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 Elko New Market PD Shut Down 
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 Post subject: Elko New Market PD Shut Down
PostPosted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 5:20 pm 
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Elko New Market PD Shut Down
Police dept marked by racial
profiling allegations

Created On: Friday, 10 Apr 2009, 3:49 PM CDT

* Tom Lyden

ELKO NEW MARKET, Minn. - City council members voted Thursday night to eliminate the Elko New Market Police Department. The vote comes less than one month after accusations surfaced of racial profiling in the department.

For six months last year, a stuffed monkey hung in the back of an Elko New Market squad car. The monkey was allegedly put there by Sgt. Steve Malecka, who said the toy was given to him by school children.

The issue came up last March, when the city council was considering getting rid of the two full-time and six part-time police officers to save money, only to discover it would actually cost more money to contract with the Scott County Sheriff.

Thursday night, the city council voted 3-2 to get rid of the police department in just 30 days. Officers will be allowed to finish up cases, and in the interim, Scott County Sheriff's deputies will respond to 911 calls.

Councilman Bob Hanna discovered two officers had resigned years earlier, saying the department was engaging in racial profiling. Some of the allegations were against Sgt. Malecka.

A white rookie officer resigned four years ago, saying Malecka used racial epithets and told him the unofficial department policy was: "If you see a black man in a car, find a reason to stop him. He's either going to commit a felony, just leaving the scene of a felony, or just lost."

There was also a police department computer screensaver with a play on Dr. Seuss, with the words, "Horton Hires a Ho."

"The Elko New Market Police Department does not promote racial discrimination," Chief Richard Jensen said. "That matter was reviewed by an outside agency."

But that investigation, conducted by the Lakeville Police Department, focused on the officer making the accusations and found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.

The chief says there were personnel issues with both of the officers who resigned, and that they never complained about racism.

The officers both told FOX 9 in March that statement is simply not true.

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PostPosted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 9:38 am 
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I know Steve Malecha...








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PostPosted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 2:29 pm 
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If I remember the Shakopee paper had something on this a few months ago.


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PostPosted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 3:24 pm 
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We have a thread about the New Market deputy who shoots at noises and runs away here.

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PostPosted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 6:33 pm 
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DeanC wrote:
We have a thread about the New Market deputy who shoots at noises and runs away here.


Unfortunately, the door-kicker works for the greater Scot County area, not specifically for the city of Elko/New Market.

It's not surprising to me - New Market has never really been a huge town, more like "blink and you'll miss it" territory. The best known buisinesses in the area are probably Dominoes, Fish Rock Market (Formerly "O'Sheas"), Elko Speedway, and maybe Firehouse Pizza.

Hardly huge moneymakers, any of them.

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PostPosted: Sat Apr 11, 2009 10:02 pm 
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I think the broader question here, from an urban planning and political perspective, is whether municipalities or counties are going to be the predmoninant government organization. There is nothing especially unusual about cities contracting out police service to the county sheriff. Many small municipalities around the state do. Still more have part-time police coverage only.

What is unusual here is the Elko/New Market is a growing area that already had established its own police. Even if that had been a premature move (and I don't know whether it was or not), it would seem reasonable to wait, for the sake of continuity, because growth will catch up eventually. To close down the PD now moves the PD and its administration back to the county, in essence. I can't believe it will make sense in the long run. For one thing, the county may grow to dislike its end of the bargain at some point. For another, the municipality gives up a good deal of control.


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PostPosted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 6:03 am 
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Binky .357 wrote:
DeanC wrote:
We have a thread about the New Market deputy who shoots at noises and runs away here.


Unfortunately, the door-kicker works for the greater Scot County area, not specifically for the city of Elko/New Market.

Oh that's right. Thanks.

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PostPosted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 7:20 pm 
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To shed a little more light on the environment in the Elko/New Market area:

One day a couple years ago I was going to meet a good friend for lunch. He was working in the area and so I figured Elko was close, why not?

When I got there, it was about noon. As soon as I walked through the door, all conversation stopped. All eyes were on me. The bartender eyed me suspiciously. You could have heard a pin drop.

"Help you?"

"Yeah, a beer and a menu please."

The menu and the beer. No small talk. I thought this was what the nameless drifter must feel like in the spaghetti westerns whgen he walks into the saloon.

For five minutes, whispers and murmured comments. Suspicious looks over the tops of beer glasses. Not a word from the bartender.

