Category Archives: Uncategorized

The meeting was called to order at 6:15 by chair, Larry Ranallo.  25 attenders.

Since 1966, NUWAY, a nonprofit organization, has provided community based extended-care for people in recovery from substance use and mental health disorders.    3Rs NUWAY Counseling Center is now open at 1404 Central Ave NE. (Recognition, Rehabilitation, Recovery = 3Rs.)  NUWAY has two other outpatient facilities: one in South Minneapolis and one in St. Paul.  Additionally, there are two residential treatment centers located in South Minneapolis.

Our presenters were Monique Bourgeois (Chief Community Relations Officer), Jason Cintorino (3R’s Program Director), and Jake Lewis (Community Relations Manager)

To receive treatment from NUWAY, a person must have a substance use disorder.  Many clients also have a co-occurring mental health disorder, but that is not required for admission to the program.

NUWAY offers two treatment models: Outpatient and Inpatient.   Both models draw on clinical care and community resources to support clients’ path to good health.

The OUTPATIENT MODEL is called R.I.S.E. (Recovery in Supportive Environments)

NUWAY works with over 65 providers of stable, supportive recovery residences throughout the Twin Cities. Unlike the 28-day treatment model available elsewhere, NUWAY clients stay in the program as long as they need it; the average treatment length is 83 days in NUWAY’s outpatient programs. A client’s program is individualized–there is no single prescriptive model.  In addition to offering access to supportive housing in the community, a client in this program receives:

• Twenty hours of licensed co-occurring treatment per week including group and individual sessions
• One meal during each day of service
• Transportation assistance
• No-cost drug testing
• Peer support
• Care coordination
• Family support
• Recovery management skills
• Evidence based modalities

The program tries to offer what’s needed, including help finding a job, arts therapies, whatever seems appropriate.

The RESIDENTIAL MODEL.  NUWAY was the first organization in the U.S. to offer the Co-Occurring Disorders program, which was created in a jointly by Dartmouth Medical School and the Hazelden Foundation.   This program offers an extended care program in a medium-intensity residential environment for men and transgender individuals. Like the Outpatient model, a client’s length of stay depends on his or her clinical needs.  Features of this program include:

• Group and individual counseling
• Individualized length of stay
• Recovery management skills
• Independent living skills
• Connection to community resources for additional needs
• On-site nursing.

Throughout its five programs, NUWAY is working with 750 clients every day.  The clinic on Central Ave NE meets with some 200 people a day.

The major difference between NUWAY and other models is that NUWAY treats addiction disorders and addition-related disorders as modern medicine treats other chronic disorders.  It’s recognized that people’s bodies are different and respond to treatment differently. The treatment of diabetes or heart disease is likely to start with a baseline approach. Health care professionals expect that the initial treatment plan will be modified as the patient’s body adjusts to medication, ages, finds a treatment plateau, but perhaps succumbs to new stressors.  The NUWAY treatment plan follows these expectations.  NUWAY keeps trying new modes and adjusting treatments until they find something that clicks.

Clients are referred to NUWAY from various entities including hospital and social services, and notices like this report.

For more detailed information about this program, including contact information, go to https://nuway.org/

Individuals attending NUWAY are funded through public services money and health insurance.  NuWay is in-network with health care providers including Medica, HealthPartners, UCare, Preferred One, United Health Care, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Signa, Optum, and Hennepin Health.

PRECINCT REPORT: Inspector Todd Loining

University and college students have started their first semester.  Predictably crime is on an uptick including burglary of residence, theft from motor vehicle (please clean out your car and lock it), theft of cars, bikes, mopeds.  This year, so far, there has not been much of an increase in robbery.

In coordination with the UMPD, the Second Precinct is doing saturation details every Friday and Saturday, in SE.  MTPD is presenting a strong presence in Stadium Village and along the Greenline.  Portable cameras are deployed in hotspots.

The Second Precinct is attending community meetings, door-knocking and distributing flyers.   We’re holding tent events to say welcome, pass out trail mix, coffee and crime prevention tip sheets.

