So last Tuesday was a work at home day, and it turned out that the neighbor two doors down decided to go batshit insane.
Around 12:30/1:00 my husband looked out our bay window in the front of the house and saw the local SWAT team in our driveway. They knocked on our door and spoke with us - apparently the neighbor two doors down from us had been making threats and talking about guns and shooting people and stuff like that (his wife left him recently - we assume this had a part to play in his - er - episode). Someone from his family had called the Police and reported it and they were going to go in and get him out - they knocked on our door because we have the same townhouse layout as him and they wanted to know what they were walking into layout wise and such. They tracked mud all over our house too but that’s neither here nor there. In any event, they finally went over and broke down his door, and went in.
Here’s one picture of them as they went past the window, and here’s another. Husband took the pictures with my camera phone so they aren’t all that great (but he insisted and I said there was no way I was going to take them since I thought it would piss off the cops but he didn’t care so I told him he’d have to do it.)
Turns out he wasn’t home anyway so after awhile they left and life returned to normal.
Later that evening, we looked out the window and saw a car over by the guys house and two people going in and out and sitting in the car and such - we called the police department to ask if we should be concerned - after all the SWAT team was looking for this guy! The police said not to worry, that the people who were outside his house were waiting for the police too so it was ok. Five squad cars later all returned to normal and the strange car left.
Now the guy is back living there and we have no idea if we should be worried or not - I mean if the guys nuts, it’s not like I’m going to be thrilled with my son walking right past this guys house on the way to the school bus - I would ASSUME that the police department would not have left the guy any weapons or anything, right? It isn’t like we can walk up to the guy and say, “Hey dude - are you whacked in the head, or what?” Should we ask the police department if we should be concerned? I wouldn’t think that they could tell us much of anything and I really don’t want to bother them but I’m really kind of concerned about this - what if the guy HAD been home and the shit had hit the fan on Tuesday? Someone could REALLY have been hurt, know what I mean? I just don’t know what to do - if anything. I don’t like my neighborhood now. It’s scary.
I think you are right to be concerned. I also think you have a right to know what’s going on to some degree, especially since the police tramped all through your house and so involved you in the issue. I’d call and ask to speak to the officer in charge, and tell him that you’re concerned and you would like whatever information he can give you about the situation over there. The worst that can happen is the officer tells you he’s not going to give you any info. In any case I’d suggest you give him your name and number and ask that he let you know if there are any developments you should be made aware of.
Also think about security lights if you don’t already have them, make extra sure to keep things locked, be totally vigilant, etc. Oh, and document anything suspicious behavior you see.
Actually, the cop should be glad to talk to you because you can be helpful to him. It’s just a matter of whether he sees it that way.
I don’t know about your first assumption. Are you saying you believe police can remove weapons from a private home in the interest of keeping neighbors safe? Or do you think he surrendered them voluntarily during a later visit?
As for the fact that people could have REALLY been hurt, I suppose that’s true. If he had weapons, if he planned to use them, and if the SWAT team didn’t immobilize him fast enough. It sounds like your complaint is that they didn’t evacuate you. Are you calling to ask that they evacuate you if they get a second call to the house?
I can understand your concern, but I think you need to clarify what you’re after. If you call with vague concerns about what they found and/left in the house, and assumptions about what their purpose was, and what might have happened but didn’t, I suspect you’re not going to get good answers and you won’t feel any more reassured.
At this point this is the only fact that you have. Maybe said “family member” has a grudge and decided to do something nasty to the guy, who was going through life with no idea that the SWAT team was ready to break down his door. The cops went over, talked to the guy and found out that he’s not nuts and not a threat.
I was thinking the same thing. Maybe his wife or one of her family members decided to get him in trouble. Or it could have been a misunderstanding of something overheard.
Alternately, your neighbor might be an idiot but not a psycho; a friend of mine learned that from a similar event. In this case, they didn’t know anything was happening until nearly every cop car in the town descended on a neighbor’s house, and the other neighbors who gathered outside were discussing a rumor that he’d pulled a gun on someone. Turns out he got irritated at a political canvasser and without indicating there was a major problem or that the gentleman should leave now, the guy excused himself temporarily and retrieved a realistic-looking (plastic squirt, with the “I’m not a real gun” orange tip removed) “gun” from inside the house, and came out with it. Canvasser ran off and dialed 911. Neighbor got in some kind of trouble but IIRC he was determined to mostly be a dumbass.
