When Strangers Show Up

[JJT]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( <font color="blue"> 45 minutes.... ridiculous. </font>


45 minutes.... COMMON.


Don't bet your life on 911. The police are NOT there to protect you. They'll be there in time to take a report.

That's YOUR job. )</font>


We recently had a need to use 911, the Sheriff was here in under 5 minutes, the rescue squad 2 minutes later and then the ambulance another minute or 2 later. This was a 4AM call, and we live in the sticks. Our 14 year old son had a seizure, the dog got us up. All the tests came back fine, this was a first, the neurologist says there's a good chance it will never happen again.

 

[JJT]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( <font color="blue"> 45 minutes.... ridiculous. </font>


45 minutes.... COMMON.


Don't bet your life on 911. The police are NOT there to protect you. They'll be there in time to take a report.

That's YOUR job. )</font>


We recently had a need to use 911, the Sheriff was here in under 5 minutes, the rescue squad 2 minutes later and then the ambulance another minute or 2 later. This was a 4AM call, and we live in the sticks. Our 14 year old son had a seizure, the dog got us up. All the tests came back fine, this was a first, the neurologist says there's a good chance it will never happen again.

 

[AndyM]

<font color="blue"> I would hope so, but for police or ambulance you still dial 911. I would hope a cop patroling could make it here more quickly than a volunteer driving to the fire dept., waiting for the crew and then driving to me, but you never know....
</font>

I know of some very rural counties where there is only the sheriff and three or four deputies to cover the entire county during all hours of the day. There are a few small communities in the county, each with between 200 and 600 residents, who have their own volunteer fire departments.

The volunteer fire department's EMT's can make it over in a matter of minutes, but if the sheriff's deputy who is on duty at the time is 30 miles away on the other side of the county, you can bet the response will be 45 minutes.

I think the point is, law enforcement officers can't be everywhere, so steps should be taken to understand how to handle situations if they ever happen... the original poster's children knew what to do.

 

[AndyM]

<font color="blue"> I would hope so, but for police or ambulance you still dial 911. I would hope a cop patroling could make it here more quickly than a volunteer driving to the fire dept., waiting for the crew and then driving to me, but you never know....
</font>

I know of some very rural counties where there is only the sheriff and three or four deputies to cover the entire county during all hours of the day. There are a few small communities in the county, each with between 200 and 600 residents, who have their own volunteer fire departments.

The volunteer fire department's EMT's can make it over in a matter of minutes, but if the sheriff's deputy who is on duty at the time is 30 miles away on the other side of the county, you can bet the response will be 45 minutes.

I think the point is, law enforcement officers can't be everywhere, so steps should be taken to understand how to handle situations if they ever happen... the original poster's children knew what to do.

 

[Freds]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( the original poster's children knew what to do)</font>

They sure did, but I think the topic has turned a little to, response times and what to do in the meantime.
It's interesting to read all the varying times of response. The state police handle my township and while the borough police are only a mile away and it's a small borough to patrol... they get kind of fussy about crossing into the township and where the money is coming from if they respond. One of those political things I guess.

 

[Freds]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( the original poster's children knew what to do)</font>

They sure did, but I think the topic has turned a little to, response times and what to do in the meantime.
It's interesting to read all the varying times of response. The state police handle my township and while the borough police are only a mile away and it's a small borough to patrol... they get kind of fussy about crossing into the township and where the money is coming from if they respond. One of those political things I guess.

 

[shvl73]

I hope no one took my criticism to be of the officers involved. A system that puts them in a situation of not responding in a time of emergency due to political issues or financial reimbursment is a system that should be looked into ASAP.
I had an experience last year I'll never forget. I was working a trade show in Massachusets when I came upon a person who expired in the parking lot. I called 911 and told them which convention center and officers and emergency personnel arrived pronto. The officials were very dedicated in their efforts despite later on I saw some discussion between some of them regarding jurisdiction. Evidently the hotel is on a border between towns. There was no question that the efforts to bring the person back to life were first and foremost in their minds regardless. I guess I always thought that's how it should work in an emergency.

 

[shvl73]

I hope no one took my criticism to be of the officers involved. A system that puts them in a situation of not responding in a time of emergency due to political issues or financial reimbursment is a system that should be looked into ASAP.
I had an experience last year I'll never forget. I was working a trade show in Massachusets when I came upon a person who expired in the parking lot. I called 911 and told them which convention center and officers and emergency personnel arrived pronto. The officials were very dedicated in their efforts despite later on I saw some discussion between some of them regarding jurisdiction. Evidently the hotel is on a border between towns. There was no question that the efforts to bring the person back to life were first and foremost in their minds regardless. I guess I always thought that's how it should work in an emergency.

 

[srs]

JD3520, thanks for the supporting statements. I guess some TBN members live in very rural areas and their police or fire protection is very small. The Baltimore County Police Department surrounds Baltimore City, Maryland which has one of the highest crime rates in the nation. We get a lot of overflow from the city. Our department has over 1800 sworn and non sworm members and covers quite a large area. So what I'm saying is with this type of police coverage that explains the rapid response time. I guess if you have only a 1 or 2 or 3 person police department response time could really suffer. Our fire department is made up of both paid and volunteer services and their response time is quick, very quick. Should you need an ambo or fire truck its there in minutes!!!!