Successes:  5 burglars arrested, 6 other people arrested in a stolen vehicle, 2 stolen vehicles were recovered, one person was arrested for carrying burglary tools while attempting to steal a bike.

COURTWATCH:  Judi Cole (H.C.Atty.) and Sarah Becker (Mpls.Atty.) reporting:

Updates:  Ronald Bailey, had a 9-13 hearing and is waiting for his 11-26 trial for 2nd degree murder.  Johnny Hall has a 9-17 jury trial for 5th degree drug possession.  Daniel Heacock is waiting for his next 6-month evaluation on 11-13 but was committed on 5-18-18.  Cody Horton pled guilty for reckless discharge of a firearm (into a neighbor’s house) and was sentenced on 8-27; he’s waiting for a 9-24 motion hearing on a 1st degree burglary of dwelling.  Dwayne Miles is waiting for a jury trial on 10-01.  Joshua Poplawski is in HOMES court; may move to 24-hour care.  Robert Schroeder’s case was continued to 10-30 (no reason known).  Alfonso Seals remains in custody in Ramsey County Jail; he also has cases pending in Hennepin and Dakota Counties.  James Zaccardi has a 9-26 omnibus hearing on 5th degree drug possession.  Michael Zaccardi is in custody until 11-22; on 9-17 he’ll have an omnibus hearing on 3rd degree assault.

No updates:  Maxim Chance.  Paula Heille was convicted on 7-12 and will be on probation for 3 years.  Bryan Holmes remains on probation until 11-16.  Mahad Ismail, no update.    Curtis Laroque remains on probation through 11-04.

Samuel Haase was added to the Courtwatch list.

REPORTS FROM NEIGHBORS.  We had several brief reports and one extensive report from neighbors about concerning events in the Precinct.  EQ:  I’m not clear on how much to reveal about these reports, but will organize some guidelines for public reporting in coming weeks.

COMING IN OCTOBER:  911 calls and emergency response.  Our speaker will outline what happens when we call, and explain how the system works.

The meeting was called to order at 6:17 by Emilie Quast.  16 attendees.

Our speaker was Kimberly Simmonds from  Minneapolis 311.

Minneapolis 311 is the “single point of contact” for the City of Minneapolis.  People can contact 311 by phone, computer, or through the mobile app for information about local government and services, and to be directly connected  to the service provider that can correctly respond to a caller’s inquiry or need.

The program took its first calls on January 4, 2006.  It was originally a Monday-Friday service, 7AM to 11 PM.  That first year, 311 received more than 343,000 calls and more than 14,000 emails.  It entered over 61,000 service requests that year.  In July of 2012, 311 launched a mobile app, which can identify a customer’s exact location, necessary for service requests requiring a specific location. Between July 2012 and October 2015, almost 27,000 cases were sent through the mobile app.

2016 was the 10th anniversary of Minneapolis 311.  That year, 311 reached 3.9 million calls answered.  The service is still growing.  In the first 10 months of 2018,  311 received more than 10,000 mobile cases, 16,000 emails, and over 260,000 phone calls.

Contact this service by dialing 311 if your phone carrier allows or 612.673.3000.  The email address is minneapolis311@minneapolismn.gov  and a mobile app can be downloaded for Androids, iPhones, and Blackberrys.

This year, 311 has launched a texting service. When a customer texts 311, they are texting a knowledge base of information.  The system works well if you can reduce your question to 1 or 2 key terms. This is actually the database 311 operators use when they are searching for information to answer your call.  If you text a query that is too complicated, the system will tell you to call 311 or download the mobile app, because the question you are asking may be too complicated for the system to process.  Thus, “My car is lost.  Where can I find if my car has been towed” probably won’t work.  “Impound lot”  or “towed car” will.  You  may get a link to a search engine that will take you to the area on the City website that has the information you need.  At the end, you may be asked to fill out a survey; the answers will be used to figure out how well the system is actually working so we can figure out what needs to be improved.

Minneapolis 311 can help with most NON-emergency questions and calls for service.  If the operator decides you need an emergency response, they’ll direct you to Minneapolis Police and Fire Dispatch.

311  has contracted with CLI, Certified Languages International, which can translate some 227 languages. The system also has a computer based TTY service for people with hearing impairment or oral communication disorders.

