Crime Watch.

This morning I somehow found myself reading the North Metro Police Blotter on the StarTribune.com.   Here are some of my favorites:
Theft. A slinky, a softball glove and two sets of racquetballs were stolen from a vehicle on the 1700 block of Coon Rapids Boulevard NW.
Child welfare. Two 5-year-old boys were playing in a dumpster at Woodcrest School, 880 Osborne Rd. NE. with no supervision. The boys' guardians were located and counseled on proper babysitting guidelines.
Assisting a family. A woman from an apartment building on the 5400 block of 7th Street NE. called police to report that her 13-year-old son was texting people she did not know and she didn't want him to do that. An officer advised her to take the cellphone away from the child.

And some favorites from the western suburbs:
- While on foot patrol in the Excelsior Commons park July 3, an officer came upon two individuals sitting on a park bench behind the hill located behind the band shell. As the officer approached, it appeared they were drawing on the park bench with a wide tip sharpie marker. Damage estimates pending from the city.
- A 20-year-old Shorewood man was arrested July 3 for disorderly conduct and consumption of alcohol under age 21. The suspect was standing in front of a taxi blocking its path at Maynard's Restaurant, 685 Excelsior Blvd., in Excelsior waving his arms in the air, moving back and forth, trying to prevent the taxi from leaving. The suspect then made an obscene gesture at the occupants, extended his middle fingers and "flipped off" the occupants, all while yelling and arguing. The suspect then opened the taxi door and attempted to punch one of the occupants.