if some drunken guy comes to my house at 3:00 in the morning and started pounding on my front door for half an hour demanding to be let in and we called the police, are they allowed to say "sorry were too busy to come to your house, well send someone if anyone ever becomes avalible". like, what if the guy broke down the door and had a gun? what if the guy rolled onto the ground and DIED? what if he broke into someone elses house? could you sue the police?
2006-12-02 16:59:14 · 21 answers · asked by bulletprooflonliness 4 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
{true story happened to ME and one of my teachers}
2006-12-02 17:02:49 · update #1
{nobody ever came}
2006-12-02 17:05:51 · update #2
you still can sue...even if that didn't happen. they have a DUTY to protect and serve, no matter how small the complaint. I would write a strong worded letter!!
2006-12-02 17:01:39 · answer #1 · answered by ♥Sweet Girl♥ 5 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Those are a lot of "what if's?" Yeah, if he'd come in the house and shot all of you, then a survivor could sue. If he rolled onto the ground and died, then you wouldn't have a lawsuit unless he landed in your daffodils.
Somehow, I have a hard time believing a dispatcher would actually phrase a response that way. I have heard them be incredibly stupid on tape when children were trying to get help, however, so I'm not doubting you, just wondering why you're considering suing over something that didn't happen. What happened to the drunk? DId he finally find his own house?
Can't you find something else to worry about? You called in about a drunk at the wrong house. Maybe they had calls involving dying people, hostage situations, bad traffic accidents....where do you think you and your drunk are going to rate? How big is this police department anyway???? Just Andy and Barney?
2006-12-02 17:08:57 · answer #2 · answered by His Old Lady 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
We are NOT allowed to say that.
We will say- All the units are on life and death emergencies, but we WILL get someone there as soon as we can. NOT if "someone ever becomes available"
We are absolutely not allowed to deny service to anyone, at anytime of the day or night- regardless of the type of call.
On the what ifs: If he had a gun - it would get bumped to a priority 1 call- emergency.
If he rolled over and dies- we would send EMS .
You could always make a complaint with internal affairs.
They would investigate as to wheter there were any units available or any units that could be pulled out of calls to respond.
We are very shorthanded at times - it is a national problem
Sometimes we have 35 officers to cover the city- of 250,000!
We do what we call "creative dispatching"
2006-12-02 18:39:43 · answer #3 · answered by toobusytostress 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I am sure the police wern't neglecting you. All of their units were busy with higher priority calls. If the person would have made entry your call would have been moved to a higher priority. If they don't have anyone available or that can break free there isn't anything that can be done at that moment. It sucks, but that is the way it is.
You might want to contact your city council member or mayor and express your concern that there are not enough law enforcement officers on. In this era of tight budgets it sometimes takes an outcry from the public for something to be done.
2006-12-02 17:05:22 · answer #4 · answered by Joseph 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I heard the story of three women getting victimized by two men for twelve-or-so hours; and all the police did was drive by the house.
It is YOUR job to take care of yourself; just as it is your job to stay healthy, and learn, and grow.
Next time, turn on your front porch light, set off a siren, call your neighbors and have them turn on their lights as well. Call your other neighbors - (you know - the big guys who play baseball with bats and golf with clubs.) and have them come over for a par-tay.
Take a self-defence course. Start a neighborhood watch. Learn your laws and write to your Congressman and tell the you want the legal right to physically protect your body from harm.
2006-12-02 18:37:38 · answer #5 · answered by sincere12_26 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There's really no "what if" to be had, until he does something else he is only disturbing the peace. What if he broke down your door and you didn't shoot him? Now, that's a question! What are your rights as a private citizen?That's another good question. What if you knew all this? nrahq.org If you were to try to sue the police, you'd be mounting a suit that wouldn't end-most of us don't have enough money to do that.
2006-12-02 17:07:14 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
At least in our neck of the woods, the police are very limited on how many calls they can answer at one time. There just are not enough officers for all the calls. It's a matter of society financing a better police force. Your questions has a lot of "what ifs". It could be your call to the police would catch them at a time when they had real emergenies to answer. I would much rather have police answering a real emergency instead of a drunk who can't find his own house.
2006-12-02 17:07:02 · answer #7 · answered by pleeks 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
They are not allowed to neglect you. They have a "Duty of Care" to the public and must come out. If for some reason there was a huge emergency it would be a different story. You can lodge a complaint. In future, make sure that you say "I fear for my safety", they should send a car out straight away as they will move you to the top of the list for safety reasons.
In reference to answers further down:
It is NOT a civil matter, it is criminal. It is trespassing.
And the police will come and help the community if they feel they are in trouble, you just have to make sure that you assert how scared for your safety you are.
2006-12-02 17:04:44 · answer #8 · answered by Schafferius 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I definitely am for the perfect to strike as a bargaining gadget. besides the fact that if i might strike is a distinctive remember, yet i will possibly in no way say no and can heavily evaluate it, if and whilst it got here. of course i does no longer choose to place human beings in threat and that i'm guessing suited measures might and could be put in place to handle emergencies, similar to whilst the fireplace officers have been on strike. i think of the undertaking is that the government has compelled this undertaking as a results of fact they have reneged on a deal agreed some years in the past. They took away our ideal to strike and quite some different rights, in substitute for an index related pay ward. of course they have abandoned the pay award settlement yet nevertheless assume us to maintain on as familiar. If we've a pay scale consistent with different public sector workers then likewise we want the rights that different public sector workers have. for this reason we are scuffling with for those rights. it quite is all approximately techniques and fairness, some thing the government of course lack. they have in no way been sluggish at giving themselves bumper pay awards, to no longer point out the perks with expenditures.
2016-10-17 15:30:11 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You could try but would be unlikely to win.
Just remember how helpful the police were to you the next time the police ask for YOUR help.
What goes around comes around.
2006-12-02 22:09:35 · answer #10 · answered by Mark T 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I work with the police and we have never done that, there are times at 3 am on my day off where they have called me into work for such situations. so go ahead a write a letter.
Good luck!!
2006-12-02 17:08:35 · answer #11 · answered by Mandy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