WTH is up with parents?!

samanthat09 · May 2011

So yesterday I was headed back home after running to the bank and I was sitting at a stop light and look over and there is a kid maybe 4 years old in the back seat, not strapped in standing up. Then I go to Walgreens and this car pulls in next to me with a 2 maybe 3 year old kid sitting on the passangers lap in the front seat, they left right after I did the same way they came in. They had a car seat in the back seat but had tubes back there so I guess they thought it was smart to just hold him in the front seat! So I took down the plate number and called 911. The lady asked me which way they were going, not what kind of car, not the plate number nothing! And I kept trying to tell her I had that info. She completely dismissed me. So I hang up with her at another stop light and look over and there is another kid in the car next to me about 5, not strapped in either!!! WTF is wrong with parents?! The cops where I live really need to get on their ***! Really made me sooooo mad!

kg_08 · May 2011

What kind of 911 worker is that? "Which way did they go?" As if she'd actually have a sense of direction from wherever she was sitting and know exactly which car it is.

Stupid parents, and the 911 worker wasn't much better!

write2nicole · May 2011

That's awful. Maybe you should write letters to your local paper's editorial page, as well as to the local news stations. They might see it as a good news story, and maybe then the local police would make it a higher priority.

Erina1004 · May 2011

Actually, if you had given your location and the general direction, she probably would have been able to have a police officer in that same location. Unless the police officer sees the person driving without the kids strapped in, there is little that can be done.

anniebet619 · May 2011

Erina1004:
Actually, if you had given your location and the general direction, she probably would have been able to have a police officer in that same location. Unless the police officer sees the person driving without the kids strapped in, there is little that can be done.

I think this is true. There was once a bus driving by me with "call 911" on the front screen instead of the route number. I called and the first thing they did was ask where and what direction it was heading in order to get a cop who was in that area and after they got him, they asked me the number, what type of bus, etc.

samanthat09 · May 2011

Erina1004:
Actually, if you had given your location and the general direction, she probably would have been able to have a police officer in that same location. Unless the police officer sees the person driving without the kids strapped in, there is little that can be done.

I did give her that info but I was surprised she didn't even ask the make and model of the car and plate number since I kept trying to tell her I had it.

samanthat09 · May 2011

write2nicole:
That's awful. Maybe you should write letters to your local paper's editorial page, as well as to the local news stations. They might see it as a good news story, and maybe then the local police would make it a higher priority.

I may just do that!!!! It's weird I see cops all the time by the river giving out tickets but they need to get on the road!

anniebet619 · May 2011

samanthat09:
Erina1004:
Actually, if you had given your location and the general direction, she probably would have been able to have a police officer in that same location. Unless the police officer sees the person driving without the kids strapped in, there is little that can be done.
I did give her that info but I was surprised she didn't even ask the make and model of the car and plate number since I kept trying to tell her I had it.

oh, that is odd. I mentioned that they have asked the 'where' question first but then they followed up with more info. That stinks!

samanthat09 · May 2011

anniebet619:
samanthat09:

Erina1004:
Actually, if you had given your location and the general direction, she probably would have been able to have a police officer in that same location. Unless the police officer sees the person driving without the kids strapped in, there is little that can be done.

I did give her that info but I was surprised she didn't even ask the make and model of the car and plate number since I kept trying to tell her I had it.

oh, that is odd. I mentioned that they have asked the 'where' question first but then they followed up with more info. That stinks!

I think her reaction to me and lack of care is what really made me mad. I'd hate to hear that one of those kids I saw was killed in an accident. And the car I called on had the kid in the front seat...should the air bag go off that'd be it. just terrible!

MonkeySender · May 2011

Generally in that situation I find I get better response by calling directly to the local police dept. Sadlt 911 does not always find that to be an emergency situation. I worked fast food in high school and used to call the cops pretty often on people that came through my drive through and the local office was much more friendly and helpful. I once had a guy come through with 2 kids who should have been in the back in carseats sitting in the front of his truck without seatbelts and he was drinking a beer... we took a little too long to make his order and made sure the cops were en route before he left our parking lot.

samanthat09 · May 2011

MonkeySender:
Generally in that situation I find I get better response by calling directly to the local police dept. Sadlt 911 does not always find that to be an emergency situation. I worked fast food in high school and used to call the cops pretty often on people that came through my drive through and the local office was much more friendly and helpful. I once had a guy come through with 2 kids who should have been in the back in carseats sitting in the front of his truck without seatbelts and he was drinking a beer... we took a little too long to make his order and made sure the cops were en route before he left our parking lot.

