s/o Would you call the police?

[Joules]

Spinning off the most recent shooting thread: I'm thinking back to times I've called the police and wondering if faced with the same situations today, would I still call?  I know the "See Something, Say Something" campaign is still active, but realizing that if you are wrong when you call, an innocent person could die...that's disconcerting.

 

I feel like we have a good police department here,so I'm not specifically worried, but it is a majority white area and white department,.  I do feel like I would investigate a situation further rather than automatically call now.  Just curious if others felt the same way.

 

Edited to add:  Suspicious person is too questionable to define, so how about: Are there any circumstances that you would have called before, but after the recent events you would think twice or not call?

 

I'm just really curious if any police-calling behavior has been changed by the news of late (by news of late, I mean cases like Tamir Rice and the therapist this week.)

Edited July 22, 2016 by Joules

[Guest]

In a heartbeat.

 

If there is a crime in progress or someone is in danger I'd call immediately without any concern at all. The very real danger of the crime or threatening situation far outweighs any possible future crime or danger from an overly aggressive cop. Why would I outweigh the real problem occurring for the fear of something remote and unlikely that might occur?

 

Maybe it is a position of good fortune I'm speaking from, but watching our local cops deal with my frIend's alcoholic spouse and teen vandals and theft? Seeing how they handle the investigation of drug diversion in our pharmacies? I am grateful and impressed by the nearly uniform levels of professionalism and calm with which they have dealt with these challenges and those involved, regardless of skin color or SES.

 

I have my criticisms of the APD and they're not perfect, but no way would I leave a crime perpetrated or in progress unreported for fear of violence by the cops. That is far outside my local experience here in Alaska and in back down in San Diego.

[Joules]

In a heartbeat.

 

If there is a crime in progress or someone is in danger I'd call immediately without any concern at all. 

 

Sorry, I was specifically asking about a suspicious person, not viewing an actual crime in progress.  That's what I meant about investigate further to make sure there was something to call about.

 

I'm pretty sure most of us would call on a crime in progress, though I could add that question to the poll.

Edited July 22, 2016 by Joules

[SKL]

I can only remember one time I called the cops.  My next-door neighbor was in the hospital, and her son told me the house was going to be empty and would I please watch it.  Some time (a week?) later, some unfamiliar people came in a van and entered through the garage and started putting stuff from the house into the van.  I called the cops and told them I wasn't sure if those guys belonged there or not.  The cops came and talked to them and were satisfied and went away.  The only reason I called was that the neighbor specifically asked me to watch.  Would I do it again?  Probably, under the same circumstances.

 

I had the cops called on me at least once.  Someone was bothered when I ran in to a FedEx store for a few minutes with my school-aged kids in the car.  I would never ever call the cops under those circumstances and I don't think anyone should, unless there are very specific, immediately life-threatening factors.  There are many other options for dealing with parenting choices you disagree with.  :)

 

I guess you could say that in general, I view cops as a last resort and have been in very few situations that warranted a call.  The ones that have warranted a call (like the guy who tried to attack me at a lonely bus stop) were over before I had a chance to call a cop anyway.

Edited July 22, 2016 by SKL

[SKL]

I would not call over a "suspicious person" unless he was trespassing and hanging around in places that seemed to compromise security.

[Valley Girl]

I'd have to know what you mean by suspicious before I could take the poll.

 

Someone walking down the street who looks out of place in the neighborhood? Nope.

 

Someone hanging around a corner, talking on a cellphone and furtively looking over his shoulder? Nope (though I would probably watch and try to see what's going on).

 

Someone walking up to houses and peering in windows? Trying to open car doors? Absolutely.

[Guest]

Sorry, I was specifically asking about a suspicious person, not viewing an actual crime in progress. That's what I meant about investigate further to make sure there was something to call about.

Suspicious how? I wouldn't call for someone just standing around looking dodgy. If they were messing with a vehicle or building I knew they didn't live at or own? Maybe. But I wouldn't call unless a fairly obvious crime was in progress. I don't think the police should be called for something that just makes someone uneasy - that's a waste of time and resources.

