Bismarck, North Dakota News

" The type of law enforcement they want? Seriously? Like the law bends because we live in the middle of nowhere? Law enforcement is universal. This buddy system of small town cops isn't ideal by any means. I've benefited from knowing the cops but the older I get, the more I realize how dangerous it is. You can't just sit down a cop when he comes to town and say, "Alright, we don't ticket speeders or kids for drinking because they're so-and-so's kids and he's on city council." The reality is North Dakota isn't the friendly safe state it used to be. We have to lock up our farm chemicals so meth-heads don't steal them. Ten years ago, we didn't even have to lock our doors! Wake up - you can't tell a police officer what to enforce because that's how you like it. "

" Find out what they want ticketed??? Are you kidding me, that is totally wrong. When a person becomes an officer he swears an oath to up hold all laws, not just the popular ones. Big city or small town, they all fall under the North Dakota Century Code. Not the Mayberry code. Whats fair for one is fair for all. "

" Just because there are no cars in view for 2 miles in either direction a rolling stop is still a rolling stop. Same with jaywalking. No cars on the road the law is still the law. An alley that is simply a dirt roadway surrounded by more dirt/grass yards is the same to the law as a big city alley boxed in by buildings. And unless the people of Larimore can get their facts together they will no doubt lose if a lawsuit is filed against them. They obviously do not know the difference between big city laws and small town laws or they never would have hired him in the first place. I am waiting for the courtroom drama. I am waiting on the edge of my seat because I know you are legally wrong but you are very right. "

" Big city cop, I am in agreement on "why I want out of the big city", but then there is the other side of this problem. Don't bring big city ideas to a small town. The first thing you have to learn is the local customs. Find out what the people want ticketed and the other infringements which are to be judged on the circumstances and need a minimal response. Doing a rolling "stop" when there is no traffic is not the same as someone who is doing 50 down the main street. Try "When in Rome, do as the Romans do", then there will not be so many hackles raised. What torques my jaw is when the "big city cops" won't enforce the drug laws. We were able to get a site where we could observe and film 3 drug dealing sites (NOT Larimore). When the police chief was shown what we had, he did NOTHING and the drug trafficking continued. That kind of selective enforcement (at best) stinks. By the way, the police chief was the same race as the drug dealers, but we did not consider that an issue, nor did we ever bring that up, because we call that racism. Works the other way around too, don't you know. "

" It almost sounds like the definition of a "Bad Cop" in Larimore is one who does his job. Then the good people begin with sarcastic racial innuendoes, telephone threats, and a self appointed vigilante trying to kill him with his car. If Larimore is at the point where someone who does standard police work is marked for harassment and death they better quickly hire several good policemen. The Baltimore article is interesting. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.chief11dec11,0,4131002.story?coll=bal-local-headlines If Chief Jones started tape recording any of the threats it will be very revealing. Pocket tape recorders are used by many policemen to help write reports later, or three calls later. If Larimore residents were real smart they would invite him back, give him two more policemen, and be real nice to him this time. "

" I am going to have to believe that this firing was not necessary, not warranted, and requested by someone who's hands were slapped for old habits that finally got some attention. Did the wrong guy get picked up? Did the wrong kid get reprimanded? Are people making demands from the council or the mayor because he "owes" them a favor or they have him on a short leash? Is this new guy catching onto some things that the town would rather have been left alone? Was this chief upsetting the apple cart? These are questions that have not been addressed. They hired this guy to do a job, and are now apparently unhappy that he did it. Yes, the chief was on probation and can be released of his duties in that time period, but there should be a good reason. Did he enforce the law? Yes, that must be it!! I think the town is in way too deep now to back out. Sucks to be the council/mayor/judge about now. "

" I'm sure the story will all come out when the lawsuit is filed. No doubt lots of big city lawyers have called him offering to represent him, after seeing his story in the Baltimore Sun. No doubt you will soon begin to see dignified, well dressed, black tourists visiting your restaurants. No doubt property tax rates will suffer. Especially if the lady that told him she was going to have him run out of town is related to the mayor or anyone on the city council. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.chief11dec11,0,4131002.story?coll=bal-local-headlines "

