This Cleveland Kidnapper story is surreal. I’m assuming you know about it already and would not want to waste bandwidth throwing in a link. The deal is people suspected what was happening WAS actually happening, one woman on a interview said she had told the police and was pretty much blown off. Bottom line is how could someone not take something like this so seriously? I would have done something like seriously tried to break into his house while he was gone and I know it’s breaking the law but to let a feeling pass that some kids are being held captive next door, hell I personally would rather risk being fined or jailed for a couple days than to think that’s going on and I didn’t try to stop it. Am I missing something or do I have a point?.
You seem to have a mis-informed, or mis-guided point.
I also heard about people reporting suspect activity.
But since then I’ve read that there have been no confirmed reports to the police. I’m assuming this also means no confirmed reports to social authorities.
The current ‘news’ (I’m beginnig to loath that word) is that he hid the immoral activities from his brothers, who visited the house quite regularly.
I strongly suspect that the brothers TOLD the police that… but I do NOT believe it.
People’s suspicions are rarely convincing even to themselves until they have actually been confirmed as they have in recent days for those neighbors being interviewed. The police are experts and if they discount your suspicions then who are you to say they’re wrong (until that has been conclusively proved and a reporter is on your front porch.)
Your proposed course of action reminds me of that Tom Hanks movie, The 'Burbs.
I too have had this fantasy.
In hindsight.
My guess is people don’t want to be that person who calls the police about every unfounded threat. They’re warned against calling the authorities for nonemergency procedures and fear they will be punished if the threat turns out to be some guy walking his dog (for example). They want to keep their credibility intact so 911 won’t dismiss them when there really is an emergency.
Succinct. 
Probably because people realize that their ‘hunch’ is no more than that. And when they break into someone’s house to find out that they were NOT kidnapping people for years (i.e., the vast majority of the time), then they have committed a felony and will go to jail. The jury will probably laugh at “well, I thought he was a crazed kidnapper!” while throwing you in jail.
The Neighbors did what they were supposed to do; it was the Police that failed.
The Neighbor had no idea what was going in that house and considered the kidnapper a friend.