safety

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Replies

  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    Rottified wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    DavPul wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    aledba wrote: »
    You psyched yourself out when you looked for white trucks and when you noticed one too close, you got freaked out. I do that all the time, but I don't involve the police.

    I worked as a cop. I'd rather get a call from some freaked out woman and have it turn out to be nothing than from a woman who was raped or a family calling in a disappearance or someone calling in a found body. It's better than the calls we get from people who can't get their kids to eat dinner and the woman pissed off that McDonalds forgot her fries.

    I'd rather get a call from the family that can't get their kids to eat dinner than from a family that just beat their kids until they were hospitalized because they defied their parents. I'd rather get the call from a woman complaining about her cold french fries than get one from someone reporting a shooting at a McDonald's after an altercation escalated.

    Why are you guys so up in arms about her calling in? She saw something she felt suspicious of and used the appropriate channel to report it. Maybe they were watching her and maybe it was just a coincidence. Either way it's great that the OP got home safely.

    I'm curious too on why. It's not like she walked by and the person smiled as she went by. He was following her.
    Hope op doesn't talk her self out of calling if it happens again because of these people.

    He was following her even though he was ahead of her and driving away?
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    DavPul wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    DavPul wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    aledba wrote: »
    You psyched yourself out when you looked for white trucks and when you noticed one too close, you got freaked out. I do that all the time, but I don't involve the police.

    I worked as a cop. I'd rather get a call from some freaked out woman and have it turn out to be nothing than from a woman who was raped or a family calling in a disappearance or someone calling in a found body. It's better than the calls we get from people who can't get their kids to eat dinner and the woman pissed off that McDonalds forgot her fries.

    I'd rather get a call from the family that can't get their kids to eat dinner than from a family that just beat their kids until they were hospitalized because they defied their parents. I'd rather get the call from a woman complaining about her cold french fries than get one from someone reporting a shooting at a McDonald's after an altercation escalated.

    Why are you guys so up in arms about her calling in? She saw something she felt suspicious of and used the appropriate channel to report it. Maybe they were watching her and maybe it was just a coincidence. Either way it's great that the OP got home safely.

    It's more that we can take any situation and use some combination of maybe/mights to justify any action we choose. As someone that's been on the wrong end of "call the police on him 'just in case'" I'd like to make a case for a little bit of common sense and restraint in these matters.

    No one here was rooting for the OP to not get home safely from her encounter with the probable meter reader that was on the opposite side of the street, always ahead of her, and never so much as looked, spoke, or gestured in her direction.

    Yes, it sucks being on the wrong end of a "just in case" call. She still had a concern about her safety and she called. Not all stalking cases have someone following, looking at the victim, talking to the victim or gesturing to the victim. There are cases where a car parks ahead on a known path and watches in the mirrors until the victim approaches.
  • UltraRunnerGale
    UltraRunnerGale Posts: 346 Member
    Recently, here in the Cleveland, Ohio area, two people were shot and killed on a hike and bike trail. The two people weren't together, either. Just some nut that went on a rampage. Honestly, you never know. I run alone on the streets by my house at 5:30am. Is it safe?? Who knows. Would it be safer in the daylight?? Who knows. I can't let fear run my life, but I can take precautions. Should you have used the 911 number?? Maybe not, but if I was afraid that I was in danger, I would do the exact same thing. Those people on the hike and bike got shot in broad daylight.

    Just my two cents.

    Carry on. B)
  • Owlie45
    Owlie45 Posts: 806 Member
    PikaKnight wrote: »
    Rottified wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    DavPul wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    aledba wrote: »
    You psyched yourself out when you looked for white trucks and when you noticed one too close, you got freaked out. I do that all the time, but I don't involve the police.

    I worked as a cop. I'd rather get a call from some freaked out woman and have it turn out to be nothing than from a woman who was raped or a family calling in a disappearance or someone calling in a found body. It's better than the calls we get from people who can't get their kids to eat dinner and the woman pissed off that McDonalds forgot her fries.

    I'd rather get a call from the family that can't get their kids to eat dinner than from a family that just beat their kids until they were hospitalized because they defied their parents. I'd rather get the call from a woman complaining about her cold french fries than get one from someone reporting a shooting at a McDonald's after an altercation escalated.

    Why are you guys so up in arms about her calling in? She saw something she felt suspicious of and used the appropriate channel to report it. Maybe they were watching her and maybe it was just a coincidence. Either way it's great that the OP got home safely.

