Cops pay 3 a.m. visit to tell man his door is unlocked

[waggy]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/...wakening.ap/index.html


AKEVILLE, Minnesota (AP) -- 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.

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.

He says the kids inside -- Molde's two sons and two nephews -- were afraid to wake their dad, so the officers went upstairs



WTF! i would be pissed off myself. they have NO reason to enter the house at all. they are lucky they didnt get shot. but then i soppose it would be his fault and get charged with shooting them.

but man this is insane. i would be pissed off at them entering my house without permission also.

 

[rh71]

Usually, officers just leave notices on doors.

So they used to leave notes on the doors so the thieves would know which house was an easy target? Or what?

 

[darkxshade]

alternatively I don't think it would've been the safest move to leave a note on the door telling them it was unlocked.

 

[SirStev0]

Originally posted by: waggy
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/...wakening.ap/index.html


AKEVILLE, Minnesota (AP) -- 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.

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.

He says the kids inside -- Molde's two sons and two nephews -- were afraid to wake their dad, so the officers went upstairs



WTF! i would be pissed off myself. they have NO reason to enter the house at all. they are lucky they didnt get shot. but then i soppose it would be his fault and get charged with shooting them.

but man this is insane. i would be pissed off at them entering my house without permission also.

No one answered and the door was ajar... I am pretty sure that is enough for probably cause. Not saying I am okay with it... just stating reality.

 

[TuxDave]

... the keys to his truck were left in the ignition and the door to his house was ajar...

That's pretty messed up and maybe it looked like a robbery in progress?

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: SirStev0

Originally posted by: waggy
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/...wakening.ap/index.html


AKEVILLE, Minnesota (AP) -- 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.

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.

He says the kids inside -- Molde's two sons and two nephews -- were afraid to wake their dad, so the officers went upstairs



WTF! i would be pissed off myself. they have NO reason to enter the house at all. they are lucky they didnt get shot. but then i soppose it would be his fault and get charged with shooting them.

but man this is insane. i would be pissed off at them entering my house without permission also.

No one answered and the door was ajar... I am pretty sure that is enough for probably cause. Not saying I am okay with it... just stating reality.

so since a garage door is open its probable cause to enter the house and a door open is reason to enter? since when?

 

[cultgag]

Well I can also see where the police department is coming from...


3 AM
Garage door open
Door of the house open
TV on
Keys to truck i ignition
no answer to knocks


Although I'd be agitated, I'd also be thankful that it was the cops instead of a bulglar.

 

[rivan]

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.

So, by all appearances, the house may have been robbed. Possibly violently.

You might be pissed they came inside and woke you up.

I'd have been pissed if my wife were home alone with a knife to her throat and they DIDN'T investigate.

 

[Kelvrick]

Originally posted by: waggy

Originally posted by: SirStev0

Originally posted by: waggy
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/...wakening.ap/index.html


AKEVILLE, Minnesota (AP) -- 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.

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.

He says the kids inside -- Molde's two sons and two nephews -- were afraid to wake their dad, so the officers went upstairs



WTF! i would be pissed off myself. they have NO reason to enter the house at all. they are lucky they didnt get shot. but then i soppose it would be his fault and get charged with shooting them.

but man this is insane. i would be pissed off at them entering my house without permission also.

No one answered and the door was ajar... I am pretty sure that is enough for probably cause. Not saying I am okay with it... just stating reality.

so since a garage door is open its probable cause to enter the house?

Keys in truck and the tv on as well.

I wonder if the kids were watching tv and then came to the front when the officers called in the front door.

EDIT: In this situation, I would have appreciated the fact that they investigated. Heck, just my door ajar with no answer I wouldn't have minded them coming in.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: cultgag
Well I can also see where the police department is coming from...


3 AM
Garage door open
Door of the house open
TV on
Keys to truck i ignition
no answer to knocks


Although I'd be agitated, I'd also be thankful that it was the cops instead of a bulglar.

having a garage door open isn othing.
having a TV on is nothing
keys in the truck again while stupid is nothing.

no knocks? ITS 3 am!

the door opne? ok yeah wierd but not probable cause to enter a house.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: Kelvrick

Originally posted by: waggy

Originally posted by: SirStev0

Originally posted by: waggy
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/...wakening.ap/index.html


AKEVILLE, Minnesota (AP) -- 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.

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.

He says the kids inside -- Molde's two sons and two nephews -- were afraid to wake their dad, so the officers went upstairs



WTF! i would be pissed off myself. they have NO reason to enter the house at all. they are lucky they didnt get shot. but then i soppose it would be his fault and get charged with shooting them.

but man this is insane. i would be pissed off at them entering my house without permission also.

No one answered and the door was ajar... I am pretty sure that is enough for probably cause. Not saying I am okay with it... just stating reality.

so since a garage door is open its probable cause to enter the house?

Keys in truck and the tv on as well.

I wonder if the kids were watching tv and then came to the front when the officers called in the front door.

so keys ina truck and a TV on? big fucking deal.

yeah i bet the kids were watching TV or fell asleep watching it.

 

[Kelvrick]

Originally posted by: waggy

Originally posted by: cultgag
Well I can also see where the police department is coming from...


3 AM
Garage door open
Door of the house open
TV on
Keys to truck i ignition
no answer to knocks


Although I'd be agitated, I'd also be thankful that it was the cops instead of a bulglar.

having a garage door open isn othing.
having a TV on is nothing
keys in the truck again while stupid is nothing.

no knocks? ITS 3 am!

the door opne? ok yeah wierd but not probable cause to enter a house.