" I grew up in a small town of about 5500 people, and the police chief was as old as the sidewalks. He knew everyone and their kids, knew who had money and who was influential in the town, and what kids needed to be ignored. A new chief would have been under a lot of scrutiny and criticism until he had conformed. My husband was also a deputy sheriff at one time, and was sure one night he would lose his job because he picked up the "wrong" person. There are a lot of politics in small towns beyond the officers realm, and it seems that having the law enforced is not on the top of the list. As in a lot of professions, sadly, people have to be more worried about keeping their jobs than doing them. Maybe the attitudes of the townspeople and situations would have improved if everyone would have met in the middle here, but that probably didn't happen, so many people, including the chief, became defensive in the face of criticism. Is it possible that some people knew the town may stand behind them and they pushed this "new guy"? His job is to enforce, and the courts can decide if the charges stick after hearing each side. Maybe the local court system has no guts. Maybe there are people in that town who have things over others heads.... and then outsiders get caught in the crossfire. I'm just suggesting some possible happenings here, that's all. We don't know the story at this point, only the details certain people want to give. "

" Ok the question about the parking ticket. The alley that he parked in has a garage in back where they park their cars but of course with a family of 4 you can't park them all in there. He pulled to the side of the alley in the grass of his yard. Not in the middle which would block emergency vehicles. "

" To bigpoppaduck: I guess that could have been a reason for many of the complaints heard at the town meeting but I don't know if that is the reason he was fired. "

" Car theft in Baltimore is common. A person who leaves engine running while vehicle unattended in Baltimore is very likely to have it stolen. Jaywalkers on busy Baltimore streets often are run over. Often they are intoxicated, in dark clothing, and jaywalking at night. Writing them tickets can save their lives. Also if a jaywalker has several tickets then those records help the driver that eventually hits him. Blocking the narrow alleys in Baltimore is a big problem to emergency workers. Tall buildings or walls often built right up to the narrow alley. Fire and ambulance employees are the worst effected. Then the fact that the new Police Chief was the only one in town that did not know almost everyone by name, where they lived, what car they drove, where they worked. Naturally that also means he was the only one in town that would not know if a stranger was driving around acting suspicious. The new chief might be much more qualified for that job. "

" I think it's against the law to leave the engine running on a vehicle that is left unattended. At least that's what one of the cops told me here in Bismarck. He said it's mainly due to theft of the vehicle, he said not all vehicles have the theft detterent systems in them. "

" Sounds like Chief Jones was overqualified? http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.chief11dec11,0,4131002.story?coll=bal-local-headlines Certainly writing a ticket for leaving a car engine running while unattended??? is a little strange in North Dakota. Writing a ticket for jaywalking in a small town is novel. Some of his parking tickets were probably a first time ever for that town. However the judge could thrown out the tickets and could have had a chat with the new chief. Previously, Jones had been a corporal with Maryland Natural Resources Police, an instructor with the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commissions, a deputy sheriff in Cecil County and a detective for the Department of Defense at Aberdeen Proving Ground. It is most unfortunate that a 50 year old police veteran was not helped to adapt to a North Dakota City. I bet it could have been done if anyone really wanted good police work. First he needed to be told what is normal in North Dakota. Few cars are stolen while running in a North Dakota parking lot. I doubt there is a law covering that. I would think the judge would have begun by throwing that ticket out and helping the very qualified Chief understand our issues. Unless Jones was really set in his ways also? "

" I agree with bigpappakdog. Also I note that the guy that rammed his car was from the nearby much much larger city of Grand Forks. So my question to any locals is whether the big city drinkers have retreated to the under policed nearby town and become a nuisance. Or a nuisance to many except the guy selling the alcohol. Also if the tickets were excessive and nuisance tickets then why did the local judge not throw them out. "

" I guess I have a question that if a parking ticket was issued for a vehicle parked in an alley then that was a public alley and parking on the alleyway or blocking it is not allowed. Unless the owners have gone thru the process and had the alley vacated, then the alley belongs to the city, falls under city ordinances and he did not park in "his alley". I'm under the impression that if blocked, then it can be a ticketable offense...How would emergency vehicles such as fire or EMS get thru if necessary? "

" to tarryn: So am I right to assume that the tolerance towards drinking and driving was not viewed the same by jones, and that him cracking down on alcohol could be the reason for his dismissal? The reason for my last post was because I lived in a town of about 1000 people for my first 18 years and saw/heard about questionable things that occurred that were never dealt with by the police....again my view was it has always been this way so don't change it.... "