The six most common requests are 1) Impound Lot vehicle lookup, 2) Parking complaints, 3) Questions for recycling and solid waste services, 4) Snow and Ice complaints, 5) Non-emergency police reports, 6) Pothole complaints.

There is a long list of departments that 311 assists.  [EQ: see attachments at the end of this report]   Our 311 agents can, in some instances, help the caller by answering their question immediately. In some instances, we transfer the caller to the resolving department.   In most cases, we will enter a service request for the caller to have the resolving department follow up with them.

QUESTION: CAN THE CITY CALL MY CELL PHONE TO LET ME KNOW OF SNOW EMERGENCIES? OR TO ADVISE ME OF STREET SWEEPING IN MY AREA? ANSWER: If you have a landline or mobile phone, the city can call you to notify you of Snow Emergencies because the Snow Emergency rules are the same across the city and take place at the same time. At this time, the City cannot call your cell phone to notify you of street sweeping in your area. The City will call your landline phone to advise you of street sweeping because it is attached to your physical address. The technology does not yet exist for the City to be able to call your cell phone for street sweeping.

To sign up for phone, text, or email alerts, please visit http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/subscriptions/sign-up to sign up.

QUESTION:  WHAT IF YOU CALL THE WRONG SERVICE?  ANSWER: If 311 deems your call to be an emergency and you are in the City of Minneapolis, we will connect you with Minneapolis Police and Fire Dispatch. If it is an emergency, but the caller is not in Minneapolis, we ask that the caller hang up and dial 911. If the caller requests or reports something that should go to Metro Transit, we can provide the phone number to Metro Transit or transfer the caller over to Metro Transit customer service. Finally, if a caller has a non-emergency request for another city, we will try our best to find the main contact number for that city and provide it the customer or transfer them over.

QUESTION:  WHAT IS THE TIME LIMIT FOR SNOW SHOVELING?  ANSWER: Single family homes and duplexes have 24 hours from the end of snowfall to shovel their walks. Apartments, commercial buildings and all other properties have four daytime hours to remove the snow (daytime hours start at 8am after the end of snowfall). If snow hasn’t been removed after that time has gone by, you can call 311 at that point.  We’re changing  the procedure this year:  Instead of us going out and looking, we’re automatically sending the owner a letter to let them know they are in violation.  Then, after 3 days the inspector goes out.  If the walk isn’t shoveled we authorize someone to clear it and the owner gets charged. This will take seven days off the process.

QUESTION: WHAT IS YOUR PROCESS FOR REPORTING EMERGENCIES LIKE WATER MAIN BREAKS AND THOSE PROBLEMS THAT MIGHT NOT BE AN EMERGENCY, LIKE POTHOLES?  Answer:  We use scripting in a system called Lagan to help us determine what should be called over to a department right after we enter a case. In the case of a water main break, we take as much information as the caller has, enter a case in with all of the pertinent details, and then we call the water department to let them know there’s been a break so that they can get someone out there right away. For potholes, 311 enters in a case for Public Works, and those cases are sent over to the resolving department. Potholes are repaired area by area for greatest efficiency.

QUESTION: IF A STREET HAS NO BOULEVARDS, IT’S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE FOR A HOMEWONER TO KEEP THAT ICE MOUND OFF.  Answer:  Call 311 to let us know what is going on. In most cases, we can enter in a case for our street department or our sidewalk department and let them know that the piled snow from plowing is causing accessibility issues.

One follow up question by EQ.  After I got home and started to celebrate the new procedure for getting walks cleared 7 (!) days quicker, it occurred to me that this would be good for tall weed control also.  I wrote Ms Simmonds, and asked, even though I know that have not had a chance to try out the new procedure on snow removal yet.  She replied very promptly that she had sent my suggestion to housing inspections. (Reference number is 4266088).  So we will see how this new program speeds up snow removal.  If it works better, we have a handle to speed up tall weeds also!

Our presenter on October 9 will be a representative from Restorative Justice.  We had a presentation from them about 3 years ago so this will be an update for some of us and all new info from others.  In November we’ll hear about the MPD Implicit Bias training program for police officers and others.

