What would you do?

[infomama]

Key words here for me are 'your neighborhood'. Yes, I would call. I would keep my eyes out, spread the word among our neighbors as well, be a good witness. The police can't be everywhere and often civilian reports are the catalyst to snuffing out criminal behavior. Often criminal activity diminishes simply when patrols are increased.

[kijip]

I'm just fascinated that so many people would call after seeing something that could be innocent.

I'm just surprised because people seem pretty willing to give the benefit of the doubt on the board.

I suppose it could be innocent. But I feel I have seen enough drug deals in my life that I know it when I am looking at it. As the OP described it, it seems to indicate drugs, though if I saw it maybe I would have a different opinion.

I will be the first to admit that I don't give the benefit of the doubt about possible drug crime activity near my home or office or anywhere really. It's on my no-tolerance list. (Though I do support drug court diversion programs and treatment in many/most cases)

[Melanie]

I don't know that I'd report one incident, no. I would, however, keep my eye out for if I see similar behavior again. If it started becoming a recurring thing, then I might call the police's non-emergency number and just tell them what I'd been observing.

[srhs]

I would call the nonemergency line and simply give the info. I'd leave it to them to discern whether or not it was worth checking out.

[bnme]

Ok, here's another scenario. The other day there was a teen girl at a bus stop in our subdivision. A BMW stopped, and she talked to the guy and got in. Should I have called it in as possible prostitution? (It was my down the street neighbor and his 17 year old). I had time to write down his plate, and I could have called it in. What if the cops showed up at his door during a dinner party to chat and all his coworkers saw them?

The cops most likely are not going to do this based on one call. They will probably just have a car cruise the neighborhood if they haven't ever received similar calls. The point is it is not easy to get the cops to take action. They don't just go knocking on doors and questioning people without an actual crime having been witnessed. This stuff is just suspicion and helps build awareness. If I say my street name to a cop in my precinct they know it. Several cars come to any call on my block and this is not the norm for my area.

[TwinFoxes]

The cops most likely are not going to do this based on one call. They will probably just have a car cruise the neighborhood if they haven't ever received similar calls. The point is it is not easy to get the cops to take action. They don't just go knocking on doors and questioning people without an actual crime having been witnessed. This stuff is just suspicion and helps build awareness. If I say my street name to a cop in my precinct they know it. Several cars come to any call on my block and this is not the norm for my area.

Wow tiny font!

But forget about the whole showing up at the door thing, I was just trying to point out unintended consequences, I didn't mean it to be taken literally. I what I was really trying to figure out if people would call the cops in the situation I gave. I think it looks very suspicious if you don't know the people.

[wellyes]

And to answer your question about why not have the cops come to my house to have my kids questioned about drug use (when they are teenagers), I think it's a great idea, honestly. I'm willing to scare the shi+ out of my kids if it means deterring them from drug use.

That's something I'd be careful about for other families' kids, though. In many poorer communities, including where I grew up, police are viewed in an adversarial way. What might be an effective "scare straight" technique for innocent teenagers in some families might be really really alienating in households where police are already thought of as agents of fear/injustice.

[Melaine]

I guess I'm just thinking about MY neighborhood growing up and my circle of friends. We lived in a small town and spent a lot of time walking to get the park, the rec center, or our church. Even now, my brothers and their friends will get together and walk down our road to the creek. I can so easily imagine one of them forgetting cash or a cell phone, and my dad dropping it off on his way down the street. I'd be PISSED, as a parent, if my kids were reported for something that could just as easily be innocent as suspicious.