    I'm curious too on why. It's not like she walked by and the person smiled as she went by. He was following her.
    Hope op doesn't talk her self out of calling if it happens again because of these people.

    He was following her even though he was ahead of her and driving away?

    He wasn't driving away if he was stopping every 1/4 mile. Being ahead is a common way to follow someone. Most don't suspect a person a head of them. A car slowly following from behind screams stalker.

    If he was getting out and doing stuff I would say yeah she may be over reacting. But he didn't appear to be doing anything at these stops and as soon as the cops were sent he left. Maybe it was nothing but better the cops find out its nothing than to be reporting a rape, missing person or murder.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,741 Member
    DavPul wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    DavPul wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    aledba wrote: »
    You psyched yourself out when you looked for white trucks and when you noticed one too close, you got freaked out. I do that all the time, but I don't involve the police.

    I worked as a cop. I'd rather get a call from some freaked out woman and have it turn out to be nothing than from a woman who was raped or a family calling in a disappearance or someone calling in a found body. It's better than the calls we get from people who can't get their kids to eat dinner and the woman pissed off that McDonalds forgot her fries.

    I'd rather get a call from the family that can't get their kids to eat dinner than from a family that just beat their kids until they were hospitalized because they defied their parents. I'd rather get the call from a woman complaining about her cold french fries than get one from someone reporting a shooting at a McDonald's after an altercation escalated.

    Why are you guys so up in arms about her calling in? She saw something she felt suspicious of and used the appropriate channel to report it. Maybe they were watching her and maybe it was just a coincidence. Either way it's great that the OP got home safely.

    It's more that we can take any situation and use some combination of maybe/mights to justify any action we choose. As someone that's been on the wrong end of "call the police on him 'just in case'" I'd like to make a case for a little bit of common sense and restraint in these matters.

    No one here was rooting for the OP to not get home safely from her encounter with the probable meter reader that was on the opposite side of the street, always ahead of her, and never so much as looked, spoke, or gestured in her direction.

    Ah, now your personal investment in this topic makes sense. Your view point is valid. Of course common sense should be used but sometimes if we just sense something is wrong we have to trust our gut. I think that's all that happened with the OP.
  • DYELB
    DYELB Posts: 7,407 Member
    Paranoid schizophrenia is a subtype of schizophrenia in which the patient has delusions (false beliefs) that a person or some individuals are plotting against them or members of their family.

    911 what is your emergency?
    A man is following me!
    Ma'am where are you right now?
    I'm at Disney World. He has a baseball cap and sunglasses on to hide his identity!
    Ma'am do you feel you're in immediate danger? I need your exact location to dispatch an office.
    I'm in line to see Elsa, and yes I'm in IMMEDIATE danger! He's right behind me and won't go away!
    ...Ma'am is this man in the same line you're in to see Elsa?
    No! He's following me, and he has midget spies with him that I think are in on it.
    ...Midget spies? Do you mean his children?

    Personal safety is an important thing. Sadly it's more of an issue for women than it is for men, but it should be a consideration for everyone. Being aware of your surroundings is a good thing, changing course if something is suspect is also a good thing. Calling the cops because someone else's course happens to line up with yours is overkill. Chasing after someone "suspicious" to figure out what they're doing is overkill. Safety matters, so does common sense.
  • LifeInTheBikeLane
    LifeInTheBikeLane Posts: 345 Member
    JoRocka wrote: »
    . He just had that "creepy" look that made him different from the normal hobos we find naked in our pool. d.

    I don't know why- but out of all of this- this just cracked me up tremendously.

    Our town has hobos. Sometimes these hobos like to party in our pool after hours when it's locked (since there's no apartments around it and no lights). We find them naked. They hobble away. Naked. And then the cops never find them. lol
  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
    JoRocka wrote: »
    . He just had that "creepy" look that made him different from the normal hobos we find naked in our pool. d.

    I don't know why- but out of all of this- this just cracked me up tremendously.

    Our town has hobos. Sometimes these hobos like to party in our pool after hours when it's locked (since there's no apartments around it and no lights). We find them naked. They hobble away. Naked. And then the cops never find them. lol

    Your Instagram account must be fascinating.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    JoRocka wrote: »
    . He just had that "creepy" look that made him different from the normal hobos we find naked in our pool. d.

    I don't know why- but out of all of this- this just cracked me up tremendously.

    Our town has hobos. Sometimes these hobos like to party in our pool after hours when it's locked (since there's no apartments around it and no lights). We find them naked. They hobble away. Naked. And then the cops never find them. lol

    You need a really big dog.
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  • slinke2014
    slinke2014 Posts: 149 Member
    JoRocka wrote: »
    . He just had that "creepy" look that made him different from the normal hobos we find naked in our pool. d.

