court.

Joshua Poplawsi was found competent on  Feb.2 and had a Feb. 7 hearing
Kirk Robledo is in Ramsey County workhouse to Feb.29, but had a pretrial hearing on Feb.14 for a trespass on U of M campus

Miles Shaw had a Feb.12 hearing for trespass, possession of drug paraphernalia on U of MN campus; on Feb.18  will have a default hearing.  N.B. 5 incidents on U of MN campus.

Leslie Wade: had a Feb.6 pretrial for  U of MN trespass – is now on warrant status (bench warrant?)

Michael Zaccardi  remains on probation for 3rd degree assault until 4/5/22.  He was convicted for misdemeanor trespass and is on probation for that until 1/31/21.
NO UPDATES OR GOOD NEWS
Heacock was recommitted on Feb. 4; next hearing is Aug.11Spencer Hermes: no updates so is probably doing OK

Cody Horton: no updates so is probably doing OK

James Zaccardi has successfully completed  the terms of probation so far.  There is a comment:  Looks like he graduated from Mental Health Court.   He remains on probation until May 24, 2021 

PRECINCT  REPORT Sgt. Christie Nelson was beaming when she reported that the 2nd Precinct, working with the 4th Precinct, caught the BB gun vandals.  They were in a car and taking random shots at house windows, parked vehicles and other targets including the owner of Wendy’s House of Soul (restaurant).   One shot shattered a car’s side window and drove glass into the face of the woman next to the window.  The story was carried in the Star Tribune the next day.   http://www.startribune.com/four-arrested-in-string-of-bb-gun-shootings-in-north-and-northeast-minneapolis/567744302/
We still want more people to take our brief survey.  It is completely anonymous; we’ll never know who you are.  You can find it here:  https//tinyurl.com/qrlypcu

In March, MPB-PD Chief Jason Ohotto is bringing us an overview and an update.  Chief Ohotto last spoke to us in 2016 when we had a different Mayor, a different Chief of Police, a different Sheriff, and a different Transit Police Chief. 

Our speakers this month were Cathy Perendy and Jeff Starr, the 2nd Precinct Co-Responders Team.
COURTWATCH-  Nnamdi Okoronkwo, Minneapolis Attorney’s Office brought the updates. 

–Samuel Haase had an arraignment on 1-16 for 11-21 trespassing and a pretrial on 1-21 for 4/9 and 4/10 trespassing. 
–Daniel Heacock had a hearing on 1-14, Atty Okoronkwo expects he will be re-committed.
–Spencer Hermes was to be on supervised probation until 5/23/22, but has just been charged with civil trespass at the Uof MN–Cody Horton will be on supervised probation until 12/19/20 after misdemeanor tamper with motor vehicle. 
–Joshua Poplawski was released from the workhouse on 10/30/19 and cited for trespass on 11/7/19 and 12/14/19. Attorney has filed an “Intent to prosecute”; there will be a hearing on Feb 4
            in Mental Health Court. 
–Kirk Robledo has a 2/14/20 pretrial for trespass and for theft (from Target Express).  Ramsey and Washington Counties also have charges against him.–Miles Shaw is being held by the Dept of Corrections, with a release date of 4/20.–Michael Zaccardi had a 1/17/20 hearing about a trespass charge on 10/05/19.
–Johnny Hall has now achieved administrative probation status (meeting conditions)
–Paula Heille is in outpatient treatment.–James Zaccardi is doing well with his mental Health Court agreements; review hearing on 2/4/20.
Five names were proposed to  add to the watch listRichard Breen, 2 new trespass chargesTaner Dewitt, 1 shoplifting and 1 auto theft
Kelli Durrow, 5 trespass charges at the U of MChristian Klockeman, 4 trespass chargesLeslie Wade, 2 trespass charges

PRECINCT REPORT –  Inspector Loining:  Congratulations on the 2nd Precinct Holiday Dinner.  Generosity, sharing, giving and sharing, community building, we had it all.
In 2020, we will emphasize taking care of each other, sharing the road and the streets.  Traffic needs slowing now.  We’re going to be focusing on bike theft especially around the U of MN which has a large percent of thefts from students (not by students).    MPD and UMPD will be working to gain community support and trust. 

Question about Marcy-Holmes shooting:  Answer:  the team gathered all information possible, and there is nothing that can be shared yet. 

From the 2-PAC Board – PAC is looking for attenders from each neighborhood in the Second Precinct.  Cody Hoerning prepared a quickquiz for people to let the board know who is really out there, how many of them know about 2-PAC, and what  safety and security topics they are curious about.  The quiz is absolutely anonymous.   Be a beta-tester and take the quiz at  Tiny URL  https://tinyurl.com/qrlypcu

On February 10, our speaker will be Judge Lisa Jenzen who will explain what she and her colleagues expect from the Specialty Courts, like Mental Health Court that seem to be making a healthy difference to some of the people listed on Courtwatch.  Join us at 1900 Central Ave NE, in the Monroe Village Apartments Community Room.  The doors open at 6PM, call to order at 6:15.

The January 13 Second Precinct Advisory Council was called to order at 6:17, 17 attenders. 

Our presenters were Cathy Perendy and Jeff Starr the MPD Co-Responder team assigned to the Second Precinct. 

In Sept., 2017, a pilot project was launched at the 3rd and 5th Precincts, intended to change interactions between people with mental health issues and MPD first responders.  The scenario the S’Trib reported too often ended with  “[person] taken into custody and transferred to HCJ” —  a response that offered no long term positive outcomes — people were simply housed in HCJ  with no treatment until “a bed could be found”.  It is part of Chief Arradondo’s broadest goal to give people with mental and emotional issues help to find the services they need.  Two years later, the pilot project was successful enough to be granted a line in the city’s 2019 budget insuring permanent support and expansion to all 5 Precincts.  The program was begun in other precincts based on the number of mental health calls logged per precinct.  The Second Precinct program began in June, 2019.

When someone’s actions alarm family or bystanders, when a person’s health professionals feel a person may be heading for crisis, or when a person feels overwhelmed, a 911 call is the quickest way to get the help needed to stop a situation from going any further.  But that is as far as  MPD officers’ training goes. 

