I cannot fathom the quality of policing in an agency where the average response time to a 911 call is 24 minutes and thats an improvement. I can leave my house, lock the door, drive to the police station, find parking, walk in the door and announce myself and my problem in less than half that time in this town. I’ve no idea what the response time in this town is to a major 911 call but if it takes more than five minutes for a cop to show up I’d be surprised.
However, Im more of a DIY kinda guy when it comes to crime and criminals, so 911 response times are somewhat irrelevant to me. But, geez, you think an agency would take a little pride in their work….
Nonetheless, there used to be an old joke about how you should call a cop and then call for a pizza and see which got there first. Apparently in some places it really is true the ‘za will get there first.
And yet some folks will still blithely say that you dont need a gun, you can just call 911.
In ’97, a roommate did a “man with a gun” call, as a drunk(?) stated he was going to get his shotgun and shoot him. Drunk proceeded to start rooting in his trunk, but his wife dragged him into the car while yelling that he didn’t have a gun, and left. Twenty minutes later, eight cops rolled up. The cop shop was about a five minute walk from that house.
If the clown had actually produced a gun, those cops would have needed some chalk for outlining the body. Do they still do that? Anyway, roommate had his mod 625 Smith on a shelf right next to him, just in case. Former Deputy, and a damn good shot.
I once called to report that my neighbor’s home was being burglarized, and was told that the police were busy, so it would take up to 30 minutes for them to arrive. The operator told me to wait in my home and watch the burglars through the window, so I could give an accurate description to the arriving officers.
I told her what I was wearing, and explained that I had a gun and would be confronting the criminals, and would she mind asking the officers to not shoot me when they arrived. That upgraded my call to “man with a gun” and got me 6 cops in less than 5 minutes.
“911 – when seconds count, help is only minutes away!”
I posted this on my blog back in Dec 2009. I thinks pretty well sums it up
“When you look in the mirror, bottom line is you are one of two people. You either call 911 or you are 911. And those of us who are 911 I mean, you get up and you do it.”
Marcu Luttrell on Glenn Beck radio show November 30, 2009
http://3rdman-peacekeeper.blogspot.com/2009/12/quote-of-week.html
All over California, PDs are dropping staff and thus services. They have, in some jurisdictions, made notice to the public that if you report a burglary, they’ll respond now to a “hot” burglary where the perp is still there. Otherwise, an officer will come by to take a report sometime that day. The report won’t be investigated until they get more funding, as they’ve prioritized violent crime.
All this is logical, but it does seem to me that breakdowns in the ability to administer law is one of those dreaded triggers for martial law.
“However, I’m more of a DIY kinda guy when it comes to crime and criminals, so 911 response times are somewhat irrelevant to me.”
I agree; in 24 minutes, not only could you take care of a couple of goblins, you’d have time to mop up the mess, clean your guns, and draw the chalk lines around the bodies for the police when they finally arrived.
There was a fire down the road a few years back… 9-1-1 was called: we have rural F-D, locals. By the time everyone knew where the fire was, it was over with.
Ditto with cops. Half can’t find where the house is, those who can or could are more than 30 minutes out even if around the corner.
A cop isn’t ‘required’ to stop anything, anyway. To protect and Serve is a motto, not a fact of life.
“I am the Second Amendment; responsible for my loved ones’ and my safety.” Can’t leave it to fuzzy boys who may decide to drop a donut to come help a stranger.
Shy III