    I don't know why- but out of all of this- this just cracked me up tremendously.

    Our town has hobos. Sometimes these hobos like to party in our pool after hours when it's locked (since there's no apartments around it and no lights). We find them naked. They hobble away. Naked. And then the cops never find them. lol

    You need a really big dog.

    Just some local hobos...not really a big deal.
  • michellemybelll
    michellemybelll Posts: 2,228 Member
    usmcmp wrote: »
    DavPul wrote: »
    usmcmp wrote: »
    aledba wrote: »
    You psyched yourself out when you looked for white trucks and when you noticed one too close, you got freaked out. I do that all the time, but I don't involve the police.

    I worked as a cop. I'd rather get a call from some freaked out woman and have it turn out to be nothing than from a woman who was raped or a family calling in a disappearance or someone calling in a found body. It's better than the calls we get from people who can't get their kids to eat dinner and the woman pissed off that McDonalds forgot her fries.

    I'd rather get a call from the family that can't get their kids to eat dinner than from a family that just beat their kids until they were hospitalized because they defied their parents. I'd rather get the call from a woman complaining about her cold french fries than get one from someone reporting a shooting at a McDonald's after an altercation escalated.

    Why are you guys so up in arms about her calling in? She saw something she felt suspicious of and used the appropriate channel to report it. Maybe they were watching her and maybe it was just a coincidence. Either way it's great that the OP got home safely.

    This. Exactly this.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    DYELB wrote: »
    Paranoid schizophrenia is a subtype of schizophrenia in which the patient has delusions (false beliefs) that a person or some individuals are plotting against them or members of their family.

    911 what is your emergency?
    A man is following me!
    Ma'am where are you right now?
    I'm at Disney World. He has a baseball cap and sunglasses on to hide his identity!
    Ma'am do you feel you're in immediate danger? I need your exact location to dispatch an office.
    I'm in line to see Elsa, and yes I'm in IMMEDIATE danger! He's right behind me and won't go away!
    ...Ma'am is this man in the same line you're in to see Elsa?
    No! He's following me, and he has midget spies with him that I think are in on it.
    ...Midget spies? Do you mean his children?

    Personal safety is an important thing. Sadly it's more of an issue for women than it is for men, but it should be a consideration for everyone. Being aware of your surroundings is a good thing, changing course if something is suspect is also a good thing. Calling the cops because someone else's course happens to line up with yours is overkill. Chasing after someone "suspicious" to figure out what they're doing is overkill. Safety matters, so does common sense.

    Yep, cos that's just it, though. If I recall correctly, Men are more likely to be the victims of violent crime

    No, if I thought I was being stalked or about to be kidnapped, I wouldn't call the non-emergency #. I have called the non-emergency # for a fender bender. No worries about my safety, just wanted to know if they wanted to come out or should we swap insurance info and get on with it. And yes, I do try to have the non-emergency # programmed in my phone wherever I live. Good tip on Googling it on the fly!

  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    JoRocka wrote: »
    . He just had that "creepy" look that made him different from the normal hobos we find naked in our pool. d.

    I don't know why- but out of all of this- this just cracked me up tremendously.

    Our town has hobos. Sometimes these hobos like to party in our pool after hours when it's locked (since there's no apartments around it and no lights). We find them naked. They hobble away. Naked. And then the cops never find them. lol

    Do the hobos go by the name Dirty Mike and the Boys?

    (Please tell me someone gets that reference)

    Sorry.

    hqdefault.jpg
  • oldcargirl62
    oldcargirl62 Posts: 80 Member
    Take martial arts classes or at least a few self defense classes. Not only is it a great work out (once you get the moves) but you may learn some things about 'being safe'. Like switch up your habits and patterns (why would anyone take the same route regularly? Ever?) Be aware of your surroundings not your phone or music player. Display confidence and authority, keep your head up and look around.

    Don't act like a victim. I'd wager highly that the OP looked obviously panicky, nervous, emotionally off kilter-bang perfect target.

    Nothing will prevent a very disturbed or mentally ill person from attacking if they are determined to. But you can do things that might have them (or the petty criminals) choose an easier target.

    Learn and practice a few methods of how to do quick damage and run like mad, never try to fight.
    Try not to put yourself in that situation in the first place.
  • raymax4
    raymax4 Posts: 6,070 Member
    On topic and very helpful. Thank you