My Encounter with a Vigilant Neighborhood Watch

[thoricuncle]

My wife is a home health nurse. She travels to her patient's home and provides IV's, wound care and other minor medical services. If she has a visit in the evening or weekend, I will act as her driver. When she is in the home, I wait in the car and read a book (or a gun magazine!)

During one visit, I was waiting in the car when I was approached by a 30 year old man.

He asked, "Can I ask what you are doing here?".

I replied, "My wife is a home health nurse and she is seeing a patient."

He asked, "Who is she seeing?"

I said, "I probably shouldn't say due to HIPAA laws and all but if you wait a moment, you will see her come out of a house and get in the car"

He said, "I understand, I'm just trying to keep the neighborhood safe".

I said, "No problem, I'm just trying to keep my wife safe"

With that, he turned, smiled and walked away. I don't fault him one bit for his actions. He saw something that seemed out of place and checked it out. His kids were playing in the yard and he wanted them to be safe.

At no time did I have the urge to jump up and smash his head against the ground. There was no yelling or monkey dancing. We were both respectful and aware. I don't know if he was carrying or not. It didn't really matter.

I think the main difference between this and the Trayvon Martin situation comes down to respect. I respected this man's situation. I realized he was just watching out for his family and his neighborhood.

 

[The_Outlaw]

My wife is a home health nurse. She travels to her patient's home and provides IV's, wound care and other minor medical services. If she has a visit in the evening or weekend, I will act as her driver. When she is in the home, I wait in the car and read a book (or a gun magazine!)
During one visit, I was waiting in the car when I was approached by a 30 year old man.
He asked, "Can I ask what you are doing here?".
I replied, "My wife is a home health nurse and she is seeing a patient."
He asked, "Who is she seeing?"
I said, "I probably shouldn't say due to HIPAA laws and all but if you wait a moment, you will see her come out of a house and get in the car"
He said, "I understand, I'm just trying to keep the neighborhood safe".
I said, "No problem, I'm just trying to keep my wife safe"
With that, he turned, smiled and walked away. I don't fault him one bit for his actions. He saw something that seemed out of place and checked it out. His kids were playing in the yard and he wanted them to be safe.
At no time did I have the urge to jump up and smash his head against the ground. There was no yelling or monkey dancing. We were both respectful and aware. I don't know if he was carrying or not. It didn't really matter.
I think the main difference between this and the Trayvon Martin situation comes down to respect. I respected this man's situation. I realized he was just watching out for his family and his neighborhood.

Respect is definately a two way street...
Unfortunately many people nowadays want to be 'respected' while they are usually 'disrespecting' others.

 

[mamacat2u]

So glad to hear you had a positive experience with a neighborhood watch citizen, thoricuncle! When all parties are polite and courteous, it turns out to be a civil affair.

Respect is definately a two way street...
Unfortunately many people nowadays want to be 'respected' while they are usually 'disrespecting' others.

Case in point - Twitter lynch mob: George Zimmerman is out on bail? Let’s kill him! | Twitchy

I just happened upon this this morning while seeing George Zimmerman trending on Twitter. Sad, sad stuff.

 

[Treo]

Gotta ask, how do you know he was part of the neighborhood watch? Neighborhood watch isn't supposed to approach or confront anyone.

I would have told him I was waiting for my wife and would have asked to see some type of credentials before answering any more questions. Had he approached my wife we would have had words

 

[mamacat2u]

Gotta ask, how do you know he was part of the neighborhood watch? Neighborhood watch isn't supposed to approach or confront anyone.

I would have told him I was waiting for my wife and would have asked to see some type of credentials before answering any more questions. Had he approached my wife we would have had words

It might depend on where you live to have neighborhood watch credentials. I am part of my neighborhood watch but have no such documentation. I am also female, so I wouldn't dare walk up to anyone and address them personally. However, I am certain that there are men in our group that "might" approach someone and ask a few questions.

 

[BC1]

Gotta ask, how do you know he was part of the neighborhood watch? Neighborhood watch isn't supposed to approach or confront anyone.

I would have told him I was waiting for my wife and would have asked to see some type of credentials before answering any more questions. Had he approached my wife we would have had words

Exactly what I was thinking. The guy is another idiot who risks ruining his life to be a sheepdog. He would have received no response from me either. Continued pestering would have warranted a police call.

