http://www.twincities.com/news/ci_9641991?nclick_check=1

Troy Molde awoke at 3 a.m. Thursday to police flashlights shining in his face. Two uniformed Lakeville officers were in his bedroom, knocking on the wall to wake him up.

They were there, they said, to warn him to keep his doors closed and locked.

Their surprise visit was part of a public service campaign. Officers had fanned out across the city, leaving notices on doors to remind residents how to prevent thefts by keeping garage doors closed, not leaving valuables in cars and locking windows or doors.

But at Molde's house, they went further.

His two sons, ages 5 and 7, and 5-year-old twin nephews were having a sleepover in the living room. They awoke to find the officers in the house.

"I was violated, but ... I wasn't physically damaged," Molde said of what he considers an invasion of privacy.

The officers told Molde his garage door was open, the TV was on, keys to his truck were left in the ignition and the door to his house was ajar.

Police said the intrusion was justified because the officers' initial door knocks went unanswered. Police went inside to check if anything was wrong, Sgt. Jim Puncochar said.

You'd think the door hangers would just help burglars quickly and easily identify which houses to walk into...

I went out with Baltimore's RATT or vehicle recovery team. We recovered 9 stolen cars in that day, over half had their keys in the ignition when they were taken. How dumb can you be to leave keys in your car in downtown metropolitan areas?

I usually leave my keys in my car at home, the garage doors unlocked, and the front door unlocked. Of course, I'm also a light sleeper and keep a baseball bat within arm's reach of the bed.

Never had any trouble.

If the local PD snuck in my house like that, without announcing who they were, I'd probably end up on YouTube yelling "don't tase me, bro"

Umm? The police have nothing better to do than open themselves to all of the problems that come with unwelcome entry into a house? The police had better have a VERY good reason for being in my house/bedroom without my permission, and an unlocked door does not meet that requirement.

What happens the first time someone panics and shoots at a cop?

They get shot countless times and get accused of being a drug dealer?

Keep a hallway light on. Works wonders.

Thing of global warming and wasted electricity Halo!

Thing of global warming and wasted electricity Halo!

Yeah, that's what Gore did and look at all the flak he's getting! ;)

I'm siding with the police on this one. Garage door open, front door open ... plenty of unanswered knocking first ... that's pretty suspect, if something like a robbery or assault was taking place and they just walked by "oops guess the guy is asleep" but wasn't they'd have their asses nailed to a tree. Not sure where you got that they didn't identify themselves, from the article them knocking most definitely involved them identifying themselves.

Sanchek, what's your address? Gonna send you a present, yeah ... that's it.

'Thing of global warming and wasted electricity Halo!'

- Hey, it's cheaper than a top of the range security system. I'm doing my part!!!

I usually leave my keys in my car at home, the garage doors unlocked, and the front door unlocked. Of course, I'm also a light sleeper and keep a baseball bat within arm's reach of the bed.

Never had any trouble.

If the local PD snuck in my house like that, without announcing who they were, I'd probably end up on YouTube yelling "don't tase me, bro"

A group of intruders in my house (because that is what they would be to me) would be met with 25 rounds of 55gr ball ammo along with five evenly spaced tracers. I would then hog tie their corpses and wait for their friends to come get their corpses.

if something like a robbery or assault was taking place and they just walked by "oops guess the guy is asleep" but wasn't they'd have their asses nailed to a tree.

What do you mean? This happens all the time. They wouldn't have been liable for anything happening inside the house.

Not sure where you got that they didn't identify themselves, from the article them knocking most definitely involved them identifying themselves.

His two sons, ages 5 and 7, and 5-year-old twin nephews were having a sleepover in the living room. They awoke to find the officers in the house.

Whatever they did, they didn't even manage to wake the kids on the ground floor before entering. They may have knocked and announced themselves, but they clearly did a very ineffective job of it.

If I wake up to someone shining a flashlight in my face, in my bedroom, my first reaction certainly isn't going to be to ask them if they knocked before intruding. I'll be the one doing the knocking at that point.

I don't think that's an unreasonable reaction.

Its not, and I'm fairly sure since that didn't happen the scenerio didn't go down as it is in your mind.

I don't see how they could have adequately announced themselves before sneaking into the house, if it didn't wake the guy or any of the four kids.

And who cares? There's no law that you have to lock your doors, shut your garage, or do any other thing like that. However, it is still considered breaking and entering, even if the door is unlocked.

I wonder if the 4th Amendment applies here, or doesn't because they didn't technically search or seize anything.

If someone comes in my house police or not they better have a damned good reason and hope to shit I don't hear them. Of course my dog would probably have their leg before they even crossed a threshold but seriously, what right do these guys have to enter someone's home just b/c doors are open? I have a nasty habit of forgetting to close my garage door that doesn't mean the police can enter my house.

And I'm with Sanchek they couldn't have made too many attempts to rouse the inhabitants if all those people didn't hear them. I think they were trying to be sneaky and hope they'd find something illegal. But yes, it would be interesting to see how this would play with the 4th Amendment if something had been found in the house.

Wow, this would really piss me off. I'd probably sue!

Nothing they found would be admissable and no one is stupid enough to have assumed otherwise. That's not the reason they entered.
You're all monday morning quarterbacking ... but what's worse is you didn't even see what happened, just a second hand report from a guy who slept with the front door open while his kids were playing steps from the door.

