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Heard over IMPD scanner

MAC702

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
6,331
Location
Nevada
I agree. And it does happen sometimes. Especially when its continuous calls about legal activity.

Unfortunately the people who make calls about legal activity because it "scares" them are part of the public that the "servants" serve. In fact they have the same right to service as you or I do. Sucks sometimes they abuse this right (I use that term loosely) to bother other good citizens, but it happens.

Actually, if they are making calls about legal activities, the best "service" you can provide is to say: "Hey, Dumbass, what he is doing is perfectly legal. What you are doing is tying up police business with ignorant calls. Are you SURE you want me to start writing citations when I come out here?"
 

Primus

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 24, 2013
Messages
3,939
Location
United States
Actually, if they are making calls about legal activities, the best "service" you can provide is to say: "Hey, Dumbass, what he is doing is perfectly legal. What you are doing is tying up police business with ignorant calls. Are you SURE you want me to start writing citations when I come out here?"
I agree Mac I really do. But its just not how of works. In fact from experience those same people who may call on a guy doing legal activity is the very first guy to make a complaint against you because you refused to do what they demand since they "pay your salary".

Let me try and put it a better way. Where I live there is NO ordinance or law about dogs barking. So its legal. Right? (It'd be dumb to say your dog can't bark). Well I can't count how many barking dog calls I've gone to or seen other guys go to. Your clearly going to an activity that's perfectly legal. The problem is it "bothers" the person that is calling.

Even if one wanted to be a real d bag about a barking dog you would have to cite for some OTHER infraction (disturbing the peace maybe? Doubtful.) Because the actual dog barking is legal. Of you blow of the call and say "hey dumb ass dogs bark get over it I'm not going to bother the owner of said puppy" you'd get serious complaints. Why? Because they work for the guy complaining just as much as they do for the dog owner.

Now take dog barking (legal) and replace with ocing. Same thing. It's because another person is bothered by that activity that is legal.

Even better.. Loud music. We don't have an ordinance that says you can't play music. Its only when someone calls and complains. The legal activity becomes "illegal" when another tax payer is bothered by it. We don't charge "loud music" we charge "disturbing the peace". The very definition is your otherwise LEGAL activity disturbed someone else.

Not advocating for this just trying to explain the other side. When citizen A who pays your salary calls to complain about citizen B who pays your salary how do you tell either to get screwed in good faith? You can't. So you appease citizen A by speaking (NOT detain or arrest) citizen B.

Its more of a pain in the azz then you know. Especially in a large city with people on top of people on top of other people who complain about this guy not putting trash out or that guy walks up the steps too loud or this girl slams her car door everynight and then she has all kinds or dudes over the house.... Lol wish I was making it up but I'm not.
 

Fallschirjmäger

Active member
Joined
Aug 4, 2007
Messages
3,823
Location
Cumming, Georgia, USA
GPS is used by some departments for this reason.
But what your saying would force officers into MORE interactions over dumb things.
No doubt. Lemme tell you a 'there I was' story.

Our company had a mission to install computers and infrastructure with a popular coffee provider and once upon a time I was in Memphis on a Friday to do a store. No biggie, they generally take between 8 and 12 hours and I'd be back on my way to Atlanta that Friday evening. Installed, tested, documented, drove home an arrived about 2 or 3AM if I remember.

Lo and behold, at 7AM on Saturday I got a call that said I had to go back to Memphis (On My Own Time, as that was the contract) and fix a problem. "What problem?" says I, "It worked perfectly when I left."
"The store manager says his system won't work and he's called us directly to complain about your work. You. Go. Fix. We. No. Pay."
"If I find that it's not my problem, you're paying."
"You. go. fix."
So, in the van grumbling the whole way as I Knew everything worked, I'd tested every system. Arrived to find a manager upset that it took me more than an hour to get there. "Sorry; you're 400 miles away, it takes a few minutes to get here. What's the problem?"
"My printer doesn't work, I can't open the store!"
"Hmm, that's odd the printer worked perfectly last night. I had to print a report on it to do the installation and get paid. Let me look."
Go to the office, look at the printer, flip the power switch from Off to On and ask, "Did you call your help desk first?"
"No, you guys installed it, I called you."
"Okay, just sign here... and here. Thank you."
"Anything else?"
"No, the charge is for our standard minimum of four hours work, and since it's Saturday that's overtime. Oh, and you'll be charged for nine hours of travel each way. If you had called your help desk first, they would have asked you right off what lights were on your printer."
"But..but..bu-"
"Have a good day, Sir, I have to drive home now."
Twenty-Two motherfreakin' hours to flip a dang switch that could have been solved with a 10-minute phone call to his help desk. At least I got paid.
 