 

[srs]

JD3520, thanks for the supporting statements. I guess some TBN members live in very rural areas and their police or fire protection is very small. The Baltimore County Police Department surrounds Baltimore City, Maryland which has one of the highest crime rates in the nation. We get a lot of overflow from the city. Our department has over 1800 sworn and non sworm members and covers quite a large area. So what I'm saying is with this type of police coverage that explains the rapid response time. I guess if you have only a 1 or 2 or 3 person police department response time could really suffer. Our fire department is made up of both paid and volunteer services and their response time is quick, very quick. Should you need an ambo or fire truck its there in minutes!!!!

 

[3RRL]

LMTC.
I tried your link and the page could not be displayed.

What you say in your post is certainly true including this... </font><font color="blue" class="small">( Fact is most police work is follow up....some is deterrence. All necessary, and without it there would be even more crime.)</font>
I'd like to add to that...
It is important to keep in mind it is not the cop's fault. Most cops I know bust their balls trying to do a good job and then get slapped when the criminal ends up with more rights protecting them from the cops than the cops do from the criminals...that sucks. We read about it all the time. It's the way the "system" works. In general you get the cops called "after" a law is broken, rarely "during or while" it's being broken and hardly ever, if never "before" the law is broken. In each case it's a response... it always happens after the fact...

That's why there are armed gaurds, body gaurds, bouncers, car alarms, house alarms, etc. and also the need for the individual to be prepared personally and IMO, a strong need to retain the 2nd amendment.

 

[3RRL]

LMTC.
I tried your link and the page could not be displayed.

What you say in your post is certainly true including this... </font><font color="blue" class="small">( Fact is most police work is follow up....some is deterrence. All necessary, and without it there would be even more crime.)</font>
I'd like to add to that...
It is important to keep in mind it is not the cop's fault. Most cops I know bust their balls trying to do a good job and then get slapped when the criminal ends up with more rights protecting them from the cops than the cops do from the criminals...that sucks. We read about it all the time. It's the way the "system" works. In general you get the cops called "after" a law is broken, rarely "during or while" it's being broken and hardly ever, if never "before" the law is broken. In each case it's a response... it always happens after the fact...

That's why there are armed gaurds, body gaurds, bouncers, car alarms, house alarms, etc. and also the need for the individual to be prepared personally and IMO, a strong need to retain the 2nd amendment.

 

[RedRocker]

Too bad your "son" the "scout sniper", home from Iraq, wasn't home to greet them. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Just fantisizing. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[RedRocker]

Too bad your "son" the "scout sniper", home from Iraq, wasn't home to greet them. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Just fantisizing. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Henro]

I think a past experience of mine may relate to the response issue somehow, some way...

A few years ago I had reason to call the local police. I don't remember why, but I do remember it was not something that I would ever dial 911 for.

So I called the regular number, which I probably found in the local phone directory.

The officer that answered the phone told me next time to call 911. I still remember my shock at hearing that!

Gee...I THOUGHT 911 was the EMERGENCY number I should call... /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif... for emergencies!

I honestly thought that if someone called 911 in a non-emergency situation that one would get into hot water for doing so. Now...stray dog...call 911.

Something is wrong with this picture in my mind and I can see how the response would turn into what it is...delayed...if the police now have the expectation that most calls coming in are NOT emergency in nature.

 

[InlineDieselFan]

[

Our average response time is 12-13 minutes in my county. That's quicker than many large cities. I consider it my responsibility to protect the citizens of my county. It takes a certain type of person to make such an idiotic statement as he did.

If we wern't busy answering false alarms (approx 99% of all alarms are false alarms) or
explaining to Jane Doe that it is not a criminal offense that her ex-husband is 15 minutes late bringing little johnny home from visitation or
telling a neighbor his dog is barking and making his neighbors mad at 5:00 in the afternoon or
taking the drunk to jail that just hit his wife hard enough to put her in the hospital or
putting up some cows, before they cause an accident, because an owner is too cheap to build a decent fence or
removing a chicken snake out of a house for a 240# man who is standing on a chair and too afraid to do it himself or
responding to suspicious vehicles that simply drove by someone's residence and they do not remember seeing it before or ...
well most everyone else will get the message except him.

Stanley, I find that most people with his attitude have had a run-in with law enforcement anyway so he was probably, at one time or another, the CAUSE of a response delay by the police.


)</font>

Absolutly true, the B.S. calls take up all the time and then take you out to the far corner of a patrol area, and then you have the real call at the opposite corner.

As I looked through the posts I noticed that many who were shocked and surprised that it took 45 minutes for the police to arrive seem to be from back East. Our here ther are some counties that are bigger than the New England states. With no where near the tax base and just a few (or one) deputies on duty.

Our new place is only about 10 miles from downtown and that is where the sheriffs office is. The state patrol office is even closer.

some places it will just take along time for help to arrive.

steve

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( officer that answered the phone told me next time to call 911 )</font>

You bring up a good point, and I don't have a good answer. In some places, 911 is the number to call for anything that might require dispatching a police officer. In other places, they have another number, maybe just a normal 10 digit number or maybe now they have the 311, for everything except "emergencies". And I'm not at all sure all police agencies even agree on what is or is not an "emergency" so I don't see how they can expect callers to know. Now I've not stayed in contact with law enforcement in recent years, but I've seen some things in the newspaper about people getting citations for calling 911 when they didn't have an "emergency" but I don't know the details or circumstances. The one thing I think everyone should do, and I haven't even done, is to contact their local police department and find out what numbers to use and when.