[Joules]

I would not call over a "suspicious person" unless he was trespassing and hanging around in places that seemed to compromise security.

 

Yeah, I guess that's how I'd define it, like the example you mentioned.

[Joules]

Hmm, I'm thinking of the neighborhood watch talks by the police and the campaigns after 9/11 to get people to report suspicious activity.  

 

But, I guess in general for answering the poll, are there any circumstances that you would have called before, but after the recent events you would think twice or not call?

Edited July 22, 2016 by Joules

[SKL]

And I am not sure what to think of the people who call the cops because a guy asked a kid through the car window where Chestnut Street is, or stopped his car on the side of the road to make a phone call or text.  :/

[bettyandbob]

I've never felt the need to call the police. I live in a diverse area--the local school is 35% free lunch. There is a homeless shelter. I have neighbors of all races, multiple religions and ethnicities. 

 

I believe one of our biggest defenses is to know our neighbors. So, if I see something off I will ask my neighbors. I will find out that Raj hired the guy with the beat up truck to do tree trimming. Or I might find out that there are new residents in the sheltered group home two blocks away. 

 

One time I knew a neighbor was out the country. A car parked in her space and a couple of middle aged women proceeded to remove things from her house. I got another neighbor and we talked to the women together and determined that everything was OK. I suppose if instead of middle aged women it was two thuggish looking fellows of any race I might have called the police. I'm not sure. The next time the neighbor was out of the country she was sure to tell us whether she was expecting someone to come to her house. She was glad to know we pay attention. 

 

I also pay attention in the greater community not just my street. Not being aware of who your community is leads to unnecessary misunderstanding and could have tragic consequences.

 

There's an older woman who I see frequently walking to a nearby shopping center. She wears a hijab. A young man in his late teens/early twenties is always with her. I've seen them up close so I know the man has down syndrome. The man often has a toy car with him. If I didn't see them up close and know the man had down syndrome, I suppose I could make up many scenarios about him and the woman I presume to be his mother. 

 

I think we all have a responsibility to know about our community. The more we know the less we need professional assistance. 

[redsquirrel]

Well, I live in a neighborhood that is historically black, and also the poorest in the city. And sometimes there is stuff going down. I've woken up to my gutters being scoped out, I've had to testify in court due to a knife fight in front of my house, etc (no one got hurt, btw).  But, those are far and few between and nothing like that has happened in maybe 5 years. And I was the one who called about the knife fight. I saw about 10 cars drive past and look at what was happening and I am the only one who called the police.  So clearly people aren't in a hurry to call the cops.

 

When I do call the police it is usually due to crowds of 'yoots' ('My Cousin Vinny' joke) hanging out in the streets being loud. They are generally totally harmless. They are young and having fun and have the right to walk around and chat. But sometimes a group of boys comes across a group of girls and the boys start showing off and then sooner or later fights break out.... you know how it goes. There has been much, much less of that in the past two summers, now that I think of it. I wonder why... huh.

 

So, if a crowd stops in the street and they start to get rowdy I will call the non-911 number and explain the situation. I just say that there is a crowd of kids, that they are not being bad, just seem to be gathering and leaning on cars parked in the streets and it's getting louder. The police will drive by and that has always been enough to get the kids to move along.  But I always make a point of saying that they are not doing anything wrong, just making lots of noise at 11pm or whatever. The police dispatcher has always been very understanding

 

Now as for anything else, I haven't really had anything come up that looked 'grey' kwim?  It's been trouble or it hasn't, and about 2 mins of watching has been enough to tell the difference.  I've lived in the neighborhood for almost 15 years. I know a lot of the people here by sight. There is only one person that I can imagine would be seen a suspicious and I know him by name. He mows people's lawns for cash and people seem to trust him to get their mower off the back porch or whatever. Not many garages here to go inside, lol. But when I first moved here I thought he was questionable. I'm pretty sure he's a career drunk. But I watched what he did, and he mowed the lawn...I figured that suspicious people rarely mow the lawn first.

