Cops Called on Handiman

[LillFilly]

I was sharing the news story about an elderly man who constantly gets the police called on him whenever he's with his granddaughter because he's white and she's black (sad article called 'Grandparenting While White). Anyway, the Manager I was talking to told me how she and her husband had a family friend who is also a handiman doing some work for them. The day he was supposed to work, they were running late, so he headed to their house to wait for them and parked on the street (regular truck, not a work van). However, MULTIPLE neighbors called the police to say there was a man who looked like a 'child snatcher' sitting in a truck on their street. Cue Manager and her husband arriving home to find the poor handiman cuffed and surrounded by policemen until they figured-out he'd done nothing wrong.

[Food Lady]

Ugh, that's disgusting. I mean, what exactly is a child snatcher supposed to look like, anyway?

[Scorpodael]

Ugh, that's disgusting. I mean, what exactly is a child snatcher supposed to look like, anyway?

Like any man who happens to have a work van, of course! Obviously.

[Hyndis]

One time someone called the police on the local mailman for going up to people's houses repeatedly.

[bainsidhe]

Part of me thinks it's awesome neighbors are alert to their surroundings and willing to call authorities on perceived suspicious behavior.

But "child snatcher"? Really? What's with all the alarm when a guy is just sitting there? And what's with the police, apparently also very alarmed, handcuffing the guy until they sort things out? How about just approaching him and asking for an explanation?

[PepperElf]

sounds like time to press charges on the neighbors for pressing false charges?

[Brojekk]

And what's with the police, apparently also very alarmed, handcuffing the guy until they sort things out? How about just approaching him and asking for an explanation?

My thoughts exactly. Talk about overkill. All that was needed was to send one cop to see what's going on,find out what he doing there and leave it at that.

[Duncan MacLeod]

One time i was sitting on my front porch like a boss, and notice about 18 squad cars come squealing up to the house and the police officers rushing out guns drawn. Minutes later they were leading out a black man in handcuffs.

Turns out the man was there doing some work on the house (he was chopping wood with an axe) and the babysitter was not informed of this. She had called the police because there was a black man in the back yard with an axe.

[angelgirl]

Being careful

I think the cops definitely over-reacted, but I've been the person reporting before. I noticed a guy in an unmarked van sitting on the street across from my sons daycare three days in a row. This was the end of a short side street with no other businesses, etc. On the third day I reported it to the daycare, who called in to the police. They'd had other calls from parents, too. They sent out a unit to talk to the guy.

Turns out it was the chosen spot for this guy to pick up his work crew who were being dropped off, but none of the parents were there to see him pick up the other guys. The cops let the daycare know and they informed all the parents. We were okay with it, but I think the guy starting waiting one street over anyway!

[Merriweather]

Geez, over-react much? Take deep breaths, remain calm, and try, just try, to dredge up a little common sense, people. Holds true for most of the above.

Calmly calling police to report a stranger standing or in a car on your street, with no apparent reason for being there, givng them a description & relevant info (such as a daycare in the block) = good.

Calling police in a panic to say there''s a child molester/rapist/bugler (with no evidence as such) = bad.

Police coming out to politely ask said person why they are there, see an ID, verify if needed = good.

Police grabbing said person from car, handcuffing them & taking them away without first giving them a chance to tell them any legitimate reasons they are there = bad.

Ok, I will, though give some slack to both caller & police in the case of an unknown man in the back yard with an axe, no matter what his colour.

[bunrotha]

My thoughts exactly. Talk about overkill. All that was needed was to send one cop to see what's going on,find out what he doing there and leave it at that.

This particular topic raises my fratching level by +2, so I shall take extra pains to be civil. Some cops in cities in the UK have taken to handcuffing anyone they arrest, search, or do anything more than speak to.

This appears to be a combination of dispatchers only sending one (unarmed) plod to anything, who then has no backup if things go Pete Tong, so they play safe and cuff anyone until they are absolutely convinced that person cannot pull a gun/knife/left hook or run away- combined with the way that Sucky Newspapers blame the plod for anyone coming to any form of grief within, ooh, a day of seeing a policeman- so now unless there are enough cops to make sure nothing can happen that will be blamed on them, on go the cuffs.

Yes, overkill, even though I can see the officer's point of view viz. anal coverage, I strongly suspect it still sucks to be handcuffed in the street for a chat.

[Sapphire Silk]

I've called the cops on a strange car in my neighborhood before. The driver would park in front of my house and sit there for hours, several times a week. I thought the neighborhood was being cased by this person. I didn't know anything about the race of the person; couldn't see into the car.

But it was suspicious; the car would park and no one would ever get out.

So I call the cops and report a suspicious person. They make contact with the driver, and then with me.

Turns out the lady (Hispanic, not that it matters) had her kid at the church day care around the corner for an after school activity several times a week. The parking lot there has no shade, so she'd park in my front yard because of the big shade tree I have, and cat nap until the activity let out.

I told the cop I didn't want to do anything other than make sure she was on the up and up, and she was (no wants, warrants, etc), just a misunderstanding. The lady was nice about it. I even offered to let her stay once I knew what the story was, but she never came back.

[Moosenogger]

Those neighbors need to join the FBI if they can detect child-molesters on sight. Think of the possibilities!

[Kristev]

I can see the spree of false arrests already.

[Brojekk]

Those neighbors need to join the FBI if they can detect child-molesters on sight. Think of the possibilities!

Almost broke the #1 rule on that one.