Burcum: I’m haunted by the Minnesota shooter’s uncanny police impersonation

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I would have opened the door, too.

It’s now been three weeks since the nightmarish news broke about the shootings that left former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband dead, and Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, fighting for their lives. I can’t stop thinking about how easy it was for the alleged perpetrator to weaponize our collective trust in law enforcement and gain entry into the victims’ homes.

If someone who’s kitted out like an officer and driving what looks like a law enforcement vehicle, complete with flashing lights, knocks on the door in the middle of the night, our first thought is to open it. Top of mind is not verifying the person’s identity but scrambling bleary-eyed to the door while praying that bad news about a loved one isn’t waiting on the other side.

Going forward, I’m not sure I’d ever just open the door unquestioningly again if, God forbid, someone who looks like an officer would knock in the predawn hours. I felt strongly enough to buy a Ring doorbell that allows me to talk through the device instead of face to face, minimizing the risk from someone intent on doing harm.

I suspect many others, especially in Minnesota, have gone through the same thought exercise, and perhaps have installed similar technology.

While it’s a logical reaction to this heartbreaking tragedy, the blow dealt by the perpetrator’s unnerving police impersonation to the public’s confidence in law enforcement is alarming and likely long-lasting. This needs to be acknowledged and acted on.

Melissa Hortman’s hometown police force has some good suggestions below for Minnesotans and their policymakers. Following up is urgent because diminished trust could inhibit law enforcement’s work and put officers and the public at risk.

Consider a situation where there’s a dangerous person on the lam. Officers likely need to go door-to-door in the targeted area to warn citizens or search their property. But residents reluctant to open the door could slow down these critical communications and police work.

With authentic-looking uniforms, protective vests and retired law enforcement vehicles widely available for purchase online, an officer’s distinctive appearance can sadly no longer be counted on as evidence of authenticity. Citizens who might once have leapt to assist may understandably be wary and take some time to confirm that the officer is the real deal.

In a nation of gun owners, there’s also a chance that a resident might take a firearm with them from now on if an officer comes to the door.

That could unintentionally escalate tensions. The armed citizen may be more jittery about a police officer’s identity than in the past. The responding officer would be rightly concerned by this and potentially see that armed person as a threat. Misunderstandings could happen and lead to dangerous consequences.

Further eroding public confidence in the current climate of fear is the behavior of immigration enforcement officers nationally. In a dangerous pattern, federal agents have worn masks, gone without badges or refused to identify themselves. As Hortman’s murder illustrates, impersonators can prove lethal. Immigration enforcement officials’ radical move away from transparency is deeply concerning and could have harmful consequences for other law enforcement because of the trust these practices erode.

To its credit, the Brooklyn Park Police Department’s leadership understood instinctively how shaken the public was by the alleged perpetrator’s police impersonation.

Brooklyn Park is the suburb where the Hortmans resided. In the chaotic hours after their murders, the city’s police officials told the public that officers would come in pairs. That would help residents distinguish between its force and the suspect, who was still at large.

But the “real police officers come in pairs” strategy was a reaction to an unprecedented situation. It isn’t a good indicator of best practices going forward.

“It was easy in the moment to be able to say it will be two police officers that show up to your door because we had all the resources in the world and we were throwing every single resource at it,” said Matt Rabe, Brooklyn Park Police Department’s North Precinct inspector and public information officer.

“The problem is that it doesn’t work long-term. That doesn’t work across the entire state. The truth is that there are not the resources to send two cops to every single call.”

Rabe has fielded concerns about how to tell if a police officer is legitimate. Unfortunately, he said, there’s no easy guide.

There are 400 law enforcement agencies across the state and 10,000 cops, Rabe said. Officers don’t all wear the same uniform. While blue is often the color of choice, there may be different shades of blue. There are marked cars and unmarked cars.

“And that’s not even talking about federal law enforcement, which is also operating within the state of Minnesota and look totally different,” Rabe said, adding that identifying which agencies multi-jurisdictional officers are with can prove difficult even for him.

But Rabe does have solid advice for concerned Minnesotans: “If someone shows up in uniform or what appears to be a uniform at your door and you’re questioning it, call 911. Talk to the dispatcher.”

If the dispatcher isn’t sure, then request police assistance, Rabe advises.

Policy improvements could also help. Rabe recommended that state lawmakers look at strengthening penalties for impersonating a police officer, which under current state law is generally a misdemeanor. Another area for reform: making it easier to distinguish between law enforcement and private security companies. At the very least, a legislative hearing is in order to weigh improvements.

As Rabe noted, someone who is hellbent on committing a crime could find workarounds to these reforms. But doing nothing isn’t an option. The measures he’s suggested are not only a start but a conscientious response to Minnesota’s horrific tragedy.