Way Too Long of a Day

Finally got home at 10:15pm today. Had a very long committee meeting. Let me give you one pointer that we reinforced at the meeting (that many people get, and with their help we've caught some criminals).

If you see something criminal, call the police. If you see something that just doesn't look normal (like cars in a parking lot, with lights on in a building that is normally closed at the time), call the police. If kids are carrying a case of beer down the road, call the police.

911 is for emergencies. There are several other non-emergency numbers you can call the police using. We have a number to "talk to an officer." It goes to the same switchboard dispatch as 911, but it's for non-emergencies. If you see a crime in action, if your life or property is in immediate danger, call 911. If you think the criminals will be gone by the time the police get there, call the non-emergency number for the police anyway. They can at least get your statement. Adding reports together can help them solve crimes.

Do not bother the police if the drive through clerk forgot the fries or gave you the wrong pop or short changed you five cents. Do call them if the clerk accidentally gives you the dime bag. Do not use them to get even at your neighbors (actually, that's a felony). Do call them if that neighbor is abusing their spouse (there are several anonymous channels to go through).

Your police get paid exactly the same if they're watching traffic as when they're responding to your call. If you think calling them multiple times is annoying, responding later to your neighbor's call that you're laying out in the driveway is more annoying. They would rather come ten times to find nothing than miss the one time they could have stopped a crime, or at least immediately arrest the perpetrators. The police will prioritize your call. If it's a non-emergency they might take some time to respond (in some parts of the country that may mean days, in most parts it means a few hours).

Large cities may be different, but your local community police want to know you, and want to know what's happening.

SEGWAY

Watching Fox news analysis after Clinton's speech, I guess they brought the kool-aid tank with them. And that anybody listens to Billy Kristol anymore just floors me. How many times does he have to be wrong before we stop paying him for analysis?