People!!! Neighborhood watch is exactly that... WATCH! Call the police if you see something wrong. Don't get personally involved. Let GZ serve as an example.

 

[Treo]

It might depend on where you live to have neighborhood watch credentials. I am part of my neighborhood watch but have no such documentation. I am also female, so I wouldn't dare walk up to anyone and address them personally. However, I am certain that there are men in our group that "might" approach someone and ask a few questions.

I meant police credentials, the neighborhood watch has no legal standing to approach or interrogate me.

Did I miss something? Isn’t it part of situational awareness that I don’t allow random strangers to approach and, in essence if not in fact, interview me? Unless you are a cop (or in limited cases) a security guard, it’s none of your business who I am and what I’m doing anywhere

 

[towboater]

I would have told him to mind his own business. I dont give a damn if he is worried. Let alone if he were to approach my wife, that y'all is a big freakin mistake....

 

[NavyLCDR]

My wife is a home health nurse. She travels to her patient's home and provides IV's, wound care and other minor medical services. If she has a visit in the evening or weekend, I will act as her driver. When she is in the home, I wait in the car and read a book (or a gun magazine!)

During one visit, I was waiting in the car when I was approached by a 30 year old man.

He asked, "Can I ask what you are doing here?".

Reply, "Yes, you can." End of conversation.

 

[mamacat2u]

Calling some 911 dispatch centers is futile in nature. My home alarm was going off, was notified by the monitoring service, drove 45 minutes to get to my home and, guess what - the cops hadn't even come yet.

Perception is all in where you live and what you deal with daily. Again, I am female and wouldn't dare approach someone who was out of sorts in my neighborhood, but some of the men might approach based on our experiences here.

 

[redfire]

Some of you are entirely too uptight. If you are VISITING a neighborhood where no one knows you and someone says "hi what are you doing here?" Why would you refuse to answer that? Do you really need to call the police to have them come find out about a man waiting on his wife the nurse? You are likely the same people who want to whine about the police fighting "real crime" when the high strung folks have them tied up because they were too self-righteous to answer a simple question.

 

[mamacat2u]

Some of you are entirely too uptight. If you are VISITING a neighborhood where no one knows you and someone says "hi what are you doing here?" Why would you refuse to answer that? Do you really need to call the police to have them come find out about a man waiting on his wife the nurse? You are likely the same people who want to whine about the police fighting "real crime" when the high strung folks have them tied up because they were too self-righteous to answer a simple question.

Exactly! Police departments are often under-staffed and cover a large geographical area when on patrol. *sigh*

 

[nogods]

It might depend on where you live to have neighborhood watch credentials. I am part of my neighborhood watch but have no such documentation. I am also female, so I wouldn't dare walk up to anyone and address them personally. However, I am certain that there are men in our group that "might" approach someone and ask a few questions.

Let's think about the situation for a moment.

Why are those "men" watching the neighborhood?

When one of those "men" decides that someone in the neighborhood is "strange" enough to warrant "further investigation" what are they expecting to find, a Mormon preparing to go to door with their religious mission?

Or are they concerned because of the possibility that the "stranger" might be a serial killer casing the neighborhood for his next victim?

Now what rational person thinks to themselves "hey, I gotta walk up to that guy in the car and find out if he has a gun in his hand that he can use to blow me away as soon as I get to the window."

 

[Old Shorty]

That is the way adults behave.

 

[Firefighterchen]

Just an observation...

I understand where people are coming from when saying we should mind our own business because we don't want to end up in a situation like GZ...but...

It seems, to me, one reason the gun community isn't winning every battle against firearm infringements is because there is such a lack of "community."

 

[mamacat2u]

/snip
Now what rational person thinks to themselves "hey, I gotta walk up to that guy in the car and find out if he has a gun in his hand that he can use to blow me away as soon as I get to the window."

The man who has kids playing in the yard across the street, maybe?! I am a parent and KNOW 100% for a fact that if the man "has a gun in his hand that he can use to blow me away as soon as I get to the window" I would rather he get me than my child.

Having said that, I think some are entirely too paranoid. If you have lived in your neighborhood for years on end, like I have, and you are ACTIVE in your community, you know when things are just not quite right. Might not be 100% of the time, but you trust your gut at that point. I am betting that the guy who approached "believed" that the OP was really not a bad person, as he was sitting and reading a magazine, but just wanted to check.

Why must some always run to the cops? Grow a pair. If you are armed, then no harm no foul, right? You have been trained to use it (I hope).

