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  1. #1
    D555 is offline Junior Member D555 is on a distinguished road
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    Did I Do the Right Thing (false alarm 911 call)?

    So I'm eating breakfast and out my window I see 2 guys pull into my neighbor's house I've never seen before in this old, shady looking, Honda. Both of them are wearing black, one of them enters the house and the other stays out standing next to the car. I don't see my neighbor's car in the driveway nor do I hear him at the door so I assume he's not home. As the guy goes in the other guy is still standing in the driveway by the car looking around so I assume he's the lookout. Then when I see the guy peering out the upstairs window to his friend down in the driveway, I called 911. Just as the police arrive I see my neighbor come out from behind his house with the guy...oh crap. I go out, talk to the cops, and he tells me they were cable guys. What kind of cable guys show up in a car with no markings and no uniform :confused:

    Do things like this happen often or was I not justified in calling 911?
    Last edited by D555; 08-10-09 at 10:19 AM.

  2. #2
    txinvestigator1's Avatar
    txinvestigator1 is offline what me, worry? txinvestigator1 has a reputation beyond repute txinvestigator1 has a reputation beyond repute txinvestigator1 has a reputation beyond repute txinvestigator1 has a reputation beyond repute txinvestigator1 has a reputation beyond repute txinvestigator1 has a reputation beyond repute txinvestigator1 has a reputation beyond repute txinvestigator1 has a reputation beyond repute txinvestigator1 has a reputation beyond repute txinvestigator1 has a reputation beyond repute txinvestigator1 has a reputation beyond repute
    Supporting Member L4
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    I have neighbors like you.

    I love them.
    "Speed is fine, but accuracy is final" --Bill Jordan

    Remember those who died, remember those who killed them.

  3. #3
    phantasm is offline Veteran Member phantasm has a reputation beyond repute phantasm has a reputation beyond repute phantasm has a reputation beyond repute phantasm has a reputation beyond repute phantasm has a reputation beyond repute phantasm has a reputation beyond repute phantasm has a reputation beyond repute phantasm has a reputation beyond repute phantasm has a reputation beyond repute phantasm has a reputation beyond repute phantasm has a reputation beyond repute
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    I got a suspicious vehicle call the other day. Go over there, see a NYC MTA transit worker. Ask him if he's with the truck, he says yes, and shows me his transit ID. Everyone was courteous, and it was no big deal. Took me all of 2 minutes to handle.

    You did the right thing.
    DONLON
    I mean, we're getting killed for these people and they don't even appreciate it. They think it's a big joke.

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    It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.

  4. #4
    PapaBear's Avatar
    PapaBear is offline Retired SgtCHP PapaBear has a reputation beyond repute PapaBear has a reputation beyond repute PapaBear has a reputation beyond repute PapaBear has a reputation beyond repute PapaBear has a reputation beyond repute PapaBear has a reputation beyond repute PapaBear has a reputation beyond repute PapaBear has a reputation beyond repute PapaBear has a reputation beyond repute PapaBear has a reputation beyond repute PapaBear has a reputation beyond repute
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    Better to have officers respond and verify everyone is alright than to hesitate and lose a friend or neighbor. I don't know of any officer who would chastise you under the circumstances you have described. Good neighbors watch out for neighbors. I send you kudos for your observations.
    Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence!

    [George Washington (1732 - 1799)]


  5. #5
    greg72982's Avatar
    greg72982 is offline Veteran Member greg72982 has a reputation beyond repute greg72982 has a reputation beyond repute greg72982 has a reputation beyond repute greg72982 has a reputation beyond repute greg72982 has a reputation beyond repute greg72982 has a reputation beyond repute greg72982 has a reputation beyond repute greg72982 has a reputation beyond repute greg72982 has a reputation beyond repute greg72982 has a reputation beyond repute greg72982 has a reputation beyond repute
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    I agree you did the right thing.

    In fact often times with crimes you find out after the fact someone did see or hear something but didn't want to call the police. We had a rash of vehicle break-ins and one homeowner actually confronted one of the individuals and it scared the suspect away. She never called the police though and I found out all of this information the next day through her neighbor who approached me while on a dog bite call across the street. :rolleyes:
    "Knowing what you stand for limits what you fall for"

    "Hey, I don't know everything just because I'm a CJ student...I know everything because I'm a female." -PathosLogos

  6. #6
    Bob Loblaw's Avatar
    Bob Loblaw is offline I just blue myself! Bob Loblaw has a reputation beyond repute Bob Loblaw has a reputation beyond repute Bob Loblaw has a reputation beyond repute Bob Loblaw has a reputation beyond repute Bob Loblaw has a reputation beyond repute Bob Loblaw has a reputation beyond repute Bob Loblaw has a reputation beyond repute Bob Loblaw has a reputation beyond repute Bob Loblaw has a reputation beyond repute Bob Loblaw has a reputation beyond repute Bob Loblaw has a reputation beyond repute
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    same as everyone else...you did the right thing. Better to be safe than sorry. I just wish all neighbors (mine included) were as smart and attentive as you are. There's a tendency to just worry about your house, your car, your life, etc and "stay out of everyone's business." There's a difference between being a nosey douchebag who can't keep out of other people's private lives and someone who pays attention to what's happening. You've done well.....


    Also, just an FYI in case you're still worried you wasted the Police's time....in my area, I would say that 80-90% of "suspicious activity" type calls end up being BS (through no fault of the reporting party) and I typically get 4-5 of these calls a day. So it's not like its something we don't do very often and we don't start rolling our eyes when it turns out to be nothing.
    "...but we do not - not wag our genitals at one another to make a point."

  7. #7
    phantasm is offline Veteran Member phantasm has a reputation beyond repute phantasm has a reputation beyond repute phantasm has a reputation beyond repute phantasm has a reputation beyond repute phantasm has a reputation beyond repute phantasm has a reputation beyond repute phantasm has a reputation beyond repute phantasm has a reputation beyond repute phantasm has a reputation beyond repute phantasm has a reputation beyond repute phantasm has a reputation beyond repute
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    Even if the suspicious person calls aren't BS, a lot of the time the people will be spooked when they see the police cars. Property crime criminals often want to avoid ANY confrontation, so if they are confronted by anyone, they'll flee. BUT that doesn't mean its always a good idea to confront a criminal yourself.
    DONLON
    I mean, we're getting killed for these people and they don't even appreciate it. They think it's a big joke.

    Interesting Info

    An education in debating

    It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.

  8. #8
    Legoate's Avatar
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    Well consider the OPPOSITE of your post:

    Neighbors see strangers back into a driveway with a full sized U-Haul. They watch as several individuals completely empty the house out. "Wow" they think, "I didn't know the neighbors were moving". Several hours later, the neighbors come home to find their house empty- they weren't moving.

    Would you rather be the guy who calls at the wrong time by mistake, or the guy who has to explain how you watched for hours as someone emptied their house into a U-Haul?

    And yes, this was an actual local case where neighbors watched for an estimated two hours as burglars completely emptied a home.
    Quote Originally Posted by Straightshooter
    Your selective outrage is hypocritical. Don't you have an anti-war rally to attend where you can go burn some American flags with your hippie buddies?

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