" I tend to be a duck and believe the first thing I hear. Sometimes I believe everything I hear. Pay higher property taxes for having a police department who writes silly parking tickets and stakes out the bars? It almost sounds like many believe they hired someone to harass themselves? But that is sorta what we all do. But then there are the conspiracy theorists. Some are in the know. I once lived a while in a very activist State. Lawyers were hiring black people in big cities to go try to rent an apartment or house in an all white area. After he or she was told their were no vacancies or already rented, then a white person was sent and had no problem renting. Then the lawyer they worked for had his lawsuit. I personally knew a young cambodian american college student who was working as a night clerk at a hotel. He was approached by a older (35-ish) cambodian lady to go work for a lawyer doing just that. Trying to rent houses and apartments. I was surprised when he took the job. Nothing is more interesting that real life and how some things finally work out.... So now we have a town with a less qualified white police chief (on paper) and I am waiting for the next shoe to drop. Oh the suspense. "

" I live in Larimore. This is the story as I know it. We hired Mr. Jones and most people thought it would be good for the town. Not very long after he started giving out tickets for speeding which is good. There were also many rumors going around about harrassment at the bars and whatnot but I don't know if they are true. But then there came silly parking tickets. One friend of mine parked in his own alley and recieved a ticket. Most of the media says that the problem was with his ticketing practices, but most people had problems with his attitude. In small towns we just want to feel safe and we don't want to be disrespected. I have heard firsthand from some good people that he was rude when addressing certain issues with them. There are drinking problems in Larimore, there is no doubt about that. He mainly patrolled around the bars at night which is great. And many of the people protesting his ticketing practices and claimed that business was going down was the bar owners and heavy drinkers. Now you can't tell me that there isn't one town that has no racist community members. I'm not going to lie when I say there are a few in Larimore. But the vast majority is not. 2 out of the 7 city council members are minorities. Not saying that the mayor is racist, but I have a hard time believing that the mayor would have the guts to fire Mr. Jones because he is black. But we won't know for sure until the mayor gives his reasons for firing him. But if you don't live there please don't believe everything you read and comment like you know the whole story. Alot of newspapers only gave one side of the story. There were many people who did respect and support him. But I think most lost that respect when he claimed racism. "

" I haven't seen anything other than the articles written in the Tribune....But I would guess that Larimore fits the typical scenario of a small town that allows/tolerates certain behaviors and they didn't like some outsider telling them different. I've seen this happen in Glen Ullin ND where they ran out their hired police for the same reason....they also have a history of allowing/tolerating certain behaviors within their town....black/white I guess we'll have to wait until all the facts come out before judgement can be made about that.....anybody else agree with me on the small town tolerance towards certain things that wouldn't fly in a bigger city? "

" Doing a web search using keywords "Larimore Steve Jones" finds several stories. By Oct 3rd the city had 20 written citizen complaints. One downtown business owner said he was scaring away business. It seems obvious that the people were becoming afraid of him. Normally the community comes to the Chief with their problems. That was not happening. It would appear that he thought being a good police Chief meant just being an active traffic cop. That might have been his only function in his previous policeman job. Big cities have crowded highways where policemen are often required to write lots of tickets. Hopefully the Sheriff or one of his Lieutenants will take the new Police Chief under their wing and help with Basic training programs to round him out. If they are having a burglary problem meeting with citizens groups and organizing neighborhood watches might help. If teenagers and drugs are a problem he might need to get some undercover state narcotics police to come through trying to make some buys. If the locals are intimidated by outsiders speeding through he should address that issue. I read that the Larimore census for 2000 lists 576 households and 1,433 people. I have seen a town about that size go back and forth between having a police force or just being serviced by the Sheriffs Dept. When you pay the higher property taxes to have a police department you expect that they will work for you solving your problems. Just the pay for one policeman is going to cost the community about 3 dollars per month per household. Then he must have insurance, have a vehicle, fuel for vehicle, maintenance on vehicle. A two man police department might cost each homeowner an extra 200 dollars per year on property taxes. Some of the complaints might be people unhappy about the higher taxes and showing it in other ways? Just a few wild speculations loosely based on what I have heard before? "

" I cannot believe that small town Larimore cares more about the color of a man's skin then they do about the law. Those laws that man was upholding are for the good of everyone under his protection. This situation makes me want to get out of the Air Force and switch to law enforcement just to go back to Larimore for that job. I'm white and I assure you that they would have a harder time with me, within the extent of the law that is. Then they'd have judge by principle and not by race. "

" I have lived in ND all my life and I not white...I am not native,although majority would guess that I am...I have enjoyed all my years here..I believe your character is still what people judge you by....Do people make jokes, sure, but don't we all? Racism exists, but I believe people continue to encourage it because their character fits the stigma related to certain races... "