Assessing someone’s needs and facilitating their access to the right social services is best handled by trained and experienced Mental Health Professionals (MHP),  like those found in Community Outreach for Psychiatric Emergencies (COPE)  [See an explanation of COPE at www.hennepin.us/mentalhealthcrisis]  Note that there is a separate program called Child Crisis for people age 17 and under.  Services from both programs are available regardless of a person’s ability to pay.  Both programs are available 24/7.  The Cope line is 612-596-1223  and the Child Crisis line is 612-348-2233.    

The Co-Responder Program pairs a Mental Health Professional from COPE with a police officer who is dressed in a “soft uniform”  (dark trousers and a polo shirt) which helps dissipate the tension triggered by sirens, flashing lights and full-uniform police first responders.  After the first responders have declared the situation “safe for civilians”, the Co-Responders arrive in an unmarked official car:  no insignia, no siren, no flashing lights. 

As soon as they arrive, the Co-Responders begin their assessment.  The First Responders leave when everyone agrees they’re not needed.  Possibly the first need is to calm the situation further, so the client feels safe enough to share what was going on.  Possibly a person had not been taking their medications for a while and the officers need to stay longer, in case they’re needed.  The MHP has the training needed to provide a provisional diagnosis,  knows what services are available to meet the immediate needs of the client, and can get the client immediately into the service stream, if that is what is needed.  This is a way for fragile people to “jump the waiting line” and quickly get support — they already have a diagnosis so they’ll have more rapid access to treatment. 

If the MHP determines that a client  is a danger to themselves or others, or if they are not caring for themselves to the extent that the Co-Responders have a concern about the client’s immediate well-being or safety, the MHP can write a “transportation hold’ with the purpose of keeping everyone safe from harm.  A transportation hold means that the person must go to the hospital, but can be transported in the team’s  vehicle.  They can’t leave the hospital until they’ve been assessed by a psychiatrist.  (This is not the same as a “72-hour” hold, which is a different document.)

The MPD “Inside MPD” page on the co-responder program is out of date (as of 1-14-20), but does provide a  statement of intentions. [See https://www.insidempd.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Focusing-on-Procedural-Justice-Internally-and-Externally-2018-5.pdf]     However,  just this month (1/2 issue), the MINNPOST printed an extensive background article — https://www.minnpost.com/metro/2019/01/how-co-responder-teams-are-changing-the-way-minneapolis-police-deal-with-mental-health-calls/elfchg   or tinyurl – https://tinyurl.com/snco6nq
How it works — The 2nd Precinct Co-Responder team is on site Monday-Friday, 10 AM to 6 PM.  (services are available 24/7, see above)  On Monday morning,  the calls received over the weekend are printed off and those suspected of being mental health related are flagged.   Ms Perendy then begins making phone calls to contact the first caller, relatives, neighbors, friends and others to find how if further contact  or assessment is wanted or needed.  She noted that people do express satisfaction that someone is following through — her calls are evidence that the police do care about the client’s well-being.   The team also calls people who have not been taken to a hospital, to find out how things are going for the client and for others.  She leaves her phone number and the COPE number with people the team has contacted.   Note that COPE can provide all the services that the co-responders provide but may call for help if a transport is needed.
Ms Perendy emphasized that people don’t know how many services are out there, or how to contact those services.  She can let people know about those services and put people in touch with them.  Additionally, since Perendy and Starr are in the Precinct, officers have gotten to know them, and officers also have started asking for the co-responder team to show up.    Officer  Starr pointed out that when first responders show up, they’re there to stop an event.  When the C-R team shows up, they introduce themselves make it plain they are there to listen and to understand so they can find and provide help — it reframes the situation.  
QUESTIONS from the floor:  HOW MANY CALLS DO YOU GET?  Number of calls vary day to day and season by season  —  holidays seem to be triggers.   Sometimes a family member or friend can be a bridge, assisting with access and helping a person accept help.  Sometimes, Ms. Perendy will coach a relative  or friend on what to say when they call 911 so they don’t leave out critical information.QUESTION – do people call COPE to “get back to a neighbor” with whom they’re having a dispute?  The person (COPE or Co-Responder) answering the call will steer the conversation back to the person who is being reported.  They determine what the relationship is between the caller and the target, and what is actually going on.  If someone seems to be at risk due to mental health issues (of either party)  Cope or the Co-Responder will follow through as it seems appropriate.
OPIOIDS AND Other drugs – If there has been an overdose, that person needs to get to a hospital.  There isn’t as much a mental health professional can do until the person is out of danger.  The team can follow up and offer treatment, and leave follow up information, but the person needs to accept help.    She will try to contact after the incident. 
QUESTION – Are persons from other cultures more resistant to accepting help.  ANSWER — That has been true in the past, but Ms. Perenty believes that has started to change.  They are beginning to have cross-cultural conversations.   Every culture promotes family, love, belonging, wanting to help. 
MORE QUESTIONS??  Send them to Emilie who will forward them to Ms Perendy and Officer Starr.  [e-quas@tc.umn.edu]I have the info handout on COPE and CHILDCRISIS and will get you a copy if you contact me at the above email address.  Please don’t just reply to this mail.

COURTWATCH:  Sandra Filardo, Hennepin Cty Atty’s Office and Nnamdi Okoronkwo, Minneapolis Atty’s Office reporting: 

UPDATES
–Samuel Haase has a pre-trial hearing on January 21 on his trespassing charge. 
–Daniel Heacock  was recommitted on July 19 but is no longer in custody and has a hearing on January 14 to see if he is now competent to stand trial. 
–Paula Heile committed a probation violation and will be in the workhouse until March 17; she can get a furlough for treatment  when a bed is available. 
–Cody Horton  had a review hearing in December 12, but seems to be meeting probation rules. 
–Joshua Poplawski was released from the workhouse on 10/30, but picked up on 11/07 for trespass and has a January 7 arraignment. 
–Kirk Robledo has an arraignment on Feb 4 for his theft from Target Express in Dinkytown; he has been sent to treatment. 
–Miles Shaw is in custody of the Dept of Corrections and his release date is Apr.20, 2020. 
–Michael Zaccardi was found trespassing on a construction site on October 5; his arraignment was on Dec. 10.