Maybe you could stop by and tell him you noticed the law was at his house when he wasn’t there and ask him if everything is o.k… No need to live in fear until you find out if you have any reason to worry.
They bring out SWAT these days for every little fucking thing, so I wouldn’t jump to conclusions on whether he’s going to murder your family. Probably a wannabe with a big mouth.
I think I understand where you’re coming from, Missy. We all know there are whackos in the world; we just don’t want to know that they’re living two doors down from us. I’m afraid I don’t have much good to tell you; we had a crazy neighbour once, right next door, and the police were called repeatedly, but there really wasn’t anything they could do - she terrorized us, but she never actually did anything, and that’s where the law lives. No blood, no charges. Knowing what I know now, our best course of action would have been to just move the hell away from there.
If you haven’t come up with a family emergency evacuation plan yet, this would be a good time. Might I suggest a rally point somewhere on the other side of the block.
That’s the thing, isn’t it? If these people are “just scary” there isn’t anything that can be done under the law. But if they trespassed or made actual threats, action could be taken.
It is absolute HELL living next to crazy people. I had one a few years back who decided I was her best friend, although at the most I was polite and neighborly. She began harrassing me, calling me many times a day, coming up and banging on my door, and so on. When I wouldn’t respond she told the neighbors stories about me, that I was a “horrible person” at first and then that I had a criminal past. I was on the point of getting a restraining order against her when she moved out.
Thanks everyone, for your responses. I guess I’m kind of being a nitwit about it - everything has been quiet since then and even my mom (yes, I called my mommy asking for advice) said that if there were something really to be worried about the police would have told you. Since they haven’t been back and everything is peaceful it probably was just a disgruntled ex starting shit kind of thing like Claricaun said, so rather than get myself all upset, I’m gonna go with that. I guess. For now. Or at least until the tanks show up.
I really have to disagree with that. YOU are responsible for looking out for your interests, not the police. I honestly think a shot at talking pleasantly with the officer in charge of that incident is well worth it. What do you have to lose in doing that?
Nothing I suppose - I’ll call them I guess - I just feel like I’m bugging them. I don’t want them to think I’m an idiot - but it can’t hurt to ask I guess.
Oh - PS - Cluricaun, sorry I spelled your name wrong in my previous post. :smack:
You’re not “bugging” them. You are a taxpayer. You were inconvenienced and frightened by what happened. Call the non-emergency number, ask for the officer in charge of the incident on X date at X address and then just be very very nice and maybe you’ll learn what’s up.
A concerned citizen, politely calling to ask questions about a SWAT raid 2 houses away from her a few days ago, is probably less idiotic than 99.9% of the calls the police get. Don’t sweat it.
Look in the white pages (probably the government section, if I remember how big the Chicago-area white pages are) and find the non-emergency number for your local police district. (Don’t call 911)
Ask to speak with a community relations person, if they have one. If not, someone who was involved in the activity on your street on XX date at XX time. They may say that someone will call you back - get the name and position of that person (in a very nice voice). Also find out who is in charge there. All of this is first call, nice voice.
When they call you back, you mention activity, child, concern. You don’t need to discuss this at length, you and they both know what happened. Lack of hysteria on your part will go a long way. What you want is not to know the personal business of your neighbor, but to know that the situation has been resolved and that you and your family are not at risk due to neighbor. Or, if you are at risk, you want to be aware of that. Very reasonable request. You should receive an answer to this question. If not, escalate.
If you haven’t heard back in ~2 days, call and ask for person in charge (or give the other person another chance and leave another message - your choice). Always nice voice. Do above activity with person in charge. Repeat as necessary with escalation, but it shouldn’t really be necessary.
Police do want good community relations, but they get very busy. And who would want to deal with screaming nosy anxiety person? Calm rational person with reasonable and brief question is much more pleasant.
Disclosure: I am not a police officer. I have never been a police officer, nor will I ever be a police officer. But I have lived and have friends who currently live in really shit-can neighborhoods. I’m on a board that discussed how best to deal with the po-po quite frequently. I’ve also worked on research projects with police officers before. I think that they can be amazingly wonderful people (just as some of them aren’t. Variation is the key to a population).
