I’m not exactly feeling good about local law enforcement these days. Two astounding tales of cop/prosecutor cluelessness follow.

From the cop shop: The Minneapolis Police Department is honoring the SWAT officers who erroneously busted into the wrong house in North Minneapolis last December. Khang Moua and family were sleeping. The cops had the wrong address and were expecting a gang member. Moua started shooting at the cops, thinking he was being robbed, until he realized who they were. They shot back, their poor aim a plus in this case in that none of the family, including six children, were physically hurt. The MPD has apologized to the Mouas but decided to honor the eight officers because of their “bravery under gunfire” and “smart decisions.”

This is one of those tales from through the looking glass, where a cloistered and indifferent police force finds a way to find a morale boost in a massive mess up. Arrogance begets more arrogance it seems. The MPD can’t catch a break between race lawsuits, corruption charges, dissension, and incessant chief turnover. From the look of things, it doesn’t deserve to.

From the Hennepin County Prosecutor: The steel-toed boot of selective and pointless prosecution has snagged poor Max Sanders of Edina, the nineteen-year-old U student who jokingly offered to sell his vote in November for at least $10 and put it up for bid on eBay (no takers). Apparently, that’s illegal (tell that to Chicagoans) though this abuse of prosecutorial discretion is the greater crime.

I’m surprised Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman doesn’t have anything better to do than charge a smart-aleck teenager with multiple felonies to make some ridiculous PR point. Sanders accepted a plea bargain that requires him to do fifty hours of community service. The next time you hear Freeman or District Court judges complaining about a lack of resources or excessive court backlogs, think about pompous Mike Freeman and the prosecution of Max Sanders. Here’s an equally humorless take from the Minnesota Daily.