 

The one time there was a break in next door in the middle of the day, I didn't see a thing. And that was more of an 'ex-associates type person knows someone keeps cash in the house and broke in and took it'.  The person robbed knew who it was right away.

[TravelingChris]

I have called for suspicious behavior.  But what I mean by suspicious behavior is a truck parked at a house where the owners are away (and not their truck) when we were having burglaries in the neighborhood.  I have seen people act strangely (not in my neighborhood but around town) and don't call.  I suspect most strange behavior is mental health related and no need to call anyone.  

[Ravin]

Honestly, I have called the cops on things I have seen--like once when I was sitting at a bus stop, I saw someone walking away from Goodwill with a big screen TV loaded into a Goodwill cart, hours before Goodwill opens. That looked fishy so I called.

 

There have been other things that someone COULD HAVE called police about that I didn't; for example, I once saw a man possibly breaking into a car in the parking lot of Walmart. On the one hand, he could have been breaking into someone's car to steal it or something in it, but on the other, it could be his and he locked his keys in the car, and doesn't have roadside assistance. The man in this instance was black, and it did cross my mind what a world of hurt he could be in if the police descended on him aggressively. Plus, there was security and there are cameras in that lot, so if it was a break-in, there would probably be some kind of evidence for a police report and hopefully an insurance claim, even if they didn't catch him.

 

And I say that as someone who has been the victim of auto theft and break-ins of our vehicles (never in that lot); it was a hard blow to us to lose our only vehicle when it happened, but stuff is just stuff and while I would have liked the opportunity to face the person who took our stuff and tell him the impact he had on our family and the hardship he caused, throwing him in jail wouldn't have helped anyone, including me as the victim. 

 

I also know firsthand the hardship on a family when someone is incarcerated. Even just an arrest is enough to make someone miss work and lose their job. Far too many people are literally one paycheck and a bit of bad luck away from homelessness.

 

Other times, I have seen individuals drinking what was probably alcohol at a bus stop, and once several people smoking marijuana at a bus stop, of various races. There were no kids around and they weren't hurting anyone; I left it alone. I know that when the police are called, the legal trouble that comes for homeless people is greatly disproportionate to the "offenses" they are committing against the public--simple marijuana possession is a felony in my state, which I think is ridiculous. 

 

I also leave sleeping homeless people alone; there may be a small chance that there is something physically wrong with them, but realistically when it comes down to it they are often safer sleeping during the day so they can remain alert and travel on foot at night. I have occasionally gotten just close enough to make sure someone is breathing--by watching for the rise and fall of their chest.

[Arcadia]

In my local area, the only shooting we had was a murder-suicide many years ago. Police aren't on heightened alert yet. People have called the non-emergency number especially if they see someone wandering listlessly. It could be dementia or something else.

 

In nearby cities, cops has been ordered to double up after the Dallas shooting. The atmosphere which was already tense in some cities are even worse now. If I am in downtown San Jose or Oakland, I would think twice about calling since I do not know the non-emergency number for those cities.

[Joules]

Well, suspicious people around here would mean someone trespassing, probably hunting illegally. So, yes, I would call the sheriff. And I have, on several occasions. I know all our deputies--they'll handle it. 

 

I'm thinking "suspicious" is very different depending on the area one lives in.  In some areas, open carry is legal and normal, others not OK at all.

 

I was mainly interested if recent events made a difference in people's thoughts, but it is interesting to read about what is call-worthy to different people.

[Pawz4me]

I'd call if I felt the need. I'd try my best to be as accurate as possible in describing the problem. But that's no different than ever.

 

(Caveat: I've only needed to call the police a couple of times in my life, and both were because of fender benders that occurred in front of my parents' house.)