Was it something I was wearing? Blue jeans, t-shirt and a leather jacket in March didn't seem so inappropriate. Something I said? "A beer and a menu please" seems far from confrontational or controversial...

When my friend finally showed up, I didn't waste a whole lot of time choking down my lunch and bailing out...

I haven't been back and don't plan to be. It was like Charlie Daniels song "Uneasy Rider".

So, point being... if the xenophobic attitude I saw in fifteen to twenty minutes of non-conversation at that bar is a reflection of the attitude of the greater New Market/Elko area, I suppose their financial woes don't bother me. Nowhere else have I seen such an attitude towards paying customers; that includes some small towns off the beaten path pretty far to the south.

I'll also believe accusations of racism, as much as I hate hearing/seeing that used as a defense for criminal behavior. There was at least one occasion (*before I started the habit of rolling tape on police frequencies) I heard one or two officers on patrol making racially tinged comments on their C2C frequency.

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PostPosted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 10:25 pm 
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I want to move to Elko/New Market... ;)

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PostPosted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 5:51 am 
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Could be used to describe most of outstate Minnesota.

gman1868 wrote:
I want to move to Elko/New Market... ;)

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PostPosted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 6:09 am 
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Minnesotans generally could use lessons in gracious behavior. "Minnesota Nice" is too often a passive aggressive mask.

Half of the folks in Minnesota seem to lack basic socal skills; they cannot even approach a stranger and introduce themselves. Graciousness and etiquette are not necessarily part of the culture, I guess.

(And when they do, half the strangers will reply with something like "Bet you don't remember me" (from 20 yrs ago), keep guessing. Ha ha.)

Some small business owners could double their income by simply teaching their employees how to say hello to people.


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 9:28 am 
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Dick Unger wrote:
Minnesotans generally could use lessons in gracious behavior. "Minnesota Nice" is too often a passive aggressive mask.

Half of the folks in Minnesota seem to lack basic socal skills; they cannot even approach a stranger and introduce themselves. Graciousness and etiquette are not necessarily part of the culture, I guess.

(And when they do, half the strangers will reply with something like "Bet you don't remember me" (from 20 yrs ago), keep guessing. Ha ha.)

Some small business owners could double their income by simply teaching their employees how to say hello to people.


coughcoughgunstopcoughcough

And I actually LIKE Larry. :lol:


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 10:50 am 
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I got this update from AR15.com

Quote:
***UPDATE*** Both news stories from KSTP www.kstp.com

Just days after the city of Elko-New Market voted to eliminate its police department, the city is dealing with a vandalism spree.

Officials say all indications show the crimes are a direct result of last week's decision.

Painted across a public park pavilion, the side of a shed, a dumpster and utility box at Wagner Park, reads the message "this is what no cops looks like."

Also tagged in green paint is the word 'Hannah," likely aimed for the eyes of Elko-New Market City Councilman Bob Hanna––one of three members who voted last week to dissolve the city's police department.

"It just goes to show you need a police department here," said resident Jill Dickerson.

The Scott County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the graffiti cases.

Elko-New Market is approximately 30 miles south of the Twin Cities.


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 7:53 pm 
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SultanOfBrunei wrote:
I got this update from AR15.com

Quote:
***UPDATE*** Both news stories from KSTP www.kstp.com

Just days after the city of Elko-New Market voted to eliminate its police department, the city is dealing with a vandalism spree. ......

This seems like an adult acting out, not some punk kid causing trouble. It's time for someone to grow up.

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PostPosted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 11:25 pm 
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SultanOfBrunei wrote:
I got this update from AR15.com

Quote:
***UPDATE*** Both news stories from KSTP www.kstp.com

Just days after the city of Elko-New Market voted to eliminate its police department, the city is dealing with a vandalism spree.

Officials say all indications show the crimes are a direct result of last week's decision.

Painted across a public park pavilion, the side of a shed, a dumpster and utility box at Wagner Park, reads the message "this is what no cops looks like."

Also tagged in green paint is the word 'Hannah," likely aimed for the eyes of Elko-New Market City Councilman Bob Hanna––one of three members who voted last week to dissolve the city's police department.

"It just goes to show you need a police department here," said resident Jill Dickerson.

The Scott County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the graffiti cases.

Elko-New Market is approximately 30 miles south of the Twin Cities.


My first thought was, it was the cops who did it.... :twisted:

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