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someone arrested outside my house


SparklyUnicorn
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I'm glad they did something! That kid could have been seriously injured and that's not the proper or safe way to operate a bike, let alone a motorized one, on a city street.

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I'm relieved that it wasn't some nut with a gun or something. When I opened the thread, I was worried that someone dangerous was lurking around outside Sparkly's house!

 

I'm glad someone called the police on the guy. What kind of idiot rides around with a little kid on the handlebars of a dirt bike? :svengo:

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People make mistakes and don't always make the safest choices for their kids.  That doesn't mean they should automatically be treated like criminals.  

 

I know my dad made some mistakes that in hindsight he probably regretted with me and my brother.  It would have been horribly traumatic for me to witness him being arrested when he was not intentionally harming us, just not thinking things through.  

 

Unless this man is neglectful or abusive I would think it would make a lot more sense for the police to explain what he was doing was dangerous and have him take safety classes instead of arresting him.

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Yeah, unless this is an ongoing issue that they've already spoken to him about arrested seems like it's too harsh. Obviously that's unsafe behavior that needs to be stopped, but... arresting parents for messed up but not abusive choices? I just can't get behind that.

Edited by Farrar
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When it comes to child endangerment, I don't think there is just a ticket for that.  Having someone pay a fine, isn't always enough to make them realize the gravity of the situation. Even if he is booked and released (most likely what will happen) it sets the court/process in motion to have the child's welfare checked on. Just a call to child services sometimes isn't enough in an overwhelmed system.  Having a court case attached may make it more likely to get reviewed.   He could have also had other reasons he was arrested.  Either other charges or similar offences. 

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When it comes to child endangerment, I don't think there is just a ticket for that. Having someone pay a fine, isn't always enough to make them realize the gravity of the situation. Even if he is booked and released (most likely what will happen) it sets the court/process in motion to have the child's welfare checked on. Just a call to child services sometimes isn't enough in an overwhelmed system. Having a court case attached may make it more likely to get reviewed. He could have also had other reasons he was arrested. Either other charges or similar offences.

If there were other charges or a pattern of child endangerment I would agree with an arrest. Otherwise I really don't.

 

People make mistakes. That doesn't mean they don't care or don't want their child to be safe. Sometimes what they need is parenting classes or safety instruction, not being thrown in jail. I would rather come at this from a place of grace and giving the person better knowledge and tools for the future instead of punishment.

 

Again, though, maybe there is more to this than just the one incident.

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The police officer can't make the stupid parent take a safety course, but the judge can. Plus, this gives the idiot a record of child endangerment in case of future episodes that may warrant harsher penalties for multiple offenses... or perhaps there have been past offenses we don't know about. Glad they did something before the kid was injured or killed.

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Personally, while it may seem harsh, I am for it because it seems like those who recklessly put their children in grave danger just do not learn from gentler methods. Our big problem in this area are the kids riding in pickup beds while their parent careers down country roads at 55-70 mph. Tickets do no seem to stop the behavior. It isn't a strong message, nor is the annual news story on the inevitable victim who becomes paralyzed or is killed.

 

My guess is that this particular parent has had warnings on risky behavior/child endangerment before. It is also possible that in the state where this occurred, this is felony child endangerment and not a misdemeanor which would mean the police are obligated to arrest. Some states have been cracking down on this stuff.

 

 

Meanwhile my dumb state decided to repeal the motorcycle helmet law!!! So we are seeing a major rise in heads splattered on pavement. Grrrrrrr

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I'm not sure how a history of child endangerment would be established unless at some point a person was arrested. If a person is issued a warning there is no permanent record.

 

So while arrest seems over doing it may be the only way to track whether this is a one time thing or part of a pattern. If it's just a one time stupid decision there should be a way to get the record expunged after a period of time.

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I'm not sure how a history of child endangerment would be established unless at some point a person was arrested. If a person is issued a warning there is no permanent record.

 

So while arrest seems over doing it may be the only way to track whether this is a one time thing or part of a pattern. If it's just a one time stupid decision there should be a way to get the record expunged after a period of time.

In our county, for a first time like this IF arrested - big IF here because it is insanely difficult to get law enforcement to do anything about child endangerment - charges could be dropped after the successful completion of assigned classes or counseling.

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I agree that it wasn't safe but an arrest is extreme IMO.

 

I suspect there may be more to it.  I've seen the guy before.  He rides around on some sort of unlicensed motorized dirt bike thing on the city streets.  So...endangering a child, unlicensed motorized vehicle not suitable for city streets on busy city streets.... Who knows what else.  Honestly, I don't think the cops are arrest happy around here. 

Edited by SparklyUnicorn
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I used to ride around on my friend's shoulders while he rode his bike. We also used to "surf" on the bike by standing on the handlebars and seat.

 

So, probably don't ask me.

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I used to ride around on my friend's shoulders while he rode his bike. We also used to "surf" on the bike by standing on the handlebars and seat.

 

So, probably don't ask me.

 

LOL..oh yeah I have done some insane things in my life.  Not that, but other things that probably now someone could be arrested for.

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The guy needs to stop doing that obviously, but the cops need to take into consideration the trauma for the kid of seeing his parent arrested.  Most likely for doing something to please the kid, that did not in fact hurt the kid.  As a kid I would have thought that was not only scary but also my fault.

 

Maybe there is more to the story.  Why couldn't they just contact CPS to open a case and deal with it outside of the handcuffs / police car?  Seems that would be better for the kids if this was the only issue.

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The guy needs to stop doing that obviously, but the cops need to take into consideration the trauma for the kid of seeing his parent arrested.  Most likely for doing something to please the kid, that did not in fact hurt the kid.  As a kid I would have thought that was not only scary but also my fault.

 

Maybe there is more to the story.  Why couldn't they just contact CPS to open a case and deal with it outside of the handcuffs / police car?  Seems that would be better for the kids if this was the only issue.

 

I doubt he was the parent.

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The guy needs to stop doing that obviously, but the cops need to take into consideration the trauma for the kid of seeing his parent arrested. Most likely for doing something to please the kid, that did not in fact hurt the kid. As a kid I would have thought that was not only scary but also my fault.

 

Maybe there is more to the story. Why couldn't they just contact CPS to open a case and deal with it outside of the handcuffs / police car? Seems that would be better for the kids if this was the only issue.

If parents don't want their kids to see them getting arrested, they should not do things that will put themselves in that position. That is not the cop's fault. Edited by Amy in NH
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If parents don't want their kids to see them getting arrested, they should not do things that will put themselves in that position. That is not the cop's fault.

 

I agree with you. However, I would have never in a million years guessed that this was an arrestable offense. Is this just common sense that I don't have? No, I've never done it & I never would. 

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