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OC for ME

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
12,452
Location
White Oak Plantation
Misuse of emergency telephone service unlawful, definitions, penalty--no local fine or penalty for pay telephones for calls to emergency telephone service. - RSMo 190.308.

1. In any county that has established an emergency telephone service pursuant to sections 190.300 to 190.320, it shall be unlawful for any person to misuse the emergency telephone service. For the purposes of this section, "emergency" means any incident involving danger to life or property that calls for an emergency response dispatch of police, fire, EMS or other public safety organization, "misuse the emergency telephone service" includes, but is not limited to, repeatedly calling the "911" for nonemergency situations causing operators or equipment to be in use when emergency situations may need such operators or equipment and "repeatedly" means three or more times within a one-month period.

2. Any violation of this section is a class B misdemeanor.

3. No political subdivision shall impose any fine or penalty on the owner of a pay telephone or on the owner of any property upon which a pay telephone is located for calls to the emergency telephone service made from the pay telephone. Any such fine or penalty is hereby void.
Good luck getting a top cop and his minions to actually prosecute a citizen MWAGing a OCer.

We know that the wrong burger order at the local fast food joint is a misuse and folks get held to account. But, MWAGing a OCer? Nope, cops ain't gunna set that precedent. It just ain't in them. Any jurisdiction that does not have such a statute/code is not interested in liberty, let alone education citizens the the term "emergency" means something. Cops should be advocating for such a statute...but, again, it just ain't in them.
 

Running Wolf

Campaign Veteran
Joined
May 10, 2009
Messages
391
Location
Corner of No and Where
Dispatch doesn't. The Sgt who runs comms does. You tell a dispatcher (civilian) to get screwed and you get written up by Sgt in there. So you "go" where they tell you. Period.

Notice the "" around go? That's intentional. Do guys simply drive by and clear the call? Yes. Do guys not bothr even driving by and clear the call? Yes. But when you "go" to the call and clear it as if you were "there" and s***** hits the fan...... Its your a** on the line. That simple.

So you either go to the call or you don't and it's on you.

Fine, upstanding citizens and employees being described here. If I was to lie about doing my job I'd be fired. I wonder what happens to cops that lie.

I agree Mac I really do. But its just not how of works. In fact from experience those same people who may call on a guy doing legal activity is the very first guy to make a complaint against you because you refused to do what they demand since they "pay your salary".

Let me try and put it a better way. Where I live there is NO ordinance or law about dogs barking. So its legal. Right? (It'd be dumb to say your dog can't bark). Well I can't count how many barking dog calls I've gone to or seen other guys go to. Your clearly going to an activity that's perfectly legal. The problem is it "bothers" the person that is calling.

Even if one wanted to be a real d bag about a barking dog you would have to cite for some OTHER infraction (disturbing the peace maybe? Doubtful.) Because the actual dog barking is legal. Of you blow of the call and say "hey dumb ass dogs bark get over it I'm not going to bother the owner of said puppy" you'd get serious complaints. Why? Because they work for the guy complaining just as much as they do for the dog owner.

Now take dog barking (legal) and replace with ocing. Same thing. It's because another person is bothered by that activity that is legal.

Even better.. Loud music. We don't have an ordinance that says you can't play music. Its only when someone calls and complains. The legal activity becomes "illegal" when another tax payer is bothered by it. We don't charge "loud music" we charge "disturbing the peace". The very definition is your otherwise LEGAL activity disturbed someone else.

Not advocating for this just trying to explain the other side. When citizen A who pays your salary calls to complain about citizen B who pays your salary how do you tell either to get screwed in good faith? You can't. So you appease citizen A by speaking (NOT detain or arrest) citizen B.

Its more of a pain in the azz then you know. Especially in a large city with people on top of people on top of other people who complain about this guy not putting trash out or that guy walks up the steps too loud or this girl slams her car door everynight and then she has all kinds or dudes over the house.... Lol wish I was making it up but I'm not.

Cry me a river buddy.
 

jackrockblc

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2014
Messages
256
Location
Jefferson County, CO
No doubt. Lemme tell you a 'there I was' story.

Our company had a mission to install computers and infrastructure with a popular coffee provider and once upon a time I was in Memphis on a Friday to do a store. No biggie, they generally take between 8 and 12 hours and I'd be back on my way to Atlanta that Friday evening. Installed, tested, documented, drove home an arrived about 2 or 3AM if I remember.