[bettyandbob]

follow up. I do remember calling the police once. Years ago my neighbor and I would go for walks late at night (after kids in bed). At 11 pm we witnessed a group in a pool owned by our HOA. It was not a pool party. I called the police. I don't want my HOA dues diverted to damage from stupid behavior. I don't want my kids' swim practice cancelled because the pool has to be cleaned in the morning And generally people breaking into a pool in the night are probably not looking out for water safety, which is a big deal to me. 

 

I don't own lots of property/land. I own a town house. If someone who didn't belong was on my deck in back or in my tiny front yard, I might open a window to ask them to leave. If it was an issue i'd call the police. At one time dh suspected a local homeless person was sleeping in our under deck hammock at night. We took the hammock down. We didn't call the police, we just removed the attraction. 

 

I suppose it is because I was raised in a diverse community and I live in a diverse community, but suspicious is not based on race or ethinicity to me. 

 

[Outdoorsy Type]

I have only called when a person was actively a danger (erratic driving).

[Joules]

 

 

I suppose it is because I was raised in a diverse community and I live in a diverse community, but suspicious is not based on race or ethinicity to me. 

 

Oh, I wasn't suggesting that "suspicious" was based on color.  I was asking if the person exhibiting suspicious behavior happened to be a minority, would one be less likely to call the police (due to recent events)?  I would hope that none of us would be more likely to call the police and didn't even think to ask that.

[Pam in CT]

Joules, there's an asymmetry in how you set the poll up -- you have an option for "I would be more hesitant to call on a person of color," but not for the reverse, "I would be more likely to call on a person of color."

 

Either way, I think it's mighty hard to know -- that's what all the research about implicit bias and blind spots is all about.  We don't see, what we can't see, even in ourselves. But you might think about adding another option.

[8circles]

I called the nonemergency number for someone who was walking on the side of the road, falling down in the road - he appeared to be drunk. I feared for his safety. He'd fall & then get up & off the road, repeat.

 

I would probably call again, unless the man was AA. It wasnt something I ever even thought about but now?? No, I wouldn't call.

[Pam in CT]

re more hesitant vs more likely based on color

Oh, I wasn't suggesting that "suspicious" was based on color.  I was asking if the person exhibiting suspicious behavior happened to be a minority, would one be less likely to call the police (due to recent events)?  I would hope that none of us would be more likely to call the police and didn't even think to ask that.

 

 

Ah, we were posting at the same time.

 

Yes, of course, we all hope that none of us would be more likely to call based on color.  And yet the implicit bias research is pretty compelling.  Just naming it, acknowledging the possibility that it can exist in ordinary people of ordinary good will, is a starting point.

[Desert Strawberry]

I would only call for a n actual crime.

I don't understand the"suspicious person" calls. Maybe because I have never lived in a nice, white, suburban housing subdivision. Just seeing an unusual person in my neighborhood would not set off my alarm bells.

[Joules]

Joules, there's an asymmetry in how you set the poll up -- you have an option for "I would be more hesitant to call on a person of color," but not for the reverse, "I would be more likely to call on a person of color."

 

Either way, I think it's mighty hard to know -- that's what all the research about implicit bias and blind spots is all about.  We don't see, what we can't see, even in ourselves. But you might think about adding another option.

 

I just mentioned that above.  Since I was specifically asking about how people were affected by the shootings of black men recently, it didn't occur to me that those shootings would make people more likely to call police on people of color.  

 

Looking back though, it occurs to me that I was not clear about which shootings I was talking about, so maybe the Dallas shooting would make people more likely to call on minorities.  (It is sad in a whole 'nother way that we have to be specific about which recent shootings we are talking about!)

[MistyMountain]

I call when the suspicious person who is acting off is in need of assistance or putting themselves in danger. For me race is irrelevant. I did call once for a mentally delayed autistic teen who was walking in the middle of the street with a blanket over his head by himself so his family could be located. I called one time when an adult wondered in a street in front of moving cars. I also called for a suspicious person in my neighbors yard. All of the above examples were not minorities. I would not have called for an autistic person who had a caregiver with him. I used to work at a place like that and we took clients on outings all the time. People have all kinds of mental health issues or neurological conditions etc so someone acting off would not bother me. I would not have thought the toy was a gun that was being brandished.

