called 911 the other night

[kryptonian]

there's a dilemma in this story for discussion so stick with it.
thursday night 1:30am still awake thanks to my addiction (playstation 3 - killzone 3 multi-player online) i hear voices outside my bedroom window. it faces my driveway and the neighbor's driveway is adjacent to it. the house next door is vacant. i peek out thru the blinds and see 3 juveniles about 14 or 15 years old 2 male 1 female go between the houses into the backyard. ok what to do dave? do you call the police? do you strap on 9mm and flashlight and confront them? i chose call police. i am former LEO and can easily handle 3 juveniles but chose the legally prudent move called 911 givin VERY complete information and waited. police response time where i live is a few minutes at most. got my camera switched to HD video in my window ready to record something good.
waited, waited and waited. 25 minutes. nothing. could hear them in neighbor's yard. C'MON. called 911 back asked if they planned on coming or not? advised the officer was on another call. i asked, "THE officer" we have one"? oakland county dispatch said yes and would be there when he was clear. i reminded them that it was a possible burglary and they verified it was a vacant house (as if it were less an issue). i asked if walled lake police could handle it. they said they needed request from wolverine lake. i asked if they OCSO dispatch could send one of their deputies and reminded them that they have a sub-station less than a mile away. answer again was no. i said "do you want ME to to take care of it"? they of course said no and that someone would be there when available.
here i am thinkin there are 3 juveniles next door illegally doing god knows what. is the female being sexually assaulted? would she be happy knowing that an armed neighbor knew they were back there and did nothing?
here's the dilemma - do i arm and go check it out myself and have police roll up and find just me back there? do i sit still and wait? i have to be to work in the morning and can't wait for something or nothing to happen. i wound up CC and checking behind house to find they were gone and no signs of forced entry. police never showed.
i called OCSO dispatch and asked why they didnt show. any calls to local PD goes to them. i was told that officer did stop 3 juveniles but didnt have any disposition on the contact. asked why they didnt stop by and tell me or check the house for burglary signs. they left message to local police who called me later that day. said i needed to ask for police to contact me if dispatch didnt ask me. they said most people want to anonymously call and not contacted in front of neighbors. left it like that. said call me if you generated criminal case and needed verification or anything.
nice parenting having your 14 year old daughter out that time of night with 2 guys in vacant yard by the way. any comments?

[rvd4now]

wow idk what i would do, one i need a flash light. i have one on my xdm but idk if thats what i want to use as my flash light.  i think you did the right thing we are not the police, the house was empty. if they would of came on to ur grass then u should of responed..

alll in all i think u handled it great.

[METL]

Why didn't you shine your light thru the window on them so that they would get the hint they were being watched?  I think it's too risky to go outside investigating something especially NOT on your property...    not saying you did the wrong thing... I'm just sayin I wouldn't be leaving the house unless I started hearing screaming or something.

[JoeCar]

Turning on a porch light or yard light might of influenced them. What is "idk, ur?"

[kryptonian]

i meant to add that i didn't underestimate the threat potential of juveniles. 3 combatants can be as dangerous as one big one. it all worked out but you have to do SOMETHING. i put something on facebook about it and people piled on me for being the stodgey old man and reminded me of the stupid similar stuff i did at that age but kids aren't the same now as we were then.

[CV67PAT]

Your concern was significant enough to call 911. It was also significant enough to call back when there was not a timely response. I would have investigated myself, if my level of concern was this high. I would not have waited for blood curdling screams or the first sign of smoke to do so. I would have taken my Malice Green Commemorative flashlight and for my personal protection my pistol du jour.

If there was nothing nefarious occurring, then I'd have gone back home and finished my game of Pong.

If, however I encountered an undesirable element, I would have dealt with them accordingly. This may have been with the shining of a flashlight in their eyes and instructions to leave. Whatever level of defense employed would depend on the level of threat received. If the troupe had tools that were used as weapons against me, then I would lawfully deploy my weapon and stop the threat to my life or limb.

