Calling the police on people...poll

[summer2007]

Where I live my neighbors like to call the police on each other for every little thing. And the fire department and other authorities just to cause grief to the other neighbor or neighbors.

If you read my post about my one above the law neighbor a while back well her house was raided and there was like 4 police cars there. Today one of my other neighbors called the police on another neighbor.

They call for things like blowing the car horn or swearing at one another or starting a campfire in the back yard.

And of course they call for reasons that are total lies...and sadly making false accusations no matter how malicious is pretty much perfectly legal in our messed up society...that would change if I made the laws!

Seeing the police on your street over and over is VERY upsetting and I think these people are total loooooosers to keep calling the police on people.

In my life I have NEVER not even once called the police on anyone. Neither has my Mom or my Dad. And neither have some of my best friends and if you put us all together we have had a full range of experiences.

So I thought this would be a good poll to see how common it is to be calling the police on people.

Jim

 

[Marquette]

I've called for:

Driver knocked a sign down in the median and ran.
Water pouring out from the garage of the abandoned house across the street.
SUV parked at bar in 90 degree heat with all windows rolled up and a dog inside
Neighbor backed into friend's car... figured we needed an insurance report for that one
Me careening off the road and almost taking out a fire hydrant.

I've never called the police because a neighbor was too loud or looked at me wrong.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Funny you ask...the crazy redneck neighbor next door asked my DH the other night if we'd called "the law" on him and his old lady for fighting in the yard at 2am the other week. Of course, he said no, we'd never call the cops on anyone who wasn't in our yard stealing stuff. He took some convincing, as someone apparently did call the cops. We think it is the even crazier neighbor a ways down the road--he is the "call the cops on people guy".
DH did ask him why they were fighting in the yard at 2am. His answer? Cause if they yelled in the house it would wake up the baby! Silly us!

 

[Notmuchlonger]

Only once when I shot that guy in the arm. Just a flesh wound.

 

[freebird5825]

well, not actually the police, but the local humane society. the next door neighbor was leaving his "rescued" dog out in below freezing weather. the wind chill was beyond belief. no doghouse, the dog had only a partially enclosed wood shed for protection. he was a renter (gone now TG) and maintained the home owner said no dogs were allowed inside. he swore the dog could take the cold. i heard the poor thing whimpering and couldn't stand it anymore. from there forward, the dog was "allowed" to stay in the garage. the humane society did follow up on the case. i know because i kept checking and reporting to them, as they requested.

 

[travelover]

More fun to get even.........

 

[ProspectiveBum]

I called the police once, when an [-]old geezer[/-] elderly gentleman pointed a gun at me for stepping onto his property. I'd walked down the driveway of the apartment complex that was immediately next to mine. The place was abandoned, and he happened to pull up in his Caddy and assumed that I'd been vandalizing the property. I was actually stepping out of the wind to light a cigarette; I quit smoking shortly thereafter. The cops went and talked to him, and took away the gun. They convinced me not to press charges against him.

I've never called the police on a neighbor, and probably wouldn't for the type of nuisances described by the OP.

 

[Zathras]

Never on a neighbor.
Twice on drunk drivers which appeared to endanger others, once on a driver striking his passenger and the passenger trying to open the door (while the car was doing 50).
I believe it is everyone's duty to help protect the public by contacting the police when the public is endangered.
I also believe it is stupid for people to call the police on neighbors and criminal if they make up the reason. People should grow up and learn to resolve issues themselves through communication. Unless a crime is committed.

 

[Leonidas]

Ah yes, reason #47 for why I'm so glad I retired. "Dealing with the silly problems of adults who act like children and can't get along with others."

 

[tpcooper]

I know this isn't good, but I am terrified of the police. I've never had as much as a speeding ticket, but once when I was 16 I got screamed at by a police officer (actually a wildlife officer, but still actual police in FL where I grew up) for a reason 9 years later I still feel was unjustified. Unfortunately since then there have been times I should have called the police but chickened out. The idea of someone with a gun getting mad at me is the most terrifying thing I have ever experienced. Second is being on a boat that sunk in the Gulf of Mexico and being saved by the Coast Guard. Good thing it was the Coast Guard and not the Florida Marine Patrol (police) right?

Rational, no. My emotions, yes. Good thing I buy and hold.

 

[Notmuchlonger]

I know this isn't good, but I am terrified of the police. I've never had as much as a speeding ticket, but once when I was 16 I got screamed at by a police officer (actually a wildlife officer, but still actual police in FL where I grew up) for a reason 9 years later I still feel was unjustified. Unfortunately since then there have been times I should have called the police but chickened out. The idea of someone with a gun getting mad at me is the most terrifying thing I have ever experienced. Second is being on a boat that sunk in the Gulf of Mexico and being saved by the Coast Guard. Good thing it was the Coast Guard and not the Florida Marine Patrol (police) right?

Rational, no. My emotions, yes. Good thing I buy and hold.

I dont trust them much either. For all the good ones you need to be wary of the corrupt.