Our speaker, Kristen Houlton Sukura is the Executive Director of the Sexual Violence Center, in Minneapolis.  SVC supports people living in Hennepin, Carver and Scott Counties, who have been affected by sexual violence at any time in their lives, from their personal past to the present.  They do not turn away people outside these counties, but will  find an advocacy center closer to where people live, because those offices are likely to know more about local support services for victims of assault.  Please know that  SVC is eager to get its name out and its story told.  Everyone knows that if your house is on fire, you call 911 for help.  Not enough people know there is a number they can call if they or a loved one has been a victim of sexual assault.  (SVC 24-hour support line: 612.871.5111 or 952.448.5425)

To begin, there is a good overview of services the SVC provides on its website:  https://www.sexualviolencecenter.org/about-us/   The following page defines common terms used in this discussion: https://www.rainn.org/types-sexual-violence

To set a few parameters, it is true that most adult victims identify as female and most assaults are perpetuated by people who identify as male but that is not always the case at all. The SVC is against all forms of assault; it doesn’t matter who the aggressor is.  It is also true that 8 out of 10 sexual assaults are not reported to law enforcement.  The following graphic shows the imbalance: http://67.231.241.82/~nyscasa1/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/stats-triangle1.png

SVC services are based on one belief:  if a crime  comes into your life, you have a right to be believed, to have someone stand with you. People who can’t find the support they need to deal with the trauma often struggle to heal, feeling  “People don’t believe me”.    SVC  advocates work hard to overcome this barrier to healing.  They want to work with more law enforcement and other agencies  so that more people feel comfortable accessing the support and social services they need.  Advocates also want other agencies, including law enforcement agencies, to learn to refer victims to SVC advocates.

Every victim of sexual assault in MN has a right to go to a hospital and receive free medical care.   SVC works with 11 hospitals, including 7 in Hennepin County, to make sure people get the care they need.  SVC only does not work with University Hospitals because the U has the Aurora Center, another advocacy center, on campus.

Evidence samples taken at the hospital exam are labeled “Do not Test” until the victim files a police report.  Different locations allow different amounts of time, but typically evidence will be held by the hospital while a victim decides whether to report for a minimum of 30 days.  At that point the victim will get a call asking if they want the tests held longer.  Anniversary dates seem to trigger decision making. There is a statute of limitations which depends on the level of the offense, so that is also a varying window.  Tests are done by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, not by the local police lab. Once a police report is made, the evidence goes  to the BCA for testing. The BCA produces a report that goes back to the police department that is handling the victim’s case, and investigators in that department will determine if the case should be referred to the County Attorney for charging.  In many cases, there just may not be enough evidence to present to a jury. Often  a message comes back   “We believe that this thing happened to you.  We believe you.  But with the evidence we can find, we’re not confident of convincing a jury. ”

Another impacting fact is there often is no evidence of physical forcing because there has been no physical force.  85% of the victims know their aggressor and the aggressors take advantage of that.  The incident may have involved drugs;  60% of the victims in Hennepin County who accessed a forensic exam after the assault were inebriated at the time of the assault.  A lawyer hopes for credible witness  testimony, but with a high degree of inebriation,  memory may not be perfect.

City Attorney Sarah Becker commented that 50% of the cases are charged for “less than” the initial complaint suggests the charge should be.  She pointed out that delayed reporting is a factor because bruising or tearing  have healed.

SVC advocates see their function as offering peer counseling, not therapy.  SVC advocates work to support many victims who struggle to believe it was not their fault they were targeted.

Advocates are largely protected from subpoena and unlikely to to called to testify in court. This is particularly important  when someone is afraid to report assault because they are undocumented, because they were working as a sex worker  at the time of the assault, because  they are under age, because  they were drunk, the SVC advocate is a safe person to talk to.   They won’t have to share their story.    By statute SVC staff are called “counselors”,  but use the term “Advocate” because they do more than counseling.

