Undercover police make arrests, but purse has no takersNEWS TRIBUNE
Hoping to catch purse thieves in the Miller Hill Mall area over the weekend, undercover Duluth police officers caught only good Samaritans instead, Lt. Gordon Ramsay said.
"We were refreshingly surprised," Ramsay said.
Would-be thieves were tempted with an unattended purse, while the purse's owner -- really an undercover cop -- chatted on a phone nearby.
"But we didn't catch anybody," Ramsay said Sunday. "The amazing thing was people kept picking up the purse and returning it -- or turning it over to clerks in the stores."
But that's not always the case. Many people are victimized by purse thieves, especially during the holidays, when shoppers can be more frazzled and less attentive, Ramsay, the supervisor for the department's Central Division, said.
"It's not an uncommon problem," he said. "We do have purses stolen on a regular basis."
Often, thieves not only take cash, but also steal identities, Ramsay said.
None of those who turned in the purse were charged.Shoppers might not be as fortunate as the undercover officers were and should keep up their guard, Ramsay said.
In other undercover operations Friday and Saturday, police issued about eight tickets in the skywalk system for public drinking, smoking and littering, Ramsay said.
One man also was arrested for soliciting prostitution from an undercover officer, Ramsay said.
The department plans to increase undercover operations in the New Year in an effort to "go on the offensive," Ramsay said.
Bold mine. Excuse me? What would they be charged with? Doing the right thing?
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