I agree that "kids" today engage in things far different that when I wore a younger man's clothes. We therefore need to be more vigilent of their activities. Just as the stodgy old folks did of ours. That is what probably what kept us from participating in far more serious activities. The fear of consequence.

[METL]

Turning on a porch light or yard light might of influenced them. What is "idk, ur?"

idk:   I don't know
ur:  your

[northofnowhere]

kryptonian,

     Tough delima. If I was the owner of the home, I would hope, but not expect, you to help out.  In the modern day world of lawsuits though, is the risk toones self and the potential of backlash int he legal world really worth it on a vacant property, probably not.  Relying on the police is a mistake, they don't really have any power anyways.  They can spend days building a case and the offenders will get a slap on the wrist by our justice system.
     I had a boss call 911 for me while I was being attacked physically by someone I had verbally stopped for shoplifting, the boss was told there was noone availible to make an arrest, would we like them to send medical care?  WTF is that?  Is that dispatches method of saying handle it yourself and we will wipe the guys blood up off the floor?  Well, we handled it ourselves and the guy hasnt been seen since on our property.  I was later quietly approached by an officer of an unrelated jurisdiction and was warned they believe the individual I dealt with was HIV positive and had an extensive police history.  Does this mean shoot from 60 feet out instead of 30 to not get blood on me? 
    These are the things going through my head everyday when I carry, and dispatch and the police all know I carry.  I am of the firm belief that individual officers do the best they can, with what they are given, which ain't much.  In the end though, it is all up to ourselves to protect what is precious to us.  I know most of my neighbors well enough that I would have interviened, as when a house is vacant here, it is because someone is at "camp" for the summer.
     Life's a b***h, you made a decision, noone was hurt that anyone knows of, so in the end you probably made the right call, and hopefully as the officer was eventually rolling into town he saw three youths and stopped them and got what they deserved, if anything.

-northofnowhere

[ocdetroit]

Good job. Carry On.
Pat, Malice Green Commenorative Flashlight? 

[Glock9mmOldStyle]

I think you did well seeing the all around crappy hand you were dealt in this instance. What would have been priceless would have been to setup a video camera and while rolling whip out a bullhorn and shout out the window "You are surrounded by the neighbor hood watch!" and watch the jack-rabbits set a new land speed record for vacating a vacant house!

One officer coverage at night??? Bet that bit of info would make your fellow citizens blood run cold?

[kryptonian]

i guess one of the points this issue brought up is i called the police. they didn't show. they can't tell me i didn't try because i did. i would have let you handle it but you didn't. i had to make sure illegal activities weren't occuring. i can't sit still knowing someone is being victimized. either the home owner or the female juvenile.
also the other issue is when you call and decide to intervene until they arrive then you are now an armed person they see when arriving. they told me not to handle it myself. if i said i was anyway i probably should give my physical description and state i am legally armed. they will of course have a recording of dispatcher telling me not to act. if i did and a deadly force situation arose where would that put me?
ocdetroit - i cringed a little too at the malice green reference. i have my opinions on that incident but thought that was a little politically incorrect.

[CV67PAT]

I don't know that I would consider the instructions of a 911 dispatcher not to intervene as being "binding" upon me lawfully in any way that would preclude the lawful employment of deadly force.

The mag light, in addition to providing illumination, is also a convenient "less that lethal" device if needed for defense.

[Super Trucker]

Did you ask them if there were any traffic cops that could be removed from traffic duty to do something useful?

I think in that situation my puppies would have full bladders and need to relieve themselves.

The puppies.

 


 
 
Your area sounds similar to mine, run a red light and 3 cops dig into your wallet, but if something happens that you think they should make an appearance they are nowhere to be found.
 

[METL]

nice puppies.

[BailEnforcer]

Personally I would have cjhallanged these youths sinth they where on my property at the time (drive way) after calling 911 nad if I felt it was needed I would have "DETAINED" them and called 911 back to advise Iw as detaning 3 juvies that where tresspassing and asked they be charged with "Malicious Conduct" and let hte DA sort it out from there.  If the City or County was not avaiable I would hve called MISP.  But thats just me!