You're all monday morning quarterbacking ... but what's worse is you didn't even see what happened, just a second hand report from a guy who slept with the front door open while his kids were playing steps from the door.

But it's okay for you to do, because you were there, right?

Whatever they did, they didn't even manage to wake the kids on the ground floor before entering. They may have knocked and announced themselves, but they clearly did a very ineffective job of it.
This is not a convincing argument for me--I've slept through fire alarms before. Luckily they were just drills (or pranks).

Nothing they found would be admissable and no one is stupid enough to have assumed otherwise. That's not the reason they entered.

LOL...they can find a way to make it admissable...remember that little thing called a patriot act...cough. Is the reason they entered the REASON they entered? You were obviously there, so tell us...we wait...


You're all monday morning quarterbacking ... but what's worse is you didn't even see what happened, just a second hand report from a guy who slept with the front door open while his kids were playing steps from the door.


What are you doing? Friday quarterbacking LOL...you use this ridiculous justification as to why anyones opinion is retarded yet you weren't there...since when is it illegal to have a garage door open or a TV on at anytime of day...the danger is that that was used as a justification and yet there was not one shred of evidence that ANYTHING was wrong.

When the guy who it actually happened to didn't dispute their reason for entering, I feel no reason to do it personally. He was the one who was actually there.

"I was violated, but ... I wasn't physically damaged," Molde said of what he considers an invasion of privacy.

...

The police don't have a special power to enter your property whenever they want, door locked or not. Aside from the safety issue (and while much lower caliber, considering the neighborhood I live in my response would be along the same lines as Rover's), there is a huge legal issue here. Even if the guy in the story didn't react, I'd sure as hell hope others would react to keep this kind of thing from becoming common place.

My dog, unfortunately, might bark when the door opened or was knocked on, but the only thing the intruder would die from would be infected bruises when she started licking him to death.

In that same area, recently, there was a home invasion where the intruders used the opportunity of an open garage to gain entry to the home; they assaulted and attempted to murder the homeowner, then attempted to burn the dwelling down to cover their tracks before leaving in the homeowner's vehicle.

For that reason, the Lakeville Police have stepped up their efforts to educate residents to safety, and personal responsibility. Because none of those reading or hearing the story as reported on the news were actually there to witness the manner in which the Police announced themselves , all speculation is little more than recreation. For all the Police knew, based on getting no response, they were entering a crime scene. If there had indeed been an intruder that had wounded the homeowner, would the Police then be blamed for NOT going through the house?

6 of one, half dozen of the other.

You could also look at this as handing over more of our rights in the name of 'safety.' Suppose the police start using this as a tactic to gain entry into homes of people even remotely suspected of crimes? You wouldn't mind if they drop by just to poke around, make sure everything is according to law?

There are much better ways to educate people.

If you leave your door wide open, your garage door open, and your children within a few feet of the open doorway in a neighborhood where home invasions and assaults have recently taken place ... and you don't answer the door when the police knock ...

I agree with Bylimet wholeheartedly here.

That's absurd.

Maybe they should just start taking kids away from families who live in areas where child abuse has happened recently.

I think you're on to something there.

That's absurd.

Maybe they should just start taking kids away from families who live in areas where child abuse has happened recently.

Investigating child abuse in neighborhoods where child abuse takes place is a good idea, exactly. Asking neighbors and people in the community to be a little more conscious of their neighborhood, much like in this story. You aren't ignorant enough to assume that spreading awareness of a crime is the same as punishing someone for the crime, I'll assume that was an oversight on your part.

Breaking into someone's house is not spreading awareness, it's breaking and entering. It's miles beyond "spreading awareness".

If a Police officer entered my house, no matter what the situation. I would press charges for breaking and entering... I don't need someone to help themselves onto my property.

Breaking into someone's house is not spreading awareness, it's breaking and entering. It's miles beyond "spreading awareness".


Playing 'Devil's Advocate", if you had your garage open, and some intruders entered your home and assaulted you, leaving you in critical condition and barely conscious, and the police happened by some time later and noted your garage door open, and they went to the door and rang the bell, but getting no answer, they simply made a note of the open door and left. How many attorneys would be beating down your door to represent you in a lawsuit against those police? Assuming you lived, of course.

And I could be mistaken, but I believe the courts have ruled that entering an open door constitutes trespassing at best, not breaking and entering.

How many attorneys would be beating down your door to represent you in a lawsuit against those police? Assuming you lived, of course.


Zero, the police have no liability or legal obligation to protect you.

Not that it has much to do with how well thought through this particular educational exercise was.

Zero, the police have no liability or legal obligation to protect you.

Not that it has much to do with how well thought through this particular educational exercise was.Same thought here - I'm not aware of any legal liability for the police in that situation.

And I could be mistaken, but I believe the courts have ruled that entering an open door constitutes trespassing at best, not breaking and entering.

No. It's actually the opposite extreme. Even reaching inside an open window has legally been considered "breaking and entering" before.

Well, if it comes down to the local police over-stepping what some argue are the "legal bounds" to ensure the citizens they are supposed to protect are indeed safe and secure, versus a few folks whining about being "violated" because they are too stupid to make sure their families are safe before hitting the sack for the night, I will side with those that are sworn to protect.

I guess we will have to just disagree on this one.