You got to love working in a small town

[chiefhuntr]

I work in a city of 6k in 6 sq. miles. I had a call of a welfare check on a 91 yo male. After some checking around I find him in a nursing home after falling ill a week before. I found his house unsecured as all the doors were unlocked. I went to talk to him and ask about his house being unsecured. He was in very bad shape and wasn't coherent enough to converse with. I had a feeling he wouldn't make it long.

I went back to his residence and secured all the doors and windows. I contacted a nearest relative (in NY) and let them know I secured the house just in case someone comes down to check on things.


Would an Officer in a bigger, busier jurisdiction go to these lengths just to check an unsecured residence?

No she would not. That is why we read about her getting in trouble when the person she was looking for was found a few days later dead inside of the house. :rolleyes:

[Aussie George]

We have a high amount of calls like that for a small city our size. At least one a week. If we can not get in, we get a locksmith to attend and get us in to check the premises.

Done it a heap of times.

One a more recent occasion there was more than just suspicion of someone inside in distress, he was old and had fallen and had been down for 3 days before he managed to get a neighbour to hear him.

We got there and the locksmith would have taken too long, so the firies came pronto and used their "master key".

He was rushed to hospital and we were told that he did not have long left if he had not got help when he did.

[stewie]

I work in a city of 6k in 6 sq. miles. I had a call of a welfare check on a 91 yo male. After some checking around I find him in a nursing home after falling ill a week before. I found his house unsecured as all the doors were unlocked. I went to talk to him and ask about his house being unsecured. He was in very bad shape and wasn't coherent enough to converse with. I had a feeling he wouldn't make it long.

I went back to his residence and secured all the doors and windows. I contacted a nearest relative (in NY) and let them know I secured the house just in case someone comes down to check on things.


Would an Officer in a bigger, busier jurisdiction go to these lengths just to check an unsecured residence?

If they checked the residence and found the doors unlocked they would probably just secure them. Comparing small town vs. big city cop is a useless argument because it's comparing apples to oranges. Would the cop from the bigger, busier jurisdiction like to jump through hoops and do everything possible to help? Probably....but when his/her radio traffic is non-stop it unfortunately can't always happen. The small town cops typically have the time to go that extra mile. I usually do not.

Kudos to you on a job well done but realize in the bigger jurisdictions there are usually more pressing matters at hand.

[Creeker]

....One a more recent occasion there was more than just suspicion of someone inside in distress, he was old and had fallen and had been down for 3 days before he managed to get a neighbour to hear him.

We got there and the locksmith would have taken too long, so the firies came pronto and used their "master key".
....

In situations like that, after Supervisor approval, we'd either find an open window or use the "master key" at the end of our leg. Worst case was to break out a window.

The only time we'd call out a locksmith would be to get open a safe that had been seized or to open a car under warrant if we failed with our Slim Jim... and in these days of fewer and fewer Cops with any automotive experience, that is getting much more common.

[MP_Steve]

You know the PD is small when the chief patrol's!!!!!! We have a town like that right down the road!!!!!

The city where I grew up, population 70K, has 180 +/- sworn officers. With about 15 or so per shift on a short night it wasn't uncommon to see the Chief out on a bicycle or backing up officers on TS's and other calls.

He's since moved on and I don't know about the new chief, but it's certainly nice to see the boss come out and play!