SVC staff work in several ways including over the phone.  They can work in person providing 10 sessions free of charge.  They provide services not available from therapists and counselors such as help obtaining restraining orders, finding funding for needed medical services, support with navigating the system.  Advocates work creatively to meet the needs of victims who come to them, trying different approaches.  They’ve discovered that having police interview a victim at the SVC office is more comfortable for some victims than going to a police unit would be.   Advocates will do anything they can that helps people feel supported.  One service that has worked well is for an advocate to offer phone counseling anonymously, asking victims to please not tell their name, the assailant’s name, and so on.  Just getting people to talk is the best way to build the kind of trust that is necessary to help people move on to the next step, whatever that may be.  If a caller says, “I’m not going to report this.” the counselor can say to them, “I believe you.  I’m not going to force you …. Let’s talk this through.  I want to talk to you and tell you what your options are and how to be safe.”  Ms Sukura is comfortable saying “Our model works.  People are terrified because they don’t know what to do, and that’s because no one ever talks about it.”

SVC offers its services in several unusual places, including prisons and half-way houses, in schools  with students  age 12-17 — an age when transportation and after school responsibilities make it tough for high school  students to get to the center.  Moreover, young people people are very nervous about the effect this is going to have on their parents.  Beyond being hurt themselves, they don’t want to hurt their parents.  This is another high value service SVC provides :  working  with friends and family members.  An assault is not just on one person but on everyone who cares about that person. They have had calls where someone may say, “This isn’t about me.  It’s my niece.  She told me and I don’t know what do do about this.”

 At the other end of life, some people do not talk  until years later.  SVC gets calls from nursing homes.  Sometimes it is about something that happened there, but sometimes it’s about something that happened 50 or 60 years earlier.  One woman commented that she could  see how this affected her through her whole life, but there was no one to talk to.

SVC organizes support groups because in groups you see that others are as affected as you are.  One pair that stands out in her memory was unlikely: a 16 year old and a 60 year old man.  What they had in common was the violence of the  assault, each one did understand that issue  better than anyone else in the room.

That brings up a very important concept: if someone discloses to you, they trust you.  It’s a  sacred trust.

QUESTION:  Reports suggest that 15% of the victims are male.  Is that average?  ANSWER:.   SVC may be reporting a higher percentage of male victims because they work in the prisons.  Male victims  tend to not want to call us. It’s very hard to get men to talk in front of other men.  If you look on the SVC  website, https://www.sexualviolencecenter.org/  you’ll see that we have male- identified advocates, trans-gender advocates, language and culturally specific support services and advocates.  Our job is to get victims to the support they need, even if it isn’t directly from SVC.  SVC also works  with Isuroon, a Somali women’s empowerment organization to better support refugees; they have learned that 25% of refugees report having suffered sexual violence.   Refugees are  survivors of many things; we want them  to know we offer support here.

Meeting was adjourned (about) 7:20

The meeting was called to order at 6:07 by Chair Larry Ranallo with 20 attenders.

Our speakers this month were Velma Korbel, Director of the Minneapolis Dept. of Civil Rights, and Kristin Johnson, Investigator in the Complaint Investigations Division of the Dept.  As the City is expanding services to residents, it is also expanding the means residents have to request these services.  Our well known and heavily used 311 contact is now a means of reporting hate crimes and discrimination based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, and other, and these crimes may be reported by targets or by witnesses.

Ms. Korbel related that the “Hate Crimes Hotline” is an extension of the 311 line service, which was launched with limited services and hours in 2003, but has been expanding ever since. People in Minneapolis dial 311 for direct access while people who are outside the city proper or who can’t  use that line for any reason (TTY callers, for example)  can call 612.673.3000.

While there has always been some level of hate crime in Minneapolis, authorities have noticed an increase starting in Sept and October of 2016 when the political race fueled a lot of talk about building a wall, deporting people, and other divisive issues.   There was a further rise when U.S. borders were closed to some people.  As controversy became more heated, some cities took a stand declaring themselves “inclusive” and separating law enforcement activity from immigration and customs enforcement activity through use of non-cooperation clauses. Cities enforcing non-cooperation between their police forces and immigration officials include Seattle, NYC, Albuquerque, and more.  Minneapolis is part of this movement.