–Johnny Hall  remains on probation until 9/21/20, but has zero updates, meaning he is meeting the conditions of probation.   
–Spencer Hermes will be on supervised probation until May 23, 2022.  
–James Zaccardi  has been doing well in MHC treatment and has a review hearing on January 7, 2020.

THEFT PREVENTION OVER THE HOLIDAYS:
CPS Rashid Ali offered some strategies for preventing package theft.  It seems like some package thieves are following the delivery trucks, BUT  Amazon offers lockers in many locations around the Metro.  I tried this and the one most convenient for me is in Rosedale.  Here’s the link for you https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_200689010_findlocker?nodeId=201117850
UPS – https://www.ups.com/us/en/services/individual-shipper/ups-access-point-deliveries.page
and, USPS – https://gopost.usps.com/go/EPLAction!input
Spread the word!

More convenient yet —   A block club leader who works from home has a standing arrangement with members of her block club.  She accepts deliveries at her home for her neighbors and notifies them when a package arrives.
Inspector Loining asked people to (of course) make sure the house/garage/car are locked up over holidays and every day.  He added that if you will be out of town for a holiday trip,  you can register your home at the Precinct.  You’ll be asked if you have any regular visitors (like pet sitters), if you have lights that are on auto and if so, when they are timed to go on and off.  Do you know your neighbors and are they people you’ll be trusting with a key.  The idea is that a squad on patrol will have a  “empty house check” note so the officers will  drive past to see if all is as you have written.
The meeting adjourned.  People involved in the December 24 dinner stayed to check progress (and it looked pretty good so far)
Emilie Quast, Board MemberMPD Second Precinct Advisory Council

e-quas@tc.umn.edu

Call to order at 6:15.  20 attenders
The Minneapolis Vision Zero Action Plan was 2-PAC’s topic this month.  Ethan Fawley, the coordinator for the VZAP was joined by MPD Deputy Chief Erick Fors, who is a principal in shaping the plan and dealing with traffic safety efforts.  Second Precinct Inspector Loining added details specific to the Second Precinct.

The Vision Zero Action Plan has a goal of eliminating traffic deaths and severe injuries on Minneapolis streets by 2027.  An average of 95 people were killed or had life-altering injuries every year in Minneapolis from 2007 to 2016.   Fawley emphasized, it’s important for us to remember that those statistics represent real people–people whose lives were ended or severely altered on our streets. 

For a long time, Minneapolis was safer than Minnesota as a whole, and safer than many large cities in our country.  That is starting to change as other cities take action against traffic injury and death.  If we compare the Minneapolis rate against New York City, we now have more deaths per thousand than NYC.  New York was the first to adopt the strategies we will use in the VZAP, which led to significantly lower crash rates than Minneapolis has.  They adopted their plan five years ago; last year they had fewer traffic deaths than they’ve ever had since 1912, which is when they began recording that statistic.

Comparing crashes in our own city:  crashes occur more often in neighborhoods where more people are Native Americans, or have lower incomes, or are walking or bicycling. 1% of our population produces 9% of our traffic deaths.  People walking and people biking are over-represented in crashes.  Surveying people across Minneapolis, the study found that people want this situation to improve, and they know what they want the city to improve on.  They want to slow down traffic speed and have existing laws enforced.  They expressed interest in how the city will build a culture change that promotes safety.  The final grouping is summarized below.
The team defined four guiding principles:1) Human life and safety come first.  One death on a Minneapolis street is too many.2) Equity  – Foundational to the plan is that the social disparities that increase the number and severity of crashes must be eliminated.  These disparities are easily mapped, and the maps clearly point to racial,  economic and allied disparities.  All people deserve fair and just opportunities  and out comes.  People want to trust the systems which are in place for protection.
3) Data-driven –  Vision Zero strategies and actions will be developed from relevant data, based on recognized best practices, and responsive to community experiences and input.  The team will work to improve the data they have and to recognize its gaps, and fill them.
4) Accountability – The team will set clear objectives and report on them; team members will work for transparency and will seek community engagement.  They will collaborate with community members and agency partners to develop and implement Vision Zero.  The currently proposed methods and mode will be adapted to change as needed. This is a foundation of community trust.

The team identified strategies and actions to improve traffic safety.  They defined four systems –
— Safe Streets – They will use street design, infrastructure and operations to improve traffic safety–Safe People – They will support and encourage safe human behavior–Safe Vehicles – They will regulate vehicle fleets for safety, including scooters, cabs, Uber and other on-call or rental rides.
–Safety data – They will develop and use data-driven approaches to Vision Zero, ensuring accountability for progress toward goals
The Vision Zero Action Plan includes 16 strategies and 68 actions to be implemented between 2020 and 2022 — the three year plan.    The early focus areas are
1) REDUCE SPEED LIMITS – Lower traffic speeds save lives by reducing the chance of a crash and by making it less likely that a crash will be deadly.  All Minnesota cities can now control speed limits on city-owned streets.  Minneapolis is now taking  steps to lower speed limits on most City streets — this will roll out in 2020.2) MAKE SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS ON HIGH INJURY STREETS – A startling statistic:  70% of severe and fatal crashes happen on just 9% of City streets.  (See the High Injury Streets map in the online report, URL is below.)   These streets will first receive “safety treatments” including 4-to-3 lane conversions, painting turn lanes (can reduce crashes by as much as 36%, and it’s just paint), pedestrian medians, bump-outs, and others.  Ballard installations are also low cost, easy to install and remove, and we can study placement and effectiveness over time.  The improvement work will be in partnership with Hennepin County.
3) ADDRESS LEADING UNSAFE BEHAVIORS – The 5 behaviors that produce the most severe and fatal injuries are Driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, Distracted driving, Speeding, Red light running, Unsafe turning (usually failure to yield).    These behaviors will be addressed through education, communications and enforcement actions.  The recent “hands free” push is an example of this re-training program.4) SEEK TO IMPLEMENT AUTOMATED TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT – Citizens have reported they want more effective traffic enforcement and are worried about inequities in enforcement.    In other cities, automated enforcement has proven effective in saving lives and frees up officer time for other duties.  Minneapolis will seek authority from the Legislature to use camera enforcement of laws while studying how to use it effectively and equitably.  (A previous trial in 2005 had to be stopped because the Supreme Court found that Minneapolis did not have the authority to use camera enforcement at that time.  Agencies are now working to get the right legislation in place.)