Edited July 30, 2016 by MistyMountain

[marbel]

I'd have to know what you mean by suspicious before I could take the poll.

 

Someone walking down the street who looks out of place in the neighborhood? Nope.

 

Someone hanging around a corner, talking on a cellphone and furtively looking over his shoulder? Nope (though I would probably watch and try to see what's going on).

 

Someone walking up to houses and peering in windows? Trying to open car doors? Absolutely.

 

This sounds about right to me.

 

I am a pretty suspicious person by nature and pretty anxiety-prone.  But, still, if someone who doesn't seem to fit goes through the neighborhood, I curb my impulse to panic and let it go.  Nothing has ever happened here, other than the occasional minor crime of opportunity (people love to leave their houses and cars open here, till something is stolen). 

[Joules]

I called the nonemergency number for someone who was walking on the side of the road, falling down in the road - he appeared to be drunk. I feared for his safety. He'd fall & then get up & off the road, repeat.

 

I would probably call again, unless the man was AA. It wasnt something I ever even thought about but now?? No, I wouldn't call.

 

That's exactly what I was curious about.  It just occurred to me that I might think twice now on a couple of calls that I made in the past depending on the race.  (Actually I don't remember the race of all the people involved then.)  

[Mom22ns]

I voted no and no, but that is because the way I feel about calling the police has not changed, not because I'm quick to call. I've never called the police. I hope I never need to. However, if there was a situation that I thought might be endangering me or someone else I would. I have a friend who called the police when a man was walking down the middle of the road drunk recently. She got the man to come over to the side of the road and talk to her in order to keep him out of traffic until the police got there. He was in danger; he needed help.

 

I live out in the country. If there is someone that doesn't belong near my house, I know. I watch. My dogs watch. Sometimes I will go out and ask if they need help (usually accompanied by a large and vicious looking dog). I think I'd have to see a crime, not something suspicious to call the police, but definitions could vary.

[Joules]

This may be another spin-off, but the "suspicious person thing:

 

Is it not common for police to encourage people to report suspicious activity rather than just crime?

 

I remember this in Atlanta after the Olympic bombing and then more so after 9/11 with the See Something, Say Something campaign:

 

 

 

Across the nation, we're all part of communities. In cities, on farms, and in the suburbs, we share everyday moments with our neighbors, colleagues, family, and friends. It's easy to take for granted the routine moments in our every day—going to work or school, the grocery store or the gas station. But your every day is different than your neighbor’s—filled with the moments that make it uniquely yours. So if you see something you know shouldn't be there—or someone's behavior that doesn't seem quite right—say something. Because only you know what’s supposed to be in your everyday. Informed, alert communities play a critical role in keeping our nation safe. "If You See Something, Say Something™" engages the public in protecting our homeland through awareness–building, partnerships, and other outreach.

 

Neighborhood Watch or police events seem to encourage this also.  Something has to be large to catch my notice, so I'm not a much of a community watch person, but I assumed others followed this police directive more.  I've been on the flip side, too, being questioned by the police as to why I didn't call.  

 

ETA: I have to leave.  Looking forward to more answers tomorrow.  I thought I'd clarify, there was no personal injury in the didn't-call cases, just noise that turned out to be destruction of property.

 

Edited July 22, 2016 by Joules

[Carrie12345]

I voted other and no.

 

We have a regional police force, and private security.  In most cases, I would likely call security before 911.  Our security officers know our neighborhood and have a better idea of who's who, which houses are abandoned, and who's frequently up to no good.  They are, however, equally armed.

 

The only things I've called for in the past have been loose dogs, a possibly wounded bear, and a dead deer. Oh, and to see if my husband's car was in the driveway before I began calling hospitals. So... trying to determine whether I'm now less likely to call based on skin colors doesn't actually track all that well!