The Civil Rights Department of Minneapolis, the St. Paul Department of Human Rights, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, and the FBI joined forces to coordinate the programs and outreach services offered by each agency.  There was a need for one number to call where reports would be screened to determine what department or service would best meet the immediate concern; 311 was an obvious resource.  311 is also a way for service providers to gather information about hate and bias crimes. Resources were added to the Department’s budget to coordinate the City’s response and handle information regarding hate crimes and discrimination, and to work with community and enforcement partners. Kristin leads this work in the Department.

People needed to know this expanded service exists so one of the first things they developed was a simple poster,  Go to http://www.minneapolismn.gov/civilrights/index.htm and scroll past “HATE CRIMES HOTLINE” to see a printable PDF. Updates to the page making the information more accessible are pending.

QUESTION:  Does hate speech = a hate crime?

Korbel:  No, speech is protected by the First Amendment. There is hateful speech, but no agreed-upon definition.  There is confusion because last year’s political speech often mentioned “hate speech” which put that in people’s minds but the fact is, there is no definition of hate speech.  We welcome discourse of any kind, but while we may not like it, we can’t stop it.

QUESTION: 311 operators, including the supervisor seem confused about hate crimes.

Korbel: If you called the 311 operators, not to report a crime but to ask about hate speech, you need to remember 311 operators are NOT there to explain things, define terms, or to speak directly about a caller’s concerns.  Their job is limited to forwarding calls to the appropriate service center where staff trained in the caller’s issues are waiting to listen to and to evaluate a callers concerns and to begin working with and for the caller.  311’s job begins with receiving your call and ends when the operator has forwarded your call.

QUESTION: There is a question of context.  Speech at work can create an atmosphere that interrupts your ability to work.

Korbel:  Most work places have policies in place that outline what is and isn’t permitted in the work place and how violations will be handled.  Managers should be trained to handle these issues. Issues and events in one place may be handled very differently from a similar situation at a different organization.

Board member Dorothy Bode reminded people that the Minneapolis Public Schools is a separate jurisdiction and has its own hotline.

QUESTION [ASKED AFTER THE MEETING:  SO IF YOU ARE NOT GETTING A SATISFACTORY RESPONSE FROM e.g. YOUR OFFICE HR OR THE SCHOOL’S HOTLINE RESPONSE, ARE YOU BARRED FROM USING THE CITY SERVICE OR ENCOURAGED TO USE IT?]

Johnson:  You may always contact the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights (MDCR), St. Paul Department of Human Rights, or Minnesota Department of Human Rights to report unlawful discrimination, including a hostile working environment. A hostile work environment may be created through the harassment of an individual based on a protected characteristic (as defined in the Mpls Civil Rights Ordinance, Section 139.40(b)) that negatively affects that employee’s performance or job opportunities and is known by and not prevented or corrected by the employer. This is an example of an instance where one individual’s expressions of prejudice toward another individual may be unlawful, when the same exchanges on a public street may constitute protected speech.

Johnson: Minneapolis ordinance bans discrimination based on “race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, including sexual harassment, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age, marital status, or status with regard to public assistance or familial status.”  Property damage, assault, and stalking are crimes per state law, no matter what the motive, but if bias (discrimination)  is determined to have been a motive of a crime, that judgment will give the complaint an enhanced status.  For example, if a person commits an assault, that is a crime.  If, during the assault they call someone a name (based on race, gender, etc.) the sentence for that crime may be increased on that basis.

Data collection so far suggests that many episodes are based on race issues.  Data also suggest that many incidents are under-reported.  Data collection does show context which may figure in later outreach programs.  With regard to most speech questions received to date, one example is that you may still paint a Swastika on your own property, but you may still not paint one on someone else’s property without their permission or on public property.

Johnson: some complaints may be sent to the MN Dept of Human Rights or other agencies, depending on the type of crime and the location.  The Mpls Civil Rights personnel will always look at it first.

The Dept of Civil Rights is developing relationships with other resources to better respond to complaints. It’s a work in progress. Please call Kristin at 612 673 2087 with any questions about the hotline or the implicated laws.

WHAT OFFICES CAN HELP AN INDIVIDUAL FILE A COMPLAINT?