This three year plan went to the City Council on December 13.

Points to think about – Minneapolis has 114 miles of High Injury streets, BUT  only 46 miles of those streets are owned by Minneapolis (and so under MPD control).  48 miles are owned by Hennepin County and 19 are MnDOT-owned.  Minneapolis will work with the County and MnDOT to make improvements to all high-injury streets.  44% of High Injury Streets are in areas of concentrated poverty, but those areas are only 24% of the total streets in the city.
The full report (so far) is at https://www.visionzerompls.com/?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=For the map referred to in this 2-PAC report, focus area 2, “Make Safety Improvements on High Injury Streets”, click on the “Safety Data” on the tab at the top.  Then scroll down; there are a number of other startling statistics on that page.  Included are charts that point out racial disparities in traffic deaths, car speed as a driver of injury, crash concentration by neighborhood.  You can also click through to the links to full reports on Pedestrian Crashes and Bicycle-vehicle crashes.  These reports include comparisons with national data, sitemaps and a lot more.

Deputy Chief Fors continued the report —

Traffic enforcement is generally run by the local precincts.  The MPD has a city-wide Traffic Investigations Unit consisting of 4 Sergeants and a DWI  Enforcement Officer.  The unit used to be larger with a number of officers running radar and other practices, but over time, the officers got reassigned to the Precincts to meet Precinct-focused needs.  We’re raising the question again about a Traffic Enforcement Unit.  It’s still to be determined if we can bring that back.  If so, that would be the unit the MPD would use to enforce the changes brought by the Vision Zero campaign. 

There is an ongoing discussion about racial disparities in traffic stops.  If we have an area with lots of crime, we put more officers in those areas.  Because we’re still lacking a city-wide traffic unit, it’s the Precinct officers who must respond to traffic issues. 

The crash study 10-years of crash data show where those accidents are.  Gathered evidence points to the most-likely causes of those accidents.  What is it we are seeing at those dangerous intersections?  Because it’s data-driven, we can report that at “this” intersection, we see a lot of “this behavior” because of “this factor”.  That is the reason we put officers in that area.  Hopefully, we can start to talk to people, educate them, and, if necessary, issue citations.  People feel comfortable with knowing how we use this data.  We are not arbitrarily picking on places; we can show we are deploying our officers in response to data.  We know there is some distrust out there, but we are following the data. 

Inspector Loining presented Second Precinct use of data.  We do have an officer on daywatch who has an interest in doing more traffic education and enforcement.  We pick our areas by time of the day.  The Hennepin Avenue Bridge has been a watch spot since business owners and home owners along East Hennepin started reporting excessive speeding. Some speeders coming off the Bridge (fortunately not many) have been clocked at 65 mph!  At any time of day we have citizens out walking, kids, people who can’t walk too fast, bikers, and it’s highly dangerous spot.  When we get complaints from citizens we follow up and work to be responsive. 

Another spot that got close attention is the area at 22nd and Stinson, rolling all the way down past the Quarry.  Again, this was dangerous speeding.  We’ve run the Speedwagon with a squad parked nearby, which always slows traffic down and that enhances safety.  QUESTION about alcohol detection.  ANSWER  Alcohol you can smell. We have a number of officers who are certified in detecting other chemicals. 

Another question about automated enforcement:  Minneapolis Police Dept. is working with other agencies across the state (including the Inter-Governmental Affairs Staff)  to present a strong case to the State Legislature to get a good law written.  37 other states in the U.S. have these laws in place so we are not opening new territory.  People might know that a certain spot is a speed trap, and if they don’t see a squad car, they will do what they want.  But if a camera is there, filming the behavior, people are more likely to drive well.  The goal is to change behavior, not to issue a lot of tickets.  Changing behavior is what improves safety for everyone. 

For now, keep reporting to 311; all reports are logged and examined.  You can also report through the Vision Zero website click on the “Get Involved” tab, a reporting site is the second option on that page.

—
Emilie Quast, board member
MPD Second Precinct Advisory Council (2-PAC)
Minneapolis MN 55418
e-quas@tc.umn.edu

COURTWATCH  –  Briefing from Nnamdi Okoronkwo, Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office
Samuel Hasse had a hearing in Restorative Court on Nov. 13 (one day after PAC) and we’ll hear the outcome in December.  Daniel Heacock was recommitted on July 19 and is now waiting for his next hearing on January 14.  Paula Heile got her bench warrant cleared on Oct. 1 and had her probation violation hearing on Nov. 11; another update we’ll get in December.   Cody Horton moved to St. Cloud; we voted to take him off the Courtwatch list, but the next day Mr. Okoronkwo learned that Horton has a new case in the 2nd Pct and was again in custody.  Kirk Robledo had a court date on Nov. 13.  James Zaccardi has a review hearing on Nov. 26;  we have not heard of any new cases for him, which puts him in the success column — he’s responding well to frequent meetings with his case workers.  Michael Zaccardi was found trespassing at a construction site at 13xx & Marshall St. NE in October and has an arraignment on Dec. 10. Inspector Loining commented that these brothers have been considered chronic offenders.

Johnny Hall remains on probation until 9-17-20 but is doing well there (no updates).  Spencer Hermes remains under court supervision through May 23, 2022 but has no updates.  Joshua Poplawski was released from the workhouse on Oct. 30 and remains on probation to 8/27/20.  Miles Shaw is being held by the DOC; release date is 4/20/20. 

PRECINCT REPORT – Officer Nelson reporting.  Seasonal warning first – When you are warming up your car, make sure you use your app so it can’t get stolen.  Also, don’t put anything valuable in the car where if can be seen; it  might trigger a quick grab by someone.  