[jeremmy]

There are very few reasons I would call the cops (barring a crime-in-progress). That hasn't changed from before recent events started. I would not call for someone suspicious looking unless they were actively doing something I was almost sure was wrong. Like walking into my friend's house when I knew they were on vacation.

 

I wouldn't hesitate or be more eager to call because they were a minority. If a cop kills someone they need to be personally dealt with; I wouldn't blame myself for calling in the first place.

[LucyStoner]

I would just like to, gently, point out that questionable shootings of minorities and disproportional policing are not a new phenomena. They are are long time reality that many White people have just learned about or acknowledged due to a variety of factors from social media to cell phones at take video.

 

There is nothing I'd call 911 for now that I wouldn't have called for 20 years ago or vice versa.

 

That would be:

 

-crime in progress (actual ex: a female pimp with a warrant beating the shit out of a working girl down the street)

-robbery discovered

-serious accident requiring medical attention

-fire

-person in need of acute medical assistance

-a child in clear danger (actual ex: neighbor locking a 5 year old out on a cold night so she could be with her boyfriend.)

-the sounds of someone clearly being beat up (DV).

-post an assault (actual ex: friend showed up at school reporting she'd been beaten by a stranger on her way from bus stop to school.)

 

 

The last three times I have called 911 were: parent with a restraining order trying to pick up kids when he was enjoined from doing so, someone beating up someone in close proximity to my home and because someone on the street needed an ambulance. That's about the same as the mid 1990s.

[TABmom]

I've only ever called the police once. My neighbors teenage son was having an altercation where people were screaming they were going to kill each other. It was a duplex and I could hear them through the wall. I have called about car accidents, And once, as a teen walking home one night, I called 911 to report a garage on fire. I don't think I'm less likely to call, but I wasn't very likely to call in the first place.

[Loowit]

Recent events would not change when/if I would call police.  I have only called twice in my life, once to the non-emergency number and once to the emergency number.

 

I have friends and relatives (including DH) who are in local law enforcement.  I know that they have a good track record and are very well trained.

[FaithManor]

We do not use 911 here for police calls because it takes 30 minutes for a state trooper to arrive. We call the emergency contact direct number for the sheriff's Department. Our sheriff sends his deputies for an amazing amount of training. It is a big part of his budget. They have enough road patrols to get a deputy here in 10 minutes, and the protection and care is better. The sheriff's department is highly regarded here. Even those that use 911 for police calls will often ask specifically, "Can you send a deputy?" That said, our local LEOs are all pretty highly looked upon, but I suspect that because violent crime is not an everyday occurrence here, they all have less PTSD, so are less reactionary.

[Kathryn]

I've called twice on others. One was a renter who had recently moved in next door and when my husband went over and rang the doorbell to talk to him about the large angry dog he had chained up in the yard, the guy threatened to kill DH. We wanted something on record. The officer just talked to both of us about staying away from each other.

 

The other time was people renting the house on our other side. The wife had moved there to escape annabusive marriage but he found her. She let him move in and a few months later, husband held the wife and children at gunpoint and then beat the wife badly before leaving. Wife was in the hospital for a while and cops told us to call 911 if he came back. He came back the next day. I called and then took the kids and left the house for the day so I don't know how that ended.

[zoobie]

Other than calling for crazy/drunk drivers on the road, I've called for a psycho neighbor who threw dog poop all over our cars and house, seeing a woman get punched in the face on the side of the road, and a suspicious landscaping truck and white work van outside our elderly neighbor's (who doesn't use a lawn service and is the type to warn us before he had a roof replaced because it might be noisy) that matched the descriptions to neighborhood break-ins. I don't know if I would hesitate as in not call in the future for suspicious things, but it would make me think twice.

[Laurie4b]

I call the cops when I hear someone scream, hear gun shots that I don't know a reason for (we're borderline rural, but it shouldn't be coming from the community college, etc.) . I have never called for a "suspicious person." I don't know what would make someone suspicious. 