I'm gonna program the local police department's number in my phone so I have it for next time. I'm sure it'll happen again!

Jaffytaffy · May 2011

samanthat09:

write2nicole:
That's awful. Maybe you should write letters to your local paper's editorial page, as well as to the local news stations. They might see it as a good news story, and maybe then the local police would make it a higher priority.

I may just do that!!!! It's weird I see cops all the time by the river giving out tickets but they need to get on the road!

That's because that's where they make all their money, from giving out tickets, so if they can laze around all day giving out parking tickets, they'd much rather do that than actually keep the community safe. We once called the cops because our neighbors were fighting, and the guy had started hitting his wife, and the cops never actually showed up, but we see them all the time trolling the mall parking lot for expired tags *eyeroll*

Erina1004 · May 2011

rochella:
Jaffytaffy:

That's because that's where they make all their money, from giving out tickets, so if they can laze around all day giving out parking tickets, they'd much rather do that than actually keep the community safe. We once called the cops because our neighbors were fighting, and the guy had started hitting his wife, and the cops never actually showed up, but we see them all the time trolling the mall parking lot for expired tags *eyeroll*

A lot of cops and cops' wives are going to highly disagree with you... I'm sorry the ones in your community suck, but I don't think all police are like that.

911 is for emergency situations only. I had a car literally come at me and DH (luckily DS was with my mom) head-first and we had to quickly drive into someone's driveway to get away - my guess is that they were drunk. We called the local police department when we got home, and also went home and program that number into our phones.

But yeah, that's psycho crazy. What is wrong with people?

Myself included. Comments like this seriously piss me off. 1) Police officers don't make any extra money for writing tickets. 2) Take a ride around with my husband and then tell me how lazy cops are - but make sure you take a nap first, you will need it.

Also, you may not realize it, but writing tickets does actually keep the community safe. People who speed cause car accidents which you know, can sometimes be fatal.

monkiem · May 2011

Erina1004:
Actually, if you had given your location and the general direction, she probably would have been able to have a police officer in that same location. Unless the police officer sees the person driving without the kids strapped in, there is little that can be done.

This.

People are idiots. I just steer clear of them.

hopkins5 · May 2011

Jaffytaffy:
That's because that's where they make all their money, from giving out tickets, so if they can laze around all day giving out parking tickets, they'd much rather do that than actually keep the community safe. We once called the cops because our neighbors were fighting, and the guy had started hitting his wife, and the cops never actually showed up, but we see them all the time trolling the mall parking lot for expired tags *eyeroll*

Eyeroll indeed. At you, for thinking cops get paid more to write tickets (not true) and implying they would rather be at a mall writing tickets than helping children in dangerous situations such as those that OP described. I've agreed with you often in the past, Jaffytaffy, and know you're a good person, but blanket statements like this make you sound ignorant and rude. I'm sorry you've encountered sh!tty officers where you live, but don't think they're all this way.

And OP, sometimes it can be just as easy to call the local police. If you do call 911, though, they have to follow protocol and figure out which local officer is on duty in that jurisdiction, and then get all the details like the licence plate.

Jaffytaffy · May 2011

FYI I don't think the cops themselves get paid more for writing tickets, I'm not an idiot. The precincts make their money by writing tickets, so that's what they encourage the cops to do, and many of them give incentives for doing so (my uncle is a cop). I should be clear, I'm not against cops, and I don't really blame the indiviuals, but I've had several occasions in different cities where police fell short on their duties, and yet they're always there to write parking/traffic tickets. My half brother was attacked and mugged in Sacramento by gang members, and the police took over an hour to show up, then when they did, they said that if they arrested his assailants, they'd have to arrest him too because he'd defended himself (basically they didn't want to bother going to look for the guys). A group of HS kids in my old neighborhood went around and broke out about 30 car windows one night as a prank, and the police didn't even come out. They just said that if no one witnessed it, they wouldn't find them anyway, so there was nothing they could do, yet, they have time to troll mall parking lots all day. I have several more examples that I won't even go into. And I live in a very nice area. I'd dread to think what it would be like in an under funded, dangerous area. It's BS.