[QUESTION: is warming up a car a violation of city ordinance?  Answer:  it is on the books.  When there were a lot more “warming up” cars getting stolen, officers were told to not investigate but just send the owner a ticket for “open ignition”. They WOULD get a report number for their insurance claim.  MPD was spending too many man-hours on this crime and the numbers had to be crushed.  Additionally, if your car gets stolen this way and ends up in a wreck, your insurance will cover you (but read your contract).  The difference right now is that if a car is left running but is on private property, it won’t get a ticket.  A gas station IS private property so if someone leaves his car running outside the Holiday Station to grab a doughnut, he won’t get a ticket;  if the car is left running on the street in front of the house, it gets a ticket.    There is no need to ever let that happen.  The car might be chilly for three blocks, and that’s about it.  There is an app to help with that — if you leave the car running and just tap the break, the motor will kill.  If you have a spare and  lock the keys in the car, know that is no protection.  Someone who wants the car can be in it in under 30 seconds without breaking a window..
Inspector Loining:  auto theft is up all over the city; they may be higher than they ever have been,  especially older Hondas (’97-02) which can be turned on with a shaved key.  The trouble doesn’t just start with the loss of your car.  If someone takes it and you report it, it will appear in the computer.  As officers are driving around, they spend time “running plates” to see if those plates have been stolen.  If  the number comes up, they will attempt to recover the vehicle, so now you have a chase situation.  If a subject does not want to be caught, they accelerate and we have a public safety issue.  The problem is now worse.  Thanks to Chief Arradondo, for the most part MPD is not chasing stolen vehicles, but there is always increased danger to the public and to the officers.  Safety is the first consideration city-wide and in especially in the 2nd Precinct.  Even if they don’t get chased in Mpls, they may be taken to a different city where the officers have different guidelines and then danger to the public goes up again.  The biggest message to take away is the hazard  this creates.    The overarching guideline of the MPD is safety for the public and for officers.

There are some handouts about running cars that we can distribute.  Contact Nick to get some.  

Another important point:  We hear a lot of “Give ’em a ticket!  Give em a ticket!”  A good point to remember is that officers have discretion if they will charge or not.  If an officer sees that someone has  been victimized, they need their car to get to work, they need their job and their paycheck, they’re working extra jobs to support their family, that officer doesn’t want to add to the stress.   

NEIGHBORHOODS REPORT – Stinson Pkwy:  Thank you to the Precinct for helping with the speed issue on Stinson Pkwy.  People have been commenting on Facebook  but the complaints have been met with positive statements. 

–  Traffic is increasing a lot, including more large truck traffic on 37th Ave.  The neighborhood is concerned because there is a lot of construction next year, and neighbors want to get a handle on this before the construction makes things worse.    Inspector Loining replied with a thanks for the report and the neighbors will be seeing some extra traffic control on 37th.

–  In SE bikes and scooters (the rentals) are being just dropped all over.  It’s not unusual to see a sidewalk effectively blocked by 3 or 4 scooters so you have trouble walking past them if you have a dog on a leash, are pushing a stroller,r using crutches or  a wheelchair or just carrying multiple bags from the grocery store.  Just as bad is construction vehicles, bobcats and more using residential streets to back up and turn around.    Inspector Loining pointed out that increasing housing density is making life more difficult for everyone. 

We closed with a round of applause for Linnea Tweed and the officers who explained events and protocol. 

The meeting was called to order at 6:15   17 attenders

Linnea Tweed, Director of Vital Living Program  from East Side Neighborhood Services talked about some of the services available to help Eastsiders age in place. 

East Side Neighborhood Services is a centerpiece of  NE Minneapolis.  It’s been serving the East Side for over 100 years.  It continues to be a place where people find support to solve immediate needs or to engage strategies to achieve self-sufficiency and stability. They have broadened their territory recently and  now offer services  in 46 locations across Hennepin County.   ESNS offers programs for people from 6 weeks old to the end of life.   Children receive education that targets Kindergarten readiness, young people develop the skills and social responsibility  that they need to succeed in school and life, and adults of all ages make connections that support health and holistic well-being.

Vision Statement:  Every person thrives and every voice matters.  One of the ESNS strategic priorities is to build an interrgenerational community that values and respects everyone, increases understanding and engagement, and focuses on health and well-being for all generations. This is something we’ve started reframing; it is actually a family project   It’s based on the concept that everyone is aging.  Because aging affects everyone if should be looked at from an intergenerational lens.  

The Vital Living Program creates access to community-based  services for older adults.  Among its goals are to preserve  individual choice and control; to identify and stabilize risk factors; to connect older adults to services and resources; to extend community living and maintain quality of life;  to increase social engagement and reduce social isolation. 

Looking at the statistics,  87% of adults 65 and over  want to stay in their home and community.  Maintaining one’s social and physical health is something all of us can do to meet that goal.  Social connections play an important role in health and can decrease the risk of death by at least 50%; falls are a leading cause of fatal injury and a common cause of non-fatal trauma leading to hospital admissions among older adults;  about  80% of older adults have at least one chronic condition and at least 68% have 2 or more, creating a burden for individuals and for the healthcare system. 

How does the Vital Living Program supports its goals?  It works to develop, expand, and sustain services that are critical to maintain community living for older adults and their caregivers.  We work to grow partnerships with housing providers  to expand healthy aging programs in residential communities.  We work with other programs to develop intergenerational programming.  Ms. Tweed and a colleague have presented programs in the Monroe Village Apartments and at other buildings that have larger numbers of residents over age 65 including a popular program, “A Matter of Balance”,  a story-sharing program, exercise classes,  and disease self-management classes.   Because transportation can be an issue, ESNS brings programs out into the community, but ESNS can also provide transportation to the central building from Southeast, Northeast and Near North neighborhoods.