The article doesn't say anything about knocks or not.

 

[sixone]

Hmmm...let's see here...four kids downstairs with the door standing open, and knocking on the door doesn't even wake dad up.

And his keys in the truck's ignition. He's lucky to only FEEL violated.

 

[waggy]

http://www.kare11.com/news/new...storyid=515697&catid=2


Troy Molde's two sons and two nephews were having a slumber party in their Lakeville living room Wednesday when two new guests knocked on the back door: a pair of Lakeville cops.

"It's 3 in the morning and I was sleeping," Molde said.

Police were patrolling the Moldes' neighborhood and had seen the garage door and a back door open. And when they realized the front door was unlocked, the keys were in the car's ignition, and there were kids inside, they feared the worst.

"They had to check from a health and welfare point check and make sure those kids were okay," said Lakeville Police Chief Tom Vonhof.

The officers rang the doorbell and got no answer. Then they opened the door and announced they were in the house. With no response, the police walked upstairs and found Troy asleep in bed.

"I woke up to them pounding on the wall with flashlights in my face," Troy said. "(They said) 'Lakeville police!' and that's when I got up and said, 'What's going on?'"

It turns out nothing was going on, except that Troy had forgotten to shut the garage and lock his doors, but police say they worried. A third of Lakeville's residential burglaries occur because of open garage doors, and just last month, a man in nearby Burnsville was murdered during a break in. That's why Vonhof says his officers did the right thing, not knowing if the Moldes were in danger.

"We can't have that," Vonhof said. "We have to determine everything's alright."

Today, the family is alright, but Troy says he feels violated, grateful police are protective, but feeling they went too far.

"If that boundary is crossed, what do we do?" Molde said. "Because if it's crossed with me, it can be crossed with anybody."

Molde says he hasn't ruled out legal action, but met with a Lakeville police officer last night to discuss what happened.

Lakeville police say they'll continue to leave notices on unsecured homes, saying burglaries in the city have dropped in the past year since they started reminding residents to be more careful.




this one has them ringing the doorbell ten entering. yeah i would be pissed that they did it.

just does not seem to me enough justification for them to enter a house.

 

[cultgag]

Originally posted by: Kelvrick

Originally posted by: waggy

Originally posted by: cultgag
Well I can also see where the police department is coming from...


3 AM
Garage door open
Door of the house open
TV on
Keys to truck i ignition
no answer to knocks


Although I'd be agitated, I'd also be thankful that it was the cops instead of a bulglar.

having a garage door open isn othing.
having a TV on is nothing
keys in the truck again while stupid is nothing.

no knocks? ITS 3 am!

the door opne? ok yeah wierd but not probable cause to enter a house.

The article doesn't say anything about knocks or not.

It says the intrusion was justified cuz the knocks went unanswered. Anyways, I'd take precaution over the alternative in this case.

 

[Kelvrick]

That one doesn't jive with the other article saying the kids wouldn't wake their dad up.

 

[D1gger]

Originally posted by: Kelvrick

Originally posted by: waggy

Originally posted by: cultgag
Well I can also see where the police department is coming from...


3 AM
Garage door open
Door of the house open
TV on
Keys to truck i ignition
no answer to knocks


Although I'd be agitated, I'd also be thankful that it was the cops instead of a bulglar.

having a garage door open isn othing.
having a TV on is nothing
keys in the truck again while stupid is nothing.

no knocks? ITS 3 am!

the door opne? ok yeah wierd but not probable cause to enter a house.

The article doesn't say anything about knocks or not.

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.

Sounds to me like they were justified to enter to ensure the safety of the occupants.

It also goes on to say that they only went upstairs because the kids were scared to wake their father, so the cops went upstairs to make the adults aware of the situation. Sounds entirely reasonable to me. If the cops come by my house in middle of the night and the door into my house is open I hope they come it to make sure everything is OK.

 

[ViviTheMage]

ROFL silly Minnesotans.

 

[Ns1]

I think it's pretty legit.

 

[sdifox]

didn't this happen some time ago? Or this is a new incident because I remember this title from before.

 

[SirStev0]

Considering there was a break-in/robbery/murder a town over, they might be justified.

 

[jtvang125]

They had more than enough probable cause to enter. I don't see where the problem is.

 

[RandomFool]

I'd be fine with that. Think of it this way if they were getting robbed or something and the cops just left a note that would look horrible. I can see the headline now "Cop's Failure to investigate kills family"

 

[Jeff7]

Good thing the homeowner didn't wake up and defend his home against armed intruders.

So what, he's stupid and basically hangs a sign on his house that says "ROB ME!"
It still shouldn't give police the right to walk in. Maybe their knocks on the door weren't answered because everyone was sleeping.
I've slept through smoke alarms already, I'm in an upstairs bedroom, and there's sometimes traffic noise outside (trucks rumbling past on a lousy road). A door knock might not wake me.
But then I also don't leave my keys in the car ignition, I don't have a garage, and I've got a door lock, deadbolt, and one of those chain lock things.

 

[poopaskoopa]

I love to read about cops abusing their powers as much as anyone, and I can't tell legally if they did or didn't do anything wrong, but this is ridiculous. The only thing this fool is missing is a neon sign saying his house is Open for Burglars.

A dumbass like this guy makes me feel bad for being on my side of things.