The Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) appeared to backpedal its assertion that citizens should prepare to relinquish their property to robbers and obey criminals via a statement sent to Alpha News Monday.
Last week, the MPD sent a mass email to residents of the city’s Third Precinct, warning them to “be prepared” to hand over their cell phones, purses, and wallets to criminals, who should be obeyed.
However, the department has now attempted to distance itself from the statement after it achieved notoriety, drawing criticism from countless commentators, activists, and lawyers as well as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Donald Trump Jr.
Hey Minnesota maybe it’s time for you to change your leadership?
At this point it’s obvious your existing “leaders” have failed you miserably.
You don’t have to accept this insanity as the new normal. #Minneapolis #Minnesota #mn https://t.co/9lqJYzFHdt— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) August 3, 2020
MPD’s directive to obey criminals “appears to not have gone through the proper channels before release,” according to a statement from department spokesman John Elder.
“There is not a prescribed way to respond to being a victim of a crime. People have different capabilities and each incident is different,” he added.
The police spokesman also specified that Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo was not responsible for his department’s previous email to the citizens of Minneapolis.
“Chief Arradondo later sent out a statement referencing the uptick in crimes in that area. Chief Arradondo sent out an update on enforcement activities later that week. Chief Arradondo was not consulted nor did he send out the original message from the crime prevention specialist,” said Monday’s statement from the MPD.
Alpha News requested clarification regarding the word “appears” in Elder’s statement, seeking to understand if MPD will ever confirm whether or not its previous statement was sent without proper authorization. Elder did not immediately respond, but an update will be published should he do so.
Kyle Hooten
Kyle Hooten is Managing Editor of Alpha News. His coverage of Minneapolis has been featured on television shows like Tucker Carlson Tonight and in print media outlets like the Wall Street Journal.