The “Juniper” flyer lists 9 evidence based classes developed to connect people with neighbors, to build confidence, and to increase people’s ability to live a full and healthy life.   [QUESTION – What is an “evidence-based” class?   ANSWER –   it is a class that has been developed, usually by a University or a research agency.  They use testing to determine what impact a class or exercise actually produces — the criteria are stringent — the simplest explanation that they measure what someone’s targeted ability was when they started the class and if (or how much) that changed by the end.]  Attendees of the Juniper courses will learn methods to live well despite health challenges,  to get more exercise, and to have support for managing chronic health issues.

“Vital Living with East Side” is a flyer on help for caregivers  – An  ESNS program, NE Day Spot is a safe and fun place where the person who needs assistance can make new friends and take part in activities while their caregiver has a temporary respite to handle personal errands or just have some private down-time. At the same time, the program provides a social opportunity for the person who needs assistance. Seeing only the same person day after day is a source of stress.  NE Day Spot is open every Friday from 10 am to 2 pm, pre-assessment is required.  There is also a support group for caregivers that meets every 3rd Friday of the month, 10-11:30am, which is the same time as a NE Day Spot session.

Additional programs include intergenerational engagement opportunities.  We are pulling some young people in with older adults working on activities and  projects together.   

Linnea shared a few items from future presentation by the Minnesota Leadership Council on Aging for its 2019 Summit where an important topic will be state funding for long term services.  It’s not good news.  Right now the funding is Medicare and Medical assistance;  to get that, you must be a Minnesota resident, have a Social Security Number, and meet some other criteria.  We’re finding that lower income people have financial support through Medicade, while upper income people have enough money of their own to afford the programs.  It’s the middle income people who are struggling to get this kind of help.  [With a nod to Jim Drake of Southeast Seniors who attended]  That is what makes programs like Southeast Seniors so important — they are sources of help for middle income people.

The Minnesota Council on Foundations reports that only 00.8% of private philanthropy is designated for  aging services.  Right now ,people are more interested in investing in an 8 year old than in an 80 years old.  That can be looked at as failing to support previous investments.  People also look at investing in social services from the Return On Investment (ROI) lens and often believe that youth investments promise a higher ROI. 

Minnesota Gerontological Society has monthly webinars on various topics.  This month’s was on home modification, learning the difference between “accessible” and “universal home design” and related topics.  It looked at finances: how much should one consider investing in a home to make it accessible?  Does a plan or design make financial sense?  To know how to make those decisions, whether  or not to invest in your current home.  Handouts are being developed by Lifetime Home Project in St. Paul, including resources, financial planning and more.  This will be on the Lifetime Home Project website early next year. 

On December 11, Minnesota Leadership Council on Aging is holding a summit  sponsored by AARP and others to engage in information exchange and action planning around an Age-Friendly Minnesota.  One question being looked at is: How we can utilize current best-practices to develop a statewide plan.   

Ms Tweed  learned from working with Mill City Commons (a community which is based on the “Village” model started in Boston) that health programs work best in “community” — people living in community developed social networks that attracted more people wanting to be part of that network.  [Another shoutout to Southeast Seniors for developing an amazing program.]  Although it doesn’t have a Block Nurse program as Southeast Seniors has, Northeast Seniors does have a very good program located in Columbia Heights serving that suburb and NE Minneapolis. 

For more information about ESNS, go to www.esns.org  at the top, find the “Our Programs” and click on that, then scroll down to Older Adults    Some insurance companies are supporting some of the healthy aging programs.  Right now, BCBS and Health Partners are reimbursing East Side for some of the costs.  They see the programs as preventive care.

Questions:  Snow shoveling:  heard on the street is that those services are filled up.  How can we provide that service for more people?  Linnea:  great question but I don’t have a great answer.  There is  “Senior Community Services” which provides chore services like snow shoveling, light housekeeping, yard services in Northeast.  They are not taking new clients because they don’t have enough shovelers.  When volunteer shovelers weren’t enough, they started paying people $15 an hour and still couldn’t get enough people.  They worked with schools trying to tie into programs that are offered in the schools, but have to be really creative about providing transportation and so on.    Many youth in the ESNS programs don’t have cars, and their families may not have stable housing. Some kids have not lived in a house, so do not know how to care for one. 
QUESTION  we have had a person who was slipping cognitively.  She has  family nearby, but her friends didn’t know the family, and didn’t know whom to call to discuss the situation.  ANSWER  Right now, if you are concerned about a person’s safety, know that it doesn’t matter if your concern is about hoarding, self-neglect, neglect by others, OR actual abuse by someone, report what you’ve seen by phoning MINNESOTA ADULT ABUSE  REPORTING CENTER at 1-844-880-1574

This switchboard is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Know that  Minnesota encourages good faith reporting of suspected maltreatment by any person, including self neglect.  Your name will never be revealed, but you will have the assurance that someone who has special training and  understands this kind of situation will make contact for a meeting and do some level of assessment.  The person you are concerned about will have the freedom to decline assistance as long as a situation doesn’t violate health rules. 

[EQ:  I have copies of the “Juniper” flyer and the “Vital Living with East Side” to share.  Contact me for copies.  Ms Tweed also left me a 2-page list of publications about “aging in place”.  Some  are from AARP, ASSIST and other organizations and all of them are available through your public library.]

Our speaker this month was Jason Matlock, Director of Operational and Security Services for Minneapolis Public Schools.  You’ll find the report on his presentation in Part 1 of this report.
COURTWATCH:  Sandra Filardo, Hennepin County Attorney’s Office reporting with input from Holly Ihrke, Parole Officer
–Samuel Haase is a person who is known to have mental health issues; he was held at HCMC on a disorderly conduct complaint, received an amended sentence and was released to treatment in July; he has a hearing in Restorative Court on 11/6 but a pretrial meeting on the same day for another charge.
–Daniel Heacock was found incompetent on 5/23, had a new hearing on 7/19 and was recommitted; he has a hearing on 1/14/20. 
–Paula Heille cleared her Bench warrant on 10/1 and has a probation violation hearing on 11/18; she is out on conditional release.–Kirk Robledo is in custody in Ramsey County Jail and has pled to 5th degree drug possession and 3rd degree Burglary on 9/25–Miles Shaw is in custody in Ramsey County Jail and has a11/6 arraignment; he has 2 outstanding bench warrants.