In Minneapolis:  Minneapolis Dept. of Civil Rights, (612) 673-3012.

In St. Paul, St. Paul Department of Human Rights and Equal Economic Opportunity, (651) 266-8966.

Elsewhere in the state, Minnesota Department of Human Rights, (651) 296-5663.

THANK YOU!

STATE OF THE PRECINCT:   Inspector  Loining reported that violent crime in the 2nd Precinct is down by 7.6% led by Robbery, down 32.47%  from 77 incidents in 2016 to 52 in YTD in 2017.  Criminal Sexual Conduct is up from 29 to 31 incidents in the same period and Aggravated Assault if up from 64 to 75 incidents in the same period.

Burglary is down by 11.29% but  auto theft is up by over 39%.

Current “Hot Crime Issues” in the 2nd Precinct are 1) reducing violent crimes by monitoring reports to determine focus zones for increased patrol, 2) reducing theft from motor vehicles by reminding folks to remove valuables from their cars or at least keep them locked in the trunk, 3) auto theft, alerting owners to the danger of warming up vehicles in the winter and to reduce theft of mopeds by securing light two wheelers with locks and chains, and 4) to reduce burglary of garages by reminding folks to lock their garages.  Officers will leave a hang tag on obviously unsecured garages which offers help and outlines the reasons to lock up.

Successful policing reports including two July 6 search warrants in NE Mpls,which uncovered one marijuana growing operation (one party booked) and a recovery of a shotgun and almost $10,000.   The Property Crimes Unit has been assigned 189 cases for investigation so far in 2017.  Of these, 144 have led to a charge.

The Second Precinct has gained 5 new officers.  All will be on foot beats for the next six months (standard procedure): 2 on East Hennepin and 3 in the Stadium Village area which includes the light rail station.  Other personnel changes:  Sgt. Beth Mota has transferred to the Juvenile Unit.  Sgt. Chris Patino has joined  2nd Pct Property Crimes, and Sgt. Darin Waletzki is now in the 2nd Pct

COURTWATCH:  Sarah Becker, City Atty.  and Judi Cole Hennepin Cty Atty.:  Cody Corbin failed to appear on 7/5 and a bench warrant was issued; he is free on $5000 bond and his next court date is 8/2.  Jason Enrico had an omnibus hearing scheduled on 7/14.  Kevin Foster was convicted on June 5;  a stay of imposition was issued and he is on probation until 6.5.2020.  Steven Haney is facing 2 narcotics cases; he posted a $100,000 bond on March 1; his house will be in foreclosure at the end of July. Daniel Heacock is now out of custody and waiting for a competency hearing.  Paula Heille failed to appear on 5/10 and a bench warrant was issued.  Mahad Ismail is now in prison and has a pretrial on July 19.  Kenneth Nelson has a 9/19/17 hearing coming up, and one complaint against him has a jury trial date.  Sharkina Nickens was convicted of burglaries and is now in prison.  Her other complaints have not been resolved.  Dae  Nisell was convicted on 6/23 for violation of restraining order and was sentenced to the MN Correctional Facility in St. Cloud (18 months stayed 3 years); he is on probation to 6.23.20.  Ryan Pilarski has completed probation on June 13.  Joshua Poplawski has a pretrial on trespass in the 3rd Pct scheduled for 7/12; probation violation hearing  on 7.24.  Ashley Sage seems to be meeting her agreement.  Robert Schroeder has a July 12 pretrial.  Michael Zaccardi has a felony level damage complaint with a 7.21 omnibus hearing.

No updates:Johnny Hall has not yet responded to his February bench warrant.  Curtis Laroq remains on probation to 11/4/18 and there have been no updates.

Removed: Canty, Nickens, Moen, Pilarski

Reminders:  do you want attorneys to attend your National Night Out?  Contact Jean M Heyer (Jean.Heyer@hennepin.us), or go to heep://www.hennepinattorney.org/prevention/community-partnerships/national-night-out

It’s a chance to ask questions you may have been curious about and didn’t know who/how/where to find the answers — plus they’re nice people.

With no New or Old Business, the meeting was adjourned.