 

[TheSp8]

I'm fairly new to my neighborhood but I know each neighbor 3 houses down on each side and the ones across the street from each of them. Those are also the houses that are easiest to see from my porch. A couple of weeks ago, a guy pulled up on a motorcycle and took a picture of my house and the neighbors house. I was across the street talking to the two little old ladies at are across from us. I walked up on him, said "Hey!" loud enough to get through the full face helmet, and asked why he was taking pictures of the neighbors and my houses. He pulled off his helmet and told me he was an assessor for a mortgage company and was doing comps for a loan on a house on the other side of the block. He showed me his papers IDing him as an assessor and gave my his business card. He also said he gets questioned at least once a week and has the cops called on him about once a month.

The man in the original story had kids and noticed something unusual in the neighborhood. Just because the OP had a magazine I wouldn't assume he was reading. I do plenty of looking around while holding a magazine. The man, judging by the post, acted in a civil manner and was replied to in a civil manner. Go ahead and act the fool when someone asks a question like this then have to deal with the police if you want to. Use to be this is what happened in every neighborhood. If the thought of looking out for your neighborhood is too scary then by all means call the police. Just don't complain when they are slow when you really need them because they are doing what a neighbor could have done.

YMOS,
Tony

 

[nogods]

The man who has kids playing in the yard across the street, maybe?! I am a parent and KNOW 100% for a fact that if the man "has a gun in his hand that he can use to blow me away as soon as I get to the window" I would rather he get me than my child.

Having said that, I think some are entirely too paranoid. If you have lived in your neighborhood for years on end, like I have, and you are ACTIVE in your community, you know when things are just not quite right. Might not be 100% of the time, but you trust your gut at that point. I am betting that the guy who approached "believed" that the OP was really not a bad person, as he was sitting and reading a magazine, but just wanted to check.

Why must some always run to the cops? Grow a pair. If you are armed, then no harm no foul, right? You have been trained to use it (I hope).

Now there's some rational thinking. You want to show your kids what a big fella you are. That you have a big pair. Probably a lot bigger than your brains.

After crazy guy in the car shoots you (or do you approach the car with your gun drawn so he can't "get the drop" on you?) what do you think he'll do to your kids if his intent was to harm them in the first place? Try to sell them a subscription to a magazine?

Reminds me of Clint Eastwood's line in Unforgiven:

Any son of a ***** takes a shot at me, I'm not only going to kill him, I'm going to kill his wife and all his friends and burn his damn house down.

The difference between "growing a pair" and having a brain is what gives the Dawin Awards a never ending stream of candidates.

And no, I don't carry a firearm to play Marshal Dillon. My firearm doesn't give me "courage" to put myself in situations I would not put myself in without it.

 

[BC1]

Some of you are entirely too uptight. If you are VISITING a neighborhood where no one knows you and someone says "hi what are you doing here?" Why would you refuse to answer that? Do you really need to call the police to have them come find out about a man waiting on his wife the nurse? You are likely the same people who want to whine about the police fighting "real crime" when the high strung folks have them tied up because they were too self-righteous to answer a simple question.

Because I trust NO ONE! I don't converse and I don't respond unless required. So what happens when the guy persists?

I was tooling along on my tractor Saturday when I noticed some guy walking down along the woods line toward me... on my property. He was waving for me to stop. I motioned him to stop and drove up to him as I don't want him on the grounds. His manner was bizarre. Eyes darting around, fragmented speech. He kept petting his holster, which was printing. It definitely raised my hackles and I kept a wary eye on him. Despite his strange mannerisms and speech he only wanted directions. After I pointed him in the right direction I thought long and hard about it. I was unarmed and a long way from the house. How should I react to a stranger who approaches? Were his mannerisms indicative of anything? Definitely makes one think; you never know. From now on I'll keep my gun on the tractor when I'm out.

 

[titaniumman]

Get the plate # if you suspect something funny. You can observe someone from a distance. If your kids are out front, walk out and tell them to be aware of the guy in the car. If the child is not old enough to monitor the surroundings they are in...they should not be out there alone in the first place. If you are really concerned, get a cheap set of binoculars to keep handy...I live in the country and use mine frequently to bird watch and check out the wildlife. jot down a quick description of said man and the car just in case. But remember sitting in your car is not a crime unless it is private property. "This is a neighborhood WATCH community"...Watch being the key word.