No updates:  Johnny Bernard Hall; Spencer Hermes; Cody Horton is doing well in Mental Health Court and has a review hearing on 10/24;  Joshua Poplawski is in the workhouse to 10/30 and will be furloughed to housing when that is available but remains on probation  until 5/15/21;   James Zaccardi has no updates, so apparently is doing well in treatment;   review hearing on 10/15;  Michael Zaccardi has no updates.
Removed from the monthly watch: Jonell Butler, who is in custody  of the DOC, expected release 10/29/29 with parole conditions until 5/8/35.  He was charged with 2 1st Degree Agg. Robbery and 1 1st  Degree assault and was convicted on all three charges.
PRECINCT REPORT:  Lt. Nelson  reminded us that the Recruit Draft has been held and 5 recruits are coming to the 2nd Precinct.  We may be seeing some shifts in personnel: in addition to the incoming recruits,  the MPD is having a shift bid which is seniority-based.
Sgt. Carter successfully served two warrants this month.  One resulted in the recovery of $9000 and drugs including oxicontin and meth at an address on 20th Ave NE.  A second warrant at 2112 Como Ave SE recovered more meth. 
The leading crime in the Second Precinct remains theft from motor vehicles, especially theft of electronics.  If you want to keep your electronics, take them with you. 

We’ve also seen a rise in burglaries, which happens every fall,  as people, especially students, move into the neighborhood — people don’t think about securing their gear or their apartments, and don’t know who their neighbors actually are. 
Finally there has been an uptick in domestic assault. 

ANNOUNCEMENT: In November, Linnea Tweed from Eastside Neighborhood Services will our speaker:  I’ve asked her to present information about  low cost services that can help neighbors successfully “age in place”.  This will be information that officers, neighbors, friends and family can use to keep East Side residents home and healthy.

IMPORTANT DATE CHANGE:  Our November meeting will be on November 12, that is Tuesday!  not Monday.  In December, we’ll return to the 2nd Monday of the month, our regular day to meet.
We remain at 1900 Central Ave NE, the Monroe Village Apartments Community Room.  Doors open at 6PM.

The meeting was called to order at 6:15.  Because of the holiday, city employees were off;  we had 10 attenders.

Our speaker was Jason Matlock, Director or Emergency Management, Safety & Security for the Minneapolis Public Schools.  His department is responsible for outreach, security, and emergency response in the schools. 

(EQ: The MPD statement of expectations from the MPS – EMSS can be found here:  http://www.minneapolismn.gov/police/about/sp/WCMS1P-131412   I believe this directive and the EMSS mission statement below are a direct rebuttal to the complaints in 2007 that some school safety officers were too quick to see students as delinquent with no attempt to pull them out of that behavior)

The mission statement of the department reads: “We are committed to safe, welcoming learning and work environments for everyone in the Minneapolis Public Schools.

To explain the Mission Statement, Mr. Matlock referenced Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, in order: physiological, safety, social, esteem, self-actualization.  (EQ: for a quick overview:  https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html)

Maslow’s theory posits, until a person has satisfied a lower level  need, he or she can’t successfully satisfy the next level.  Assuming  a person’s physical needs have been met, school environment must present as a place of safety where students are welcome, so that they can integrate themselves in the school society.

Safety in the schools is modeled on the “4 R’s”: Relationships (the basis of security), then Readiness, R.E.A.C.T., and Recover.  R.E.A.C.T. is a protocol for handling situations.  It stands for React, Evaluate, Act, Communicate, Take Inventory.  Staff are trained to readiness so they can REACT, and then help the school members recover equilibrium. 

Every building has an inventory of “assets” starting with the Principal and Assistant principal, the staff on a site who are trained in security and behavior, the site specific emergency plan and emergency team, on site cameras and door buzzers, and training people onsite in emergency drills and lockdown procedures  specific to the particular school. 

There are four basic emergency procedures taught:

1) Lockout for when a potential threat is outside the building (CODE YELLOW),

2) Lockdown, when a threat is inside the building (CODE RED)

3) Evacuation

4) Hold in place

The School Resource Officers have been in Minneapolis Public Schools for almost 60 years.  The current team includes 14 officers, a sergeant, a lieutenant, and a Safety Patrol agent.    These officers’ have two important roles: to serve as mentors for students, staff and community, and to intervene when they identify students moving into delinquency.  They are also the on-site connection to the Police Dept. if a threat was to cause a lockout or lockdown.

Mentoring the students is a primary role for officers.  Mr. Matlock is focused on creating a positive “School Climate”, the quality and character of school life.  This is the basis of Maslow’s “Social Step” referenced above, and is a basis for a successful school career.  Many things can negatively impact a school’s climate, some outside the school (neighborhood issues, bus schedules, gangs,  overcrowding), some inside the school (understaffing, physical heat/cold issues, vandalism, lockdowns), and some come with the student (family impact, mental health issues, truancy).  Officers receive training to help them recognize how youth may express issues, how to recognize the issues for what they are, how to deal with a student who may be overwhelmed, acting out, or have something else going on.  One of these programs is called “Trauma Informed Practices”

Additionally, Mr. Matlock promotes restorative practices when working with a student who  is acting out.  Restorative practices give a student a chance to make a positive impact, an important step in building a sense of self-worth and membership in the group.  (EQ:  I asked for more detail.)  Mr Matlock replied that the MPS has a restorative practices program, and a student can be admitted to that program,   MPS also has connections to the Restorative Justice that we heard about at 2-PAC two years ago.  If an SRO is involved with a student who is acting out, the student may be referred to that program instead of the schools’ RJ program.   (You can read the 2-PAC report on Minneapolis Restorative Justice program here:  https://courtwatch2pac.com/2017/10/26/october-2-pac-report-restorative-justice/    )

Mr. Matlock left me several copies of “MPS Emergency management Safety & Security: A Parent’s Guide to What We Do”   This four page hand out covers the items above, some in greater detail than these notes provide.   Contact me at e-quas@tc.umn.edu for a copy)

Emilie Quast, board member

MPD Second Precinct PAC

Minneapolis MN 55418

The meeting was called to order at 6:15 by Emilie Quast.  19 attenders
2-PAC has a new parole officer!  Welcome Holly Ihrke, Hennepin County Probation Officer assigned to the 2nd Precinct.*

Our speaker is Sgt. Jose Gomez.  Sgt. Gomez has been in the MPD for 25 years.  He started at the 2nd Precinct in 1995.  4 years later he moved to Narcotics and Gang Investigations where he worked for 15 years.  After a promotion, he became a street supervisor, and then went to Internal Affairs (investigating other officers) — a very difficult job.  It was, however, the assignment that led to the Community Engagement Team — clearly, a job he enjoys.

