Fixit: Road-repair crews are on a roll with TP

Q Is that toilet paper that road crews are placing on roads that they are repairing?

A Yes. Toilet paper, cheap and readily available, keeps the rubberized sealant in place and off tires and shoes until it cures. It doesn't take long, then the toilet paper is no longer needed and the single-ply paper harmlessly degrades and washes away.

Source: Minnesota Department of Transportation

Monitoring crime in the neighborhood

Q Is there any Minneapolis police blotter or call record I can access? I'd like to know what's going on in my neighborhood when I see police cars gathered.

A Call your precinct and ask to speak with a community crime prevention officer, the civilian component of the force, said Minneapolis Police Department spokesman Lt. Medaria Arradondo. Every precinct has one. (If you don't know your precinct, call one and they'll tell you.) These specialists track and tabulate crime by neighborhood after reports are filed.

You could listen to a police scanner, Arradondo said, but it might not tell you what you want to know because it's not an accurate indication of what's happening and much of what's said is in code.

For example, Arradondo said you might hear on the radio that there are 20 people fighting with baseball bats in an alley and think it's a melee. But officers get there and call in "code 4 advised and sent." Officers are typing in a report by computer that it's a just a couple of guys disagreeing about a ballgame. It's not a riot. Today, with digital computers, police typically type in the details and don't report over the radio, Arradondo said.

Send your questions to Fixit in care of the Star Tribune, 425 Portland Av. S., Minneapolis, MN 55488, or call 612-673-9033, or e-mail fixit@startribune.com. Past columns are available at www.startribune.com/fixit. Sorry, Fixit cannot supply individual replies.