" Are you telling me that person of color should be exempt from being fired? I'm sure they noticed the guy was black when they hired him. I don't think they give this guy a the job because he was black either. This town is far too small to have to worry about hiring quota's. Like I said before, the city fathers did a poor job picking thier Chief of Police. This man obviously felt he neede to run a tight ship and that was not the type of law enforcement the town was used to or desired. People like you really divide the races by trying to make every issue into a racial thing!!! "

" We all have to face some sad facts...nd ranks at the bottom in enforcing/tolerating certain crimes...we tolerate underage drinking....we tolerate driving drunk...I was from a small town and know that underage parties have taken place at the town park.....this story is too incomplete....but being fired for being overzealous is a sign that people want to continue to tolerate/allow certain crimes in their community....thumbs down if that is the case.... "

" We talk about ND being the greatest place to live and raise a family but the truth is that only applies to White people not anybody of color. Larimore hired the person to enforce the law and when he does he is run out of town. When I first heard of this story I did not know he was black. After finding this out and what the news has said I now understand. My first sentence says it all. "

" To "Big City Cop". Mostly they leave to get their kids away from the gangs, and drugs, and other problems in schools in the big city. That article did not tell us much except he was described as overly aggressive, not able to hear the other side, etc. I lived for a while in a medium sized town that was unhappy about the newly hired local policemen leaving to get a bigger paycheck in the bigger cities. That was after the town spent money putting them through police academy certification. City decided to save money and hire only policemen who were already trained. They hired at least three big city policemen. Two of them were problems. The city ended up paying out thousands of dollars in lawsuits when one drunk died in the back of a police car (crushed larynx) and another was injured for life from gunshots. A grand jury foreman investigating them was killed while deer hunting. Investigation by a large media revealed that one of them had cost his previous department thousands in lawsuits. Two lawsuits were from beating a burglar and a drunk repeatedly with his nightstick where he broke more than one bone, numerous bruises, while allegedly swearing "you S.O.B.". His other tendency was to see a gun, or think he saw a gun, then empty his revolver and run for his shotgun and empty it. Big city police departments will not give out information on officers who leave. Usually that is a good thing. Unfortunately they can also be covering up information that they do not want lawyers and media to see. Police departments do not assist lawyers wanting to sue them. However big city qualified people who were later hired as Chief were very good and the education they brought to the small area saved a lot of money and gained a lot of public trust. In the above article the new police chief has a lot to learn and I wish him well. "

" This is directed at Jerry B. You obviously have no idea why an officer from a big city makes twice as much as a small town chief. the reason for this is because it costs three times as much to live in Baltimore, MD than it does to live in Larimore, ND, it costs twice as much to live in Baltimore than Fargo, for that matter. These officer's leave these departments for many reasons. Some may be personal others are professional. If he would have been asked to resign don't you think the mayor of larimore would have found that out when he spoke with the Baltimore Police Department about Chief Jones. I am sure he left for the same reason most do. He was tired of working in one of the most dangerous cities in America and tired of having to deal with the disrespect us big city cops have to deal with. Jerry I grew up in small town north dakota, was a cop in small town north dakota and I think i have a pretty good idea how it works, since i am now a member of law enforcement in Washington, DC. If you would like to make a comment about something you had better have some type of experience to back it up, otherwise you shouldn't say anything at all. "

" Why are the comments to this article split between two sites. The one under "Bismarck Mandan Local News" has the most postings. The "Top commented Stories" much fewer and by different people. "

" This is not a race issue. It is the same old story of a big city police officer coming to a little town. Probably without given any direction as to what type of law enforcement is desired by the community. The people of this town deserve the type of law enforcemnt they want, but this should be presented to the new chief before he is hired. I think that a lot of the problem here is the towns elders failing to realise this. I do commend them for hiring a local to be thier next chief. Instead of hiring another cop right away they should use the funds they have to pay him a descent wage or I suspect he will be gone too. This situation has happened before in ND. Many years ago a small town hired two New York City cops as thier police department, it didn't last long. I'm not saying big city cops are bad it is just that they have diffent values. In order to be successful in a small town you hqave to have some background in this type of policing otherwise you are at a huge disadvantage. The leaders of other small towns should take this advise when selecting thier next Chief. I have been in law enforcement over thirty yars starting in a town of 700. Best of luck to the old Chief I hope he finds a place that can use a man of his backgroung and good luck to the new chief. "