Sgt Gomez leads the Community Engagement Team to meet its assigned missions: 

• To work to build trust and strong relationships with the  many ethnic communities in Minneapolis.  
• To help with more complex cases such as those in which there is a language barrier.
• To be available to community members who want to offer information they don’t want to share with regular officers or investigators.

Additional stated missions include presenting at citizen academies, community lectures and focus groups; offering training programs (dealing with violent extremism); recruiting youth to join the Police Activities League and the Police Explorers Program; assisting recruitment officers to attract candidates who will reflect Minneapolis culture. 

The CET’s primary function is to build trust with the community.  We’re all aware that our city is multi-cultural.  The CET has officers who are familiar with certain cultures, who can meet people and talk with them, including Native American, Latinex, SE Asian, African-American, East African, LGBTQ (the only civilian). There is a youth engagement officer, and an officer who understands the needs of the MPHA (public housing) community and who works with people who have mental health needs.  Officers do get moved out as they are needed on the street to answer high priority calls.  They don’t always get replaced right away.  Other will shift in to see if the CET is a good fit for them.

When a block or a neighborhood is the scene of a trauma, it’s the CET’s mission to show up (probably in the ice cream truck), engage and assure the kids that the MPD cares a lot about them.  Then they go door knocking and start talking to the adults in the surrounding homes.  At most stops, they get a variety of responses, ranging from people who are very worried about the incident to people who actually didn’t hear about it.  Either way, the purpose is to start talking with people, be open to conversations, offer facts to combat rumor, and to make friends.

The Community Engagement Team offers a number of regular events.
The most frequent is the Bike Cops for Kids weekly report that shows up Thursday mornings on email feeds, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.  The BCFK report shows about a dozen new pictures of the Bike Cop team, taken that week, all around the city, handing out  ice cream and freezies in hot weather, winter gloves at school bus stops on cold mornings, basketballs, footballs (and now: soccer balls) and bike helmets any place they are needed.  This program is funded by donations of goods from Children’s Hospitals, grocery stores, and a lot of other organizations and individuals around the city. (Fact: even the ice cream truck was donated.)  It’s a constant good will presence in Minneapolis, year around.  Information about signing up to get this report is at the bottom of this page.  

Parks Programs: The CET throws a BBQ in the Parks at 3 or 4 locations around town every year.  The partner in this event is the St. Paul Police Foundation, thanks to members of the Campion family.  They get other MPD teams like the K-9s, the bomb squad truck, and other teams to add to the show.

Take Back the Parks:  officers discovered that people in some neighborhoods, day care places were afraid to walk their children across the street and into the park for recess because gang bangers had started hanging out there.  When the CET heard about this, they started just showing up just one random day a week.  When they did that, the gang bangers just dispersed and the officers could play with the kids as long as needed. 

The CET signs up to serve dinners at House of Charity once a week, just working the service line until everyone has food, and then staying to talk to people.  As they got to know people, they realized that some had chronic  issues like addiction, mental health issues or other problems.  When something goes wrong, the team has the background to offer a positive response.  There is a special care clinic across the street.  If the problem seems to need it, and if the person agrees, the CET can walk the person across the street and help them get the care they need. 

Other occasional events include “Chat with the Chief” (Chief Arradondo at various small businesses across town), visits to the Ronald McDonald House once a month, and more. 

They’ve created a “See Something, Say Something” and presented it to over 15,000 people at events.

About twice a month, 5 of the  team travel down to the Red Wing Youth Correctional Facility.  The population of this place is about 80% from Hennepin County, and most of those are from Minneapolis.  Youth who enter this program start at level 1, as they meet expectations, they move up.  When they’ve reached level 5, they are almost ready to move out; those are the boys the team focuses on. 

Too many of these boys have no  home or (if they have a home) no support at home, no extended family, no mentoring adult in their lives, and no way of figuring out a plan for their future.  Being alone makes you vulnerable, so many of these boys turn or turn back to gangs for support.  That choice is likely to get them back in Red Wing, which has a high recidivism statistic (72%!)  The CET offers to be  a positive resource for them.  The officers get to know the boys personally before they are released.  Every boy knows how to contact a member of the team.  If they call, the officers will meet, offer lunch, just talk, find solutions to their problems, maybe help them find a job, try to help them keep their focus on creating a future. 

Chief Arradono and the MPD has gathered department-wide resources under an umbrella called Procedural Justice.  The CET is part of this drive, and so can more quickly move boys into programs they can use.  [EQ: More information at https://www.insidempd.com/focusing-on-procedural-justice/]  
[EQ:  To follow this team,  send an email to “Sergeant Gomez” – Jose.Gomez@minneapolismn.gov – OR  “Officer Mike”  – Michael.Kirchen@minneapolismn.gov  –  and they’ll add you to the mailing list of your choice: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, email.    OR,  you can follow the  BCFK story on the MPD page:  https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?shva=1#search/bike+cops/FMfcgxwDrHpMwXRMHpVtHTKGMnxtjhXr?compose=DmwnWrRnZFHkDCnRpRmCDfrhdGJxhMvZVKHzJSCtSnQVFvqXvlGhqVRpjKBnlHRVpCKGCsWWJWVG   or the Facebook site https://www.facebook.com/bikecopsforkids/

*This is Ms Ihrke’s correct title — a previous report named a different one — EQ

Emilie Quast, board memberMPD Second Precinct PACMinneapolis MN 55418