Lo and behold, at 7AM on Saturday I got a call that said I had to go back to Memphis (On My Own Time, as that was the contract) and fix a problem. "What problem?" says I, "It worked perfectly when I left."
"The store manager says his system won't work and he's called us directly to complain about your work. You. Go. Fix. We. No. Pay."
"If I find that it's not my problem, you're paying."
"You. go. fix."
So, in the van grumbling the whole way as I Knew everything worked, I'd tested every system. Arrived to find a manager upset that it took me more than an hour to get there. "Sorry; you're 400 miles away, it takes a few minutes to get here. What's the problem?"
"My printer doesn't work, I can't open the store!"
"Hmm, that's odd the printer worked perfectly last night. I had to print a report on it to do the installation and get paid. Let me look."
Go to the office, look at the printer, flip the power switch from Off to On and ask, "Did you call your help desk first?"
"No, you guys installed it, I called you."
"Okay, just sign here... and here. Thank you."
"Anything else?"
"No, the charge is for our standard minimum of four hours work, and since it's Saturday that's overtime. Oh, and you'll be charged for nine hours of travel each way. If you had called your help desk first, they would have asked you right off what lights were on your printer."
"But..but..bu-"
"Have a good day, Sir, I have to drive home now."

Thirteen motherfreakin' hours to flip a dang switch that could have been solved with a 10-minute phone call to his help desk. At least I got paid.

While I don't do dispatch work, I have had otherwise similar stories. I feel your pain.
 

The Truth

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 18, 2014
Messages
1,972
Location
Henrico
I've only called the cops once since I moved to Richmond almost 4 years ago. It was about a month ago. One of my very troublesome neighbors (always getting the cops called on them, seemed like the cops were actually a step ahead most of the time) was making quite a bit of noise around midnight one night. It was two females verbally fighting, one of them kept threatening the other. The noise ordinance in Henrico is 11pm. I gave them an extra hour or so to settle their dispute before it got annoying trying to hear my television over their bickering, so I called it in. I even told the dispatcher that I thought I had given them ample time to settle their differences, but that I was sick of hearing it so late, and it was getting more and more violent. Dispatcher informed me that I need not even take heed to the noise ordinance in the case of two people yelling at each other, and that I should call that in any time of day.

Anyway, 5 minutes passed and sure enough here rolls up Henrico Co. cruiser #1. I was impressed, honestly. It ended up being a female cop (since they knew it was 2 females fighting from my call) and instead of rolling up aggressively, she turned all her lights off and hid her car behind a tree so that she could listen in on the yelling. She did not just take my call as evidence, she sat back and observed first hand before acting!After confirming the yelling (bout 3 minutes of sitting in the dark) she rolled up, lights off, got out of her car and took care of the situation. A male officer showed up to back her up about 30 seconds after she rolled up on them in the yard.

Never heard another peep.

Not sure if this is relevant, but I thought Henrico handled the situation PERFECTLY.
 

wimwag

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2013
Messages
1,049
Location
Doug
Of course they don't have to go...it's just that some of them are power hungry beta humans who hope and pray they get that very call from dispatch so that they can troll people under color of law.

It would be interesting to see if any officers showed up and arrested a man for being AWB.
 

Rusty Young Man

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2013
Messages
1,548
Location
Árida Zona
Was listening to IMPD on broadcastify. They had a call (Paraphrased):

Dispatcher: "Black male w/ a gun. Need officer to check him out."

Officer: "What's he doing?"

Dispatcher: "Sitting on a porch step."

Officer: "Is he pointing the gun at someone?"

Dispatcher: "No, it's in a holster on his belt."

Officer: "That's not illegal. You can cancel that."

Dispatcher: "10-4. Cancelling call."

And dat, folks, is the next best thing to the Way It Should Be Done.

Fixed it for you.

Agree with Mac702 that The Way It Should Be Done would have been only between the original caller and the dispatcher:

Caller: *usual hysterics about seeing an inanimate object that somehow makes them feel bad*
Dispatcher: Sir/ma'am, can you describe him to me?

Caller: *hysterics about the inanimate object* also, he's dark-skinned (since saying "Black" is racist.:rolleyes:)

Dispatcher: What is he doing? Is he pointing the gun at anyone?

Caller: No, he's just sitting down with that holstered gun.

Dispatcher: So it's in a holster and he isn't threatening anyone with it.

Caller: Yes.

Dispatcher: Sir/ma'am, that is not illegal and does not warrant a call to 911. We are here only for emergencies, so please refrain from abusing the 911 call system in the future.

@The Truth: I agree that your experience showed exactly how a Peace Officer should act. Unfortunately, we sometimes encounter the Opinion Enforcement Officers.
 
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