Comments on: In it for the Money: Local Police Control

By: Rod Johnson

Rod Johnson — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 19:20:00 +0000

I had a similar experience. I was rear-ended in a surface lot. The driver then got out of her car and went *shopping*. I called the police, who took 15 minutes to drive over from a station that was 100 yards away (those happy community policing days), and was told nothing could be done, though both cars, and then the driver herself, who finished her shopping while we were talking, were right there. I demanded at least a police report, and it turned out the driver didn’t have a license…and still nothing could be done because we were on private property. My only recourse was to contact the owner of the Plymouth Road Mall and… have something happen, exactly what was unclear. A frustrating experience.

By: Fred Posner

Fred Posner — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 17:23:26 +0000

My only “dealing” with Ann Arbor Police came from when my wife was rear-ended in a city parking garage downtown. The woman who read-ended her refused to give her any information (name, etc) and tried to leave. The police wouldn’t come stating that they only respond to crashes on public property. They informed us that my 5’0 less than 100lbs wife should advise the driver who was trying to leave to go to the police station.

I had to get very strong and go all the way up to the “watch commander” to get an officer there. When they responded, they were more concerned with why they needed to respond. Long story short, with the police report completed on scene, we didn’t have to pay the deductible for the vehicle repair. You shouldn’t have to fight to get a police officer to help you with an uncooperative person.

By: Alan Goldsmith

Alan Goldsmith — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 11:11:08 +0000

“That “tank” that was purchased with federal funds was bought by Sheriff Dan Minzey – yet another reason I am glad we got rid of him!”

Leah, you are right about THIS issue. Now can you do anything about the Minzey face stickers still littering gasoline pumps across the County? Lol.

By: John Floyd

John Floyd — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 23:19:23 +0000

I’m confused about which city council is referenced in this article. It can’t be Ann Arbor’s, because it refers to a “…city council, who can be super responsive to your grousing.” Maybe this was a reference to Dexter’s city council. It might explain the reference to Dexter-Pinkney Road.

By: Matt Demmon

Matt Demmon — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 15:09:53 +0000

I sure am happy when my home gets broken into, and the police are there shortly to investigate. I’m even more happy with the police when my best friend gets into an accident, and the police arrive on the scene within 3 minutes, well before the paramedics or the firefighters.

I’m not so happy when someone is tailgating me on the freeway for 5 minutes with their brights on, and won’t pass no matter how much I slow down, so I speed up to get away from them, and it turns out to be a cop who writes me a speeding ticket.

Maybe life just isn’t fair and you have to take the good with the bad!

By: Dave Askins

Dave Askins — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 13:47:53 +0000

Re: lawsuit filed challenging DNA testing as part of serial rapist investigation. The complaint filed by Shelton is included under one of the links above, which I've also included here: [link]

By: Bob Elton

Bob Elton — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 12:27:06 +0000

Actually the most egregious abuse of police and city, and statre, power is the aggressive prosecution of traffic and parking offenses.

Egregious because it’s so widespread.

And even worse, parking and traffic offenders are almost never given the most basic American legal right of presumed innocence.

I could write a book on this, but I settle for talking about it on my radio show ocasionally.

Bob Elton

By: Jim Rees

Jim Rees — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 11:44:01 +0000

Local police are essential to a free society. The scary stuff is mostly done by the Feds. FBI planting GPS trackers on cars, NSA illegal wiretaps, and TSA illegal searches at the airports.

By: Leah Gunn

Leah Gunn — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 11:04:17 +0000

That “tank” that was purchased with federal funds was bought by Sheriff Dan Minzey – yet another reason I am glad we got rid of him!

By: Mark Koroi

Mark Koroi — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 02:44:09 +0000

I saw Blair Shelton’s public commentary in which he relates the demeaning and sarcastic comments he claims Officer (now interim police chief) John Seto imparted to him many years ago during a police-citizen interaction.

Anybody who has not downloaded that commentary, please do so.

If anyone does not know Mr. Shelton’s history, he was the Plaintiff in the suit filed by the National Lawyers Guild challenging racial profiling and DNA testing of local black men during the serial rapist attacks in A2 during the 1990s.