 

[Sarah in SC]

I should add that were we to call the police to our rural area, the neighbor could have already buried his old lady and replaced the sod AND cleaned the gun before they could get here. Not a strike against the cops, just the reality of life in the country.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

i had a disturbed neighbor who thought she controlled the public right of way. she had these rotties who'd go nutz when wolfpuppy walked by. a few times one got out and attacked. i kicked the crap out of it. wolfpuppy did used to love to tease them. he never made noise but he'd do this odd breathe, kind of like a "huh" when we passed the property and it drove the neighbor's dogs nutz.

still, it is up to her to control her damned dogs. anyway, she used to give me a hard time about walking wolfpuppy passed her house. as her house was in the middle of my neighborhood on a corner lot, it was pretty much impossible to avoid unless i avoided two main walking streets in the area, as if i should have to anyway. one day she was out for a walk when i came by with wolfpuppy. she starts giving me a hard time about walking past her house. happens we were just blocks from the police station so i insisted she follow me there which she did.

of course the cop told her that she was completely wrong (happens i was friendly with that cop and had coincidentally just chatted with him at the bike shop a few days before). wolfpuppy and i continued with our walk as she was stuck in the police station being lectured on the difference between private and public property rights. she never bugged me again about it.

 

[growing_older]

Someone attempted to carjack me, but I was able to drive away
Crazy lady hanging around a church and yelling threats at pedestrians
Drug deal on school playground with drugs and bodies 10 minutes before morning bell
Neighbors screaming "call the police" at 2AM when they caught an intruder
People parking blocking my drive - I used to wait and try to contact them. No more.
Guy standing on car-only bridge looked like he intended to jump late at night
Accident with guy driving wrong way who tried to leave the scene
Probably several others I'm not remembering just now
Never for loud neighbors or petty nuisances (except for the parking in my driveway thing)
And once for a REAL emergency that I won't talk about

Very glad they are there when you need them.

 

[bssc]

Called the police once. There was an accident on Shirley Highway I-395 which was just outside my window. I lived in Condo Canyon. While no one appeared to be hurt, I figure it couldn't hurt to have someone move them off the roadway.

 

[kat]

I called the police once re a stalker ex-boyfriend of a neighbor. He was yelling at her outside, while she was inside. She said she'd call the police if he didn't leave. He said he was leaving -- but I saw (I'm across the street) him go around back. They already had a history of violence. I'd do it again. He's been back, by the way, and so far on good behavior, six months going. I think it helped having someone other than her call the police.

 

[shoe]

We called the cops once when our hillbilly neighbor was holding his girlfriend my the hair and punching her in the face and then 20 years later called them when the drunk neighbor was firing his shotgun into his van.

 

[donheff]

You folks live in some crazy places. I'm staying put in DC.

 

[maddythebeagle]

I remember growing up that we called the police because some strange teenager followed my sister home from work (she was 16-17)...The kid sat on our front porch for hours/half of the night muttering that he just wanted to talk. The stupid cop didnt even bother to take him home and left the little noodge....I guess he knew him and thought it was normal.

 

[Rambler]

Once, when defending myself from a drunk asian guy (in asia). He seemed to think chasing me was a good thing (after spitting on me and trying to take a few swings - none of which connected since he was too drunk to see straight). I stopped running, he ran smack dab into me, fell over and bloodied his lip. I asked the stationmaster to call the cops for me. I explained what happened, they asked if I wanted to press charges...I declined.

R

 

[Khan]

Two or three times:
for physical fights
and once for a dog barking loud and long at night (as did several other neighbors).

 

[Bestwifeever]

We used to call in the cavalry occasionally when young renters next door had hellacious parties til 5 am, including one memorable Christmas eve that involved flashing male body parts at our young children. There are some neighbors who just aren't neighborly and why should the rest of us have to put up with them?

Had some trouble a couple of years ago with next door neighbors re an unlawful use and gross neglect of property that went to court--we never called the city or complained about this, but it turned out they had disregarded warnings and fines for years, and many other people had been calling about the vermin, etc.

You might as well call the cops--if the cops come, the "bad guys" will think it was you calling them anyway!

 

[harley]

When my daughter was 2 and we were at the beach, there was a really loud party going on across the street, keeping her awake. Starting at midnight I asked them to take it inside or quiet it down. Asked 3 times, then called the cops at 2 am. The cops came, didn't even talk to the partiers. Gave me a ticket for parking in the wrong direction on the street (there were dozens of mis-parked cars on the other side). Learned my lesson.

 

[Bimmerbill]

Never have. That's why I live where I live. Town has 3 acre minimum lots, so my neighbors are far enough away to not bother me (generally).

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

...once for a dog barking loud and long at night (as did several other neighbors).

now i have to raise my once (not a call but bringing the person directly to the station) to twice. the second time was not my intention. like khan's, was a dog parking at 5:30 am every day while i was dealing with mom's alzheimer's. that dog had just the right pitch to slice through even a closed window.

i tried to deal with it personally, the owner complied at first but then stopped and refused to control his dog. i didn't call the police but i did call code enforcement. code called the police. now procedure is to call the cops, not code. the police send someone out at the offending hour to observe the barking and then code writes up the violation.