Using the police to stay free from legal problems

[aich]

As a CCW holder I know our last line of defense is to use our firearm. Before things get to there we should try and escape and / or call the police.

I had a family member call me and tell me that they think somebody is in the house. So while I rushed home I remembered reading a post on here and that post has changed my view on life.

I was going to go home and try to 'secure' the place myself. I have no training on securing homes but thanks to that post I called 911 and two officers came and checked the house for me. Not only did I feel safe knowing that the police were there but also that if something went down and shots were fired I would be free from any legalities.

This incident has opened up a new can of worms for me. Any time a situation arises I think to call 911 first and let the police handle the situation. Including any suspicious activities that I happen across in my area. I am not abusing 911 but I see it as being an extra set of eyes.

Also as a hobby I listen to scanners and I had a question, if I overhear that they are looking for a specific vehicle and I see that specific vehicle drive by am I allowed to 'help' and call 911 or do I just stay out of it and stick to listening. Again I am not trying to be the police but if I can use them for what they are here for while keeping my hands clean from being sued then I think its a win/win for me.

I'd love to hear some feedback. Thanks

 

[eagleeyes]

i would just call 911 and tell them you saw a vehicle matching the description and where you saw it and perhaps keep an eye on where it was going if you could in a safe way
the first scenerio makes me wonder if going to the house your family called to say there was possible danger there even after calling the police is violating the law being you deliberately put yourself in harms way
like that woman who walked back in her house to get her keys and brought her gun from the car to protect herself against her boyfriend when she could have just went next door to call a cop or get out of a dangerous situation??
i'm new to all this kind of concern and need to know

 

[aich]

i would just call 911 and tell them you saw a vehicle matching the description and where you saw it and perhaps keep an eye on where it was going if you could in a safe way
the first scenerio makes me wonder if going to the house your family called to say there was possible danger there even after calling the police is violating the law being you deliberately put yourself in harms way
like that woman who walked back in her house to get her keys and brought her gun from the car to protect herself against her boyfriend when she could have just went next door to call a cop or get out of a dangerous situation??
i'm new to all this kind of concern and need to know

I waited in the car until the police came and didnt exit the vehicle until I was asked to do so, in addition I told the dispatcher I was on my way home and she took my vehicle desc and told me that the officers were on their way and to wait for them. I wanted to go in cuz my fam was in there but I didnt until the police came and gave me the OK

 

[Mobuck]

If I got a call that there was an intruder and I could get there significantly sooner than the fuzz, I would not hesitate to do so. In my case, I might be 2 minutes from the house or 2 hours and average response time is 30-45 minutes so there's quite a window there in which I could foreseeably be on my own. Rural people(by that I mean real farm folks) tend to handle their own problems w/o resorting to 911(well. they used to and some of us still do).
If people think I'm going to hide and wait for the cops to drag their butts out here while mayhem is in progress, I've got a newsflash for them. There are some in my area who truly feel I'm the one to call if SHTF and they do. Before all you "hide and be a good witness" snot blowers jump my case, is that what you'd want me to do if your Grandma called me saying there's an intruder on her back porch?

 

[Wyldekard]

If you see the vehicle, or one just like it, I would say call it in. The cops can decide what they want to do about it. If the cops tell you to stop calling in for things you hear on the scanner, then stop. It's up to them.

 

[longslide10]

"Using the police to stay free from legal problems" Hmmm, kind of a contradiction eh? They are usually the cause of legal problems...at least for me anyway.

 

[aich]

"Using the police to stay free from legal problems" Hmmm, kind of a contradiction eh? They are usually the cause of legal problems...at least for me anyway.

well if a baddie is in my house Id rather have the cops do the 'dirty' work for me while keeping my hands sparkling clean

 

[Rocket11213]

What if the police are not available and or there will be a delay as is in the city and or out there in the suburbs, I thought that is why people want get ccw, to have there right to feel protected, they are armed,I see little in arrive home and think maybe there is a intruder in home, and or be in bed and think there is a intruder. Either way feel want to be able to protect yourself Should know how to handle a gun safely and check rms. Otherwise, if there are to many concerns legal issues , then have ccw or guns and take chances waiting for the police to come. and that if intruder in home he does not find you.

 

[rt48]

I had a family member call me and tell me that they think somebody is in the house.

Why do people in emergency situations call other family members instead of 911? I see this in news stories all the time also.

 

[Bikenut]

I waited in the car until the police came and didnt exit the vehicle until I was asked to do so, in addition I told the dispatcher I was on my way home and she took my vehicle desc and told me that the officers were on their way and to wait for them. I wanted to go in cuz my fam was in there but I didnt until the police came and gave me the OK

well if a baddie is in my house Id rather have the cops do the 'dirty' work for me while keeping my hands sparkling clean

Just so I understand....

Are you saying that you will sit in the driveway.. inside your car... and wait several minutes for the police to show up while the baddie is in your house raping and/or murdering your wife/daughter?

Is that what you are saying?

 

[wolf_fire]

Cab drivers in New York and other major cities have assisted the police by being their eyes and ears on the street. Unless your local police department has asked you to stay out of their business (which I would find highly irregular) by informing them of things you have seen or heard that could help them, I'd say call.

