Please report to the nearest sanitarium for evaluation
Cops pay 3 a.m. visit to tell man his door is unlocked
LAKEVILLE, Minnesota — A Lakeville man says he feels violated after two police officers woke him up at 3 a.m. to tell him his door was unlocked.
Their surprise visit was part of a public service campaign to remind residents to secure their homes to prevent thefts. Usually, officers just leave notices on doors.
But they went further in Troy Molde’s case on Thursday. Police entered the house where four children under 7 were having a sleepover, and then went upstairs to Molde’s bedroom.
Are these police officers insane? Invading someone’s house in the middle of the night is bad enough, but entering a bedroom as well?
Let me be very clear: pull that nonsense on me and you will find yourself staring down a .40-caliber barrel.
If you identify yourself as a police officer and explain your presence, I will dial 911 and have a supervisor sent down to resolve the situation. However, if you reach for your gun, I will have no choice but to start firing and keep firing until the threat you pose is neutralized. Michigan’s castle doctrine law will immunize me from prosecution and civil suits.
I don’t want to kill anyone, especially not a police officer, but what the hell do you think is going to happen when you barge into bedrooms at 3:00 in the morning?
What could possibly be the justification for something like this?
The officers told Molde his garage door was open, the TV was on, the keys to his truck were left in the ignition and the door to his house was ajar.
A police spokesman says the intrusion was justified because the officers’ initial door knocks went unanswered, and they wanted to make sure nothing was wrong.
Granted, this homeowner is an idiot for neglecting to secure his property, but that does not give the police the right to trespass, especially in such a dangerous manner.
hehe!
andrew
20 Jun 08 at 5:17 pm
Wow that would be really scary, especially for the kids.
Lisa
20 Jun 08 at 6:16 pm
I agree with you on one level, but from the article it sounds like the other officers had good reason to be concerned about the occupants in the home. The door was ajar - who leaves their door wide open in the middle of the nite? That’s not just neglecting to secure your property, it looks like your family’s been murdered or something! They tried to knock, and entered because they were concerned for the safety of the family. I am thankful for officers who act in a manner like this, because they are simply concerned for your safety.
Unfortunately, it does leave a bad taste in your mouth, in light of privacy issues, but all mentioned facts considered, I think they acted appropriately.
Jaclyn
2 Aug 08 at 8:49 pm
The police had options other than home invasion available to them. Ring the doorbell a few times and wait a few minutes for the homeowner to come to the door. Call the police dispatcher to look up the homeowner’s phone number, and try to reach the occupants that way. Walk around the exterior of the premises to see if anything is amiss. If you must enter, loudly announce your presence from the doorway, waking up the occupants.
What the police did — checking out the house room-by-room without permission or probable cause, is insane and could very well have led to a justified shooting by the homeowner.
Kevin
4 Aug 08 at 12:57 pm