Fraters Libertas

Cake Eating Cops Congregate

For months, we here in Minnesota have had to endure constant caterwauling from our public officials over reduced budgets and lack of funds for critical community services. Police and sheriff departments have complained endlessly about staffs that are stretched too thin due to increased homeland security demands. We have heard them complain that the recently passed legislation extending on-sale liquor hours to 2:00 am would increase these demands, not to mention the additional staff needed to process the oncoming onslaught of new gun permit applications after the conceal and carry law passed. After having such concerns repeatedly pounded into one’s brain, it’s not hard to be left with the impression that the safety of our citizens must truly be in danger.

Not so in prestigious Edina. Making my way home through the city at 8:30 pm on Memorial Day, we came across what looked like a major accident along the highway. Six squad cars were plainly in sight, two with lights a-blazin’. Was it a horrific ten car pile up, you ask? Thankfully, it was not. Maybe it was an overturned semi? Not today. Could it be that a vanload of suspected terrorists have just had their nefarious plans thwarted by the men in blue? Not likely. No, what we had here was a speed trap. There was one squad car on the side of the highway whose occupant had his radar gun at the ready. Three cars were lined up on the entrance ramp waiting to de dispatched to the next dangerous citizen bold enough to flaunt the law in broad daylight. The other two were further on up the road processing their speed crazed victims.

Now, Edina’s police patrol division is comprised of 39 officers with one supervisor and 6 officers serving on a typical 8 hour shift. Let’s assume that these forces were doubled to deal with the increased traffic typical of a holiday weekend. This means that half of Edina’s forces on the streets were stationed on a half mile stretch of highway. Does that sound like a staff that is spread too thin to you?

Oh yes, did I forget to mention that the city of Edina is in the process of building a new 57,000 square foot City Hall and Public Safety building. That’s a lot of speeding tickets….