 

Someone I know just had a report come across their neighborhood email about a suspicious black teenager, going around the neighborhood taking photos of all the houses, "and I know he was not taking photos of the paint colors."  No, probably not. Ever heard of Pokemon Go, ma'am? 

 

Fortunately, the police were not called. 

[gardenmom5]

I've called a few times.

a guy chasing a girl down the street near apartments yelling at her to come back. yes, I stopped, asked her if she was ok/needed help - she didn't answer.  he did, and said she was fine.  possibly a whackadoodle chick with a boyfriend (in which case, he should dump her), but I'd rather let the police determine that.

a guy sticking a wire down a car door to open it (he did act like it was his car and the lock didn't work. possible, but  . . ), took something out, and walked back to the mall.

a guy who just wrecked his car by plowing through a guardrail on the hill below us. we heard it, and went to check it out. it was down in the bushes, and if he'd been injured or trapped, no one would have seen him.  He was adamant I NOT call police.  we called the police. 

 

all of them were white.

[MotherGoose]

I answered the poll, that nothing has changed for me, based on my criteria for calling the cops, which are a reasonable belief that something bad is going on. That's what I presume you mean by "suspicious." If I see a car or person in the neighborhood that I don't recognize, I won't immediately call the police. I do make a mental note of them for future reference. If I see them dashing through the neighbor's bushes and peeking in Windows, I probably would call, no matter their color.

[Donna]

I answered the poll that nothing has changed for me. I have a very high threshold for calling the police...meaning I would have to seriously think something criminal was happening before I would call the police. A stranger walking down the street or someone riding by slowly in a car would not make me call. We have had robberies in our area so if I thought something like that was happening, I would call. I know the people who live around me by sight and there are few houses so it would be relatively easy to know if someone didn't belong and was up to no good. The only thing I have ever called the police about before was when two men jumped my ds for no reason. 

[zoobie]

I call the cops when I hear someone scream, hear gun shots that I don't know a reason for (we're borderline rural, but it shouldn't be coming from the community college, etc.) . I have never called for a "suspicious person." I don't know what would make someone suspicious.

 

Someone I know just had a report come across their neighborhood email about a suspicious black teenager, going around the neighborhood taking photos of all the houses, "and I know he was not taking photos of the paint colors." No, probably not. Ever heard of Pokemon Go, ma'am?

 

Fortunately, the police were not called.

Did you see the crazy old guy who went into the street and shot at kids in a car playing Pokemon because he thought they might be stealing things? Calling the police would be preferable to that! Jeez.

[Miss Peregrine]

I called once on a drunk driver. Another time I wish I would have called.:( I didn't because I was afraid of the guy. I was in a parking lot and couldn't leave because I was waiting for my kid. He was having an argument with his (ex?)wife and it looked to be a custody exchange. He kept full on spitting in her face. I still feel so bad that I didn't call.

Edited July 23, 2016 by Miss Peregrine

[SparklyUnicorn]

I am not less likely to call.  We are hearing these stories, but what about the zillions of calls they probably get per day?  There are likely far more instances where calling was either the right thing to do or nothing bad came of it.

 

 

[Guest]

No change based on recent events. I dont call for the drug deals, I assume the task force already knows the perps. I dont call about the group home vehicles speeding as it is ignored, I just put up a fence and my kids dont bike or walk in that part of the neighborhood...we drive elsewhere to find safe outdoor spaces. I call about soliciters with no permit, we have been asked to call as they are likely part of theft rings. The only change I have made is not to call for teenagers...we just speak to the parents. Hard to argue with video showing petty theft.

[Farrar]

This is an interesting question for me because I live in a neighborhood that has gentrified greatly over the decade and a half we've been here so we've seen a lot of transitional stuff and I've definitely been faced with this question and have read some interesting dialogue about it - about both calling the cops for vague and nuisance complaints in general and about gentrifiers calling the cops specifically and all the issues around that.