I just have one question, does your state have a "duty to retreat" clause in their lawbooks? Ours (PA) used to, but we finally got up with the times and signed a Castle Doctrine law that says we don't have to try to retreat, we can defend our home/car/person without having to prove that there was that tiny retreat hole we could have possibly fit through.

 

[NCIC105]

If I got a call that there was an intruder and I could get there significantly sooner than the fuzz, I would not hesitate to do so. In my case, I might be 2 minutes from the house or 2 hours and average response time is 30-45 minutes so there's quite a window there in which I could foreseeably be on my own. Rural people(by that I mean real farm folks) tend to handle their own problems w/o resorting to 911(well. they used to and some of us still do).
If people think I'm going to hide and wait for the cops to drag their butts out here while mayhem is in progress, I've got a newsflash for them. There are some in my area who truly feel I'm the one to call if SHTF and they do. Before all you "hide and be a good witness" snot blowers jump my case, is that what you'd want me to do if your Grandma called me saying there's an intruder on her back porch?

Lot of folks live way back in country and 911 is only good to pick up the pieces!
Better for your own safety to react!

 

[The_Outlaw]

As a CCW holder I know our last line of defense is to use our firearm. Before things get to there we should try and escape and / or call the police.

I had a family member call me and tell me that they think somebody is in the house. So while I rushed home I remembered reading a post on here and that post has changed my view on life.

I was going to go home and try to 'secure' the place myself. I have no training on securing homes but thanks to that post I called 911 and two officers came and checked the house for me. Not only did I feel safe knowing that the police were there but also that if something went down and shots were fired I would be free from any legalities.

This incident has opened up a new can of worms for me. Any time a situation arises I think to call 911 first and let the police handle the situation. Including any suspicious activities that I happen across in my area. I am not abusing 911 but I see it as being an extra set of eyes.

Also as a hobby I listen to scanners and I had a question, if I overhear that they are looking for a specific vehicle and I see that specific vehicle drive by am I allowed to 'help' and call 911 or do I just stay out of it and stick to listening. Again I am not trying to be the police but if I can use them for what they are here for while keeping my hands clean from being sued then I think its a win/win for me.

I'd love to hear some feedback. Thanks

This whole thread has a 'scent of trollism' to it i.m.h.o.

 

[aich]

Just so I understand....

Are you saying that you will sit in the driveway.. inside your car... and wait several minutes for the police to show up while the baddie is in your house raping and/or murdering your wife/daughter?

Is that what you are saying?

I only give as much info as i need. Yes I waited for the police BUT I had the fam member stay with me on the phone until they came so I was always aware of what was going on

 

[aich]

This whole thread has a 'scent of trollism' to it i.m.h.o.

Using advice from this forum and discussing it applied in a real life situation is anything but

 

[NCIC105]

Using advice from this forum and discussing it applied in a real life situation is anything but

Using advise of a legal nature from a open forum is plain stupid!

Want sound advise call an attorney or a judge and know even they can be incorrect.

 

[Shoobee]

This is an interesting issue at the present time with the Zimmerman-Martin incident in Florida all over the newsprint and on tv.

Generally speaking, the lesson of Zimmerman-Martin is not to try to do police work if you are not a sworn LEO.

Anytime you are in a situation where you can call the police, and get a response in time, you should do that.

The flip side of that is that overburndening the police with trivial complaints and suspicions is not right either.

And there are some situations where you would need to defend yourself, when it won't be possible to call the police in time, such as in any case of a face to face confrontation with a perp. For men the most imminent incident would be robbery, and for women it would be rape. Although burglary in progress for both men or women is also in the top 3 as far as crimes go.

Z was rather stupid in that he was out patrolling at a very early hour of the evening and was calling in what he thought was suspicious but which was really a figment of his own paranoid deluded mind. He also thought his CCW weapon made him undefeatable and found out it did not. When he had to resort to shooting a youth in the neighborhood that he did not recognize, the resulting protest nationwide has now landed him in big legal troubles. Exactly to your point.

The NRA crowd has rallied around Z for their own benefit, and the NAACP crowd around M, and everyone else is caught up somewhere in the middle, and as a result there will likely be 3 jury trials. In the meantime, everyone is at ill odds with each other over the matter.

The universal conclusion is that playing cop is not smart and could get very expensive.

 

[Shoobee]

Lot of folks live way back in country and 911 is only good to pick up the pieces!
Better for your own safety to react!

Even for the city folks, this is also often true as well.

 

[Shoobee]

well if a baddie is in my house Id rather have the cops do the 'dirty' work for me while keeping my hands sparkling clean

Exactly right.

Basic infantry tactics, aka police procedures, would quickly come into play.

If you are outnumbered in an armed conflict, you would not stand a chance anyway.

Best thing would be to block the driveway with your car, then get safely far away and call-in the incident as in progress.

Getting yourself shot and/or killed in a one-man assault makes no sense at all from a self-preservation perspective.

Even the LEOs don't go in alone, they always call for backup.

 

[Speedbump]

Best thing would be to block the driveway with your car, then get safely far away and call-in the incident as in progress.

I did this with some teenagers who almost took my Wife and I out with some real stupid driving maneuvers. They pulled into a convenience store right after the manuevers and I blocked them with my PU until the cops got there. I was told by the LEO that I could go to jail for kidnapping. Geeeeshshhh what is this world coming to? They weren't even in the car, they were in buying candy and other junk and laughing about the whole incident.