I pit Verizon for being a douche instead of doing the right thing

Sure, but that’s you and me, not the Verizon representative, who may or may not do so (let’s be honest, CSR’s aren’t always the brightest). The article doesn’t indicate a manager was involved, referring only to an “operator”; in the absence of additional information, assuming it was a manager is just that - assumption. Regardless, the actions of whoever the police spoke to still don’t necessarily represent Verizon’s corporate policy in such instances. Has there been any further information released re: the timeline or Verizon’s policies, or a statement from Verizon?