Well I do apologize as I am not certain where the time went over the last month. Lots of activities with my family and I just got side tracked. I want to get to this as needed or every two weeks, but sometimes, life gets in the way.
ACTIVITIES OF NOTE
Over the last 30 days, the Officer's have been busy and have done some really good work. A long term investigation culminated in the arrest of two people and I believe gave a neighborhood back a sense of comfort.
Long term investigations can really frustrate the public. It always seems to take too long, be too complicated and for most of the people it seems too obvious that wrongdoing is going on. Well sometimes, we agree. The reality is that to make a criminal case or address a criminal issue, requires evidence. Without being clever, common sense does not necessarily constitute evidence of a crime. Physical, circumstantial, testimonial types of evidence take time to locate, verify and explain for purposes of prosecution. Frankly unless a crime is committed in front of an officer, and sometimes even if this occurs, we will have to produce probable cause in order to obtain a warrant for the arrest of someone.
In the case of the neighborhood here we could not have been more pleased or thankful for their cooperation and patience. We too have frustrations but do want them to know that we appreciate all they have done to support us and our investigations.
We also recently dealt with a student at Kearney High School which has raised a good deal of public concern. An Officer was forced to use force to subdue this young person and it is my impression that people question this situation. I cannot comment specifically on this case as this needs to continue through the appropriate systems. Suffice it to say that it is always unfortunate to have a contact end up with force being required and yet is more often necessary than people realize. Behaviors are not always mere verbal exchanges but even with people in this age group, it can result in physical confrontations. Officers are allowed to use that force necessary to effect an arrest and to protect themselves and others. Our hope is that the help needed in these situations is obtained for the people in need.
A BIT OF CARRYOVER INFORMATION . . . .
In a previous post I mentioned an initiative to work on bike, pedestrian and skateboarder safety. Jan Rochford from here in Kearney was and is a driving force behind this effort and is looking for other who might want to help in this effort. The effort will continue in the spring and we will work to develop programs and the effort in full to deal with safety for these groups. If you are interested in helping, you can contact Jan.
If you check the City of Kearney website you'll notice many things in the Police Department's area. One of these is we try to do a topical monthly "TRAFFIC TIP". This month's tip is in regards to being prepared as a vehicle operator, now that frost and ice are a greater possibility. We continue to urge people to clean their vehicle windows thoroughly before driving when covered with snow/frost or ice. Not just that small area on a windshield but all windows, completely. Failing to do so creates real danger for the vehicle operator and others. Take the time to do this for yourself and others. Also, I would pass on here that starting your vehicle and letting it idle while the defroster does the work is not a good idea. First, you're wasting fuel but you also leave yourself open to someone driving off in your vehicle. A decision that, if it happens to you will not only be embarrassing but could easily be expensive. Well that's enough of me sounding like your parent, but seriously please keep this in mind.
As we approach the holiday shopping season we would also again encourage you to lock your vehicles. I mentioned this in a post some time ago, but sadly I have been proven right. This time of year we have people who tend to steal from unlocked vehicles and we all leave way too many valuable items in our cars. This problem just gets magnified when we begin to shop for holiday gifts. If you are going to be shopping, put your purchases in a secure area of the vehicle such as your trunk. If that is not possible, make certain the items are stored and covered and that the vehicle is locked. None of us have enough money to buy presents twice.
Well for now, that seems like plenty. As always if you want to start a dialogue about a topic I've mentioned or something your are interested in, simply sign up for the blog and add a comment. Until next time, be safe and have a great holiday season.
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