" It is my observation that the mayor reacted to pressure from a select few people who resented the fact that the police chief did not "kow-tow" to them because they were too important to have to follow the rules everyone else is expected to follow. They were the ones making the noise to get rid of Chief Jones. Mayor Denault might have been able to hold off at that level, but the attack by a man from Grand Forks gave him the excuse that negative publicity was being leveled at Larimore by the continued presence of Chief Jones. "

" sounds like the moral and wholesome goodness of North Dakota has soured. Racism exists because it is learned. Maybe the state board of education needs a workshop or two. open your eyes, the learning is all around you, and what are we doing about it? if an issue can be deemed to be a contribution to racism/hate, the issue needs to be eliminated by procedures or laws. we all need to get involved and be positive role models for our young learning minds. "

" To Jerry B... taking your comment into consideration, it sounds like a good training tool might be "The Andy Griffith Show" DVDs. Jones was railroaded for enforcement and because he is black. The meth problem in the NE corner of the state is at epidemic levels and traffic enforcement (real, not imagined, infractions) is a great way to cross paths with users, traffickers, dealers and manufacturers. I'm still waiting for someone from Larimore to get on here and tell the "real" story we're promised exists. "

" Why is it suspicious when a "big city" cop moves to a small midwestern town? Maybe his family was tired of the problems associated with big city living or possibly they have family in North dakota, or looking for a slower pace in life. There are to many possibilties to judge this man for why he left the big city.Money is not everything to everyone, there are more important thing in life than how much you make. It sounds to me Jerry B. that you are just bitter because a minority moved into your neck of the woods and possibly took a job away from one of your good ole boy friends? Remember that we are free to live where ever we so choose no matter our race. "

" An entry-level police officer in Baltimore makes over $39,000 dollars per year. http://www.mdta.state.md.us/mdta/servlet/dispatchServlet?url=/Police/recruitment.jsp This is a very incomplete story. Saying a man is a "law enforcement veteran from the Baltimore, Md., area" does not give much information. Is he a retired patrolman who never promoted? Is he a retired sergeant or lieutenant? Or did he bail out of the big city half way through his career as a patrolman. Big city police have so many people yelling and spitting in their face over the years they often are a bit intolerant. I would wonder what was in his mind when he moved to a small predominately white town. Obviously he did not comprehend the social glue that holds small towns together. Obviously he did not understand that a police chief is there to make people feel safe, and get involved when people violate each other's rights. If people are not being injured by people speeding a few miles over the limit or drinking a few to many then he needed to relax. In the big city they usually have a quota system. A particular patrol might be expected to write two and one half speeding tickets per day. Not good training to go to a small town. Then there is the habit of big city police agencies to handle patrolmen who have excessive complaints, and excessive lawsuits, by telling them to go find another job or be fired. Big cities usually pay more than twice as much salary as a small town. A patrolman in most big cities makes far more money that a Police Chief in small town mid-west. It is not suspicious when a big city policeman retires to the mid-west. It is very suspicious when a big city policeman is willing to take a lot less money to work in the mid-west. "

" I lived in a small town where the police targeted a certain man for good reason. He kept driving drunk without a license. He would go to jail, and as soon as he got out, he would do it again. This man was the town drunk, and felt the cops were picking on him, when in fact they were trying to protect the community from his actions. To my knowledge he has been picked up and thrown in jail at least 20 times, and always managed to pay his way out of jail, just so he could go sit in the bar again. Of course the police in small towns know who the troublemakers are and are only doing their job in trying to stop them. I am a law abiding citizen and was never afraid to drive anywhere because I never drove drunk or broke any laws. Anytime I was picked up it was because I was breaking the law, such as the time I got a speeding ticket. It's insane to get mad at the police for doing their job. These guys are there when we need them and deserve alot more respect than they're given. They put their lives in danger every day, are underpaid and underappreciated. What would we do without them? I think that the mayor of Larimore made a big mistake in firing Jones. Besides a racial discrimination case, it's quite obvious the mayor may still be holding a grudge for Mommy's $60.00 ticket, although he couldn't possibly fire him at the time, that would have been too obvious. Jones has a great chance of winning this one in court if he chooses to press charges for being fired for discrimination, as he was doing his job serving and protecting the community. Laws are made to follow, and anytime we break them, we suffer the consequences. Jones wasn't breaking any laws. It sounds to me like the people in Larimore wanted him to sit in his squad car and eat donuts. "