 

There are situations that I called the cops about when we were newer to our 'hood that, after seeing how the cops dealt with it, I stopped calling. Specifically, about homeless people and people using drugs or people just hanging around. In nearly all cases, these were black and Latino men. Sometimes the cops hassled them in ways that I didn't feel totally awesome about, though I never saw anything awful, I just, after some reflection, stopped calling in those complaints. Someone sleeping on the play equipment at the park, I"m letting it go. Kids smoking pot on the corner, letting that go (of course, now it's legal, so of course I'm letting it go).

 

So, I think my behavior had already changed, if that makes sense.

 

Of course, there's a whole host of other things I'll still call about. About half a dozen times, I've seen serious violence either happening or about to happen. Most notably, I was once standing at the window, holding the phone at 2 am, debating whether to hit call on the 911 I'd already dialed when the people who were having the argument went from words to baseball bats. I hit dial, of course. And, honestly, I dropped down to the ground on instinct. Twice, I've seen guys beating women in the street in front of the house. Once, I saw a scuffle and couldn't decide if it was friendly until I opened the door holding the phone and they ran off. I probably scared them away, which is good - the victim was a bloody mess.

 

And I'll still call noise complaints if it's past midnight and it's really loud.

 

In some of these cases, I don't even understand what was being called in. Like the autistic guy with the toy truck... what was the point of the initial call? I just don't get it.

[*Lulu*]

Just wondering- in the grand scheme of police/public interactions does it make a difference if the officers are responding to a report made via the non-emergency number versus 911?

 

I have assumed that in the recent shootings the police were responding to 911 calls, which might give insight into why they seem to arrive already at defcon 1.

 

I have called the police for several reasons over the years, but have never used 911 for anything but medical emergencies. If people are calling 911 for non emergency reasons, it is time to reeducate the public on what 911 is for. (Of course you will always have "those" calls like when my grandmother called 911 about her oven not turning off!)

[Guest]

I was coming home from teaching in town one day and saw a whole pile of men camped up on the far side of the ranch. What was I thinking???? Here I was, by myself, confronting a pile of drunken hunters, armed to the teeth? God protects fools sometimes... This was before the days of cell phones, plus there's no coverage up on the hills. Fortunately, they moved on, but they left a mess.

I did something similarly foolish when I confronted a drunken man in a parking lot who was being belligerent with the woman he was with. I was just concerned that there was domestic violence involved. The woman defended the guy, said he was drunk and not to worry, she would manage.

[Ravin]

This may be another spin-off, but the "suspicious person thing:

 

Is it not common for police to encourage people to report suspicious activity rather than just crime?

 

I remember this in Atlanta after the Olympic bombing and then more so after 9/11 with the See Something, Say Something campaign:

 

 

Neighborhood Watch or police events seem to encourage this also. Something has to be large to catch my notice, so I'm not a much of a community watch person, but I assumed others followed this police directive more. I've been on the flip side, too, being questioned by the police as to why I didn't call.

 

ETA: I have to leave. Looking forward to more answers tomorrow. I thought I'd clarify, there was no personal injury in the didn't-call cases, just noise that turned out to be destruction of property.

This reminded me of the time a Concerned Citizen with a rifle came into the street and brandished it at my DH, who was driving around the neighborhood at night in our van. We live in a city, but the neighborhood was a clearly defined pocket and we had lived there for about 2 years at the time.

 

I guess the guy thought DH was casing the area?

 

When we lived in my hometown, where they all but roll the streets up at night, my DH and BIL were more than once stopped by police for the suspicious behavior of being night owls out for a stroll.

 

I once had a Concerned Citizen call the police because they, while driving by at 45mph, saw me walking with DD, an infant (not tiny), asleep on my back in an Asian style baby carrier. Apparently they were Concerned because DD's head was slumped over.

 

I pointed out to the officer I could feel DD breathing against my back, and assured him she was wearing sunscreen, and he went away.

 

A few months ago, a Concerned Citizen called police because my 5yo was crying while walking home from the library with my 12yo after they were kicked out for the offense of being there (behaving themselves) without an adult along.