# Poll: For what crime(s) would you turn in a loved one? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 24, 2012, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-what-crime-s-would-you-turn-in-a-loved-one/610510 "2012-01-24T16:59:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-what-crime-s-would-you-turn-in-a-loved-one/610510/61 "2012-02-02T19:14:42Z")
> [@Acid\_Lamp](#): > > …I’d sooner try to talk them out of their nefarious lifestyle… Take another gander at the OP. > [@Koxinga](#): > > I wonder how many respondents are aware that the OP is a judge 😉 Magistrate, actually. But most of you are out of my jurisdiction, so no worries! ---
**Author:** ![phall0106](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phall0106/32/5934_2.png) [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-what-crime-s-would-you-turn-in-a-loved-one/610510/62 "2012-02-03T00:32:38Z")
> [@Mr.Accident](#): > > Child molestation, child abuse, domestic violence, rape, and drunk driving. > > Everything else I take on a case by case basis, otherwise 99% of my family would be in jail. Really? 99%? I think you should start your own thread. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-what-crime-s-would-you-turn-in-a-loved-one/610510/63 "2012-02-03T01:13:11Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Take another gander at the OP. Same answer. The little stuff and drug offenses are likely to play out in time. I don’t see any need to do the police’s work for them. The big stuff is different. Lots of people might get hurt, killed or lose their livelihoods. Treason and espionage would have to be presented on a case by case basis. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-what-crime-s-would-you-turn-in-a-loved-one/610510/64 "2012-02-03T01:39:44Z")
> [@Acid\_Lamp](#): > > Same answer. The little stuff and drug offenses are likely to play out in time. I don’t see any need to do the police’s work for them. The big stuff is different. Lots of people might get hurt, killed or lose their livelihoods. Treason and espionage would have to be presented on a case by case basis. My point was that I’d already said in the OP, “…a loved one of yours kept committing crimes and just wouldn’t stop, despite your most earnest attempts to persuade him or her…” ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-what-crime-s-would-you-turn-in-a-loved-one/610510/65 "2012-02-03T02:18:05Z")
No easy answer, as I’d have to take it on a case-by-case basis. Although I’m a bit short on relatives these days, I’ve had some I’d hide for just about anything and others I’d be willing to frame for serial murders in a heartbeat. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-what-crime-s-would-you-turn-in-a-loved-one/610510/66 "2012-02-03T02:32:32Z")
Where I didn’t vote, that’s where I’d be talking to my loved one and trying to get them to curtail their illegal activity (such as red light running). If my loved one didn’t stop doing things of that nature that were potentially dangerous, I’d turn them in anonymously. Um, sorry forgot. 52 year old American woman. ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-what-crime-s-would-you-turn-in-a-loved-one/610510/67 "2012-02-03T12:56:02Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > My point was that I’d already said in the OP, “…a loved one of yours kept committing crimes and just wouldn’t stop, despite your most earnest attempts to persuade him or her…” I know, I was just saying that wouldn’t change anything in my approach. The fact that I’ve already done all I can with them to no avail does not mean I’m going to go to the police over it. I have respect for the law in general, but do not believe that it is my job to enforce policies I may not agree with nor find immediately threatening or dangerous to others. The police will eventually catch up with that person and so be it. It is only when a person, or persons are in immediate, severe, or life-threatening danger do I have an ethical responsibility to tell what I know and prevent massive harm. Drug policy is an excellent example. I don’t agree with our current laws; and while I would not participate or directly aid them in breaking those laws, neither would I feel it is my responsibility to enforce them. The same result, though stemming from a differing rationale, goes for other minor crimes of vandalism, scuffling in bars, shoplifting etc… I don’t find them serious, nor immediately dangerous enough to report a loved one to the police. Those people are engaging in a dangerous, foolish path, but my ethical responsibility ends with talking to them, or cutting them out of my life if they become too troublesome. The police will eventually catch up with them and so be it. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-what-crime-s-would-you-turn-in-a-loved-one/610510/68 "2017-01-30T18:15:07Z")
Bumped for those who didn’t see the thread before. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-what-crime-s-would-you-turn-in-a-loved-one/610510/69 "2017-01-30T19:00:17Z")
For me “loved one” is a small and well-defined category. I will literary let them get away with murder. I draw the line at the violence against those who cannot defend themselves, Children and the elderly. Not reporting them for all the other stuff doesn’t mean I won’t kick their arses. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-what-crime-s-would-you-turn-in-a-loved-one/610510/70 "2017-01-30T19:02:49Z")
> [@The\_Librarian](#): > > …I will literary let them get away with murder… Book 'em! ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-what-crime-s-would-you-turn-in-a-loved-one/610510/71 "2017-01-30T19:16:13Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Bumped for those who didn’t see the thread before. Alright, why … now? ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-what-crime-s-would-you-turn-in-a-loved-one/610510/72 "2017-01-31T00:49:30Z")
I don’t think you even can turn some one in for parking violations or running a red light. I believe in most jurisdictions in the US a police officer can arrest you for those violations only if they personally observe it and cannot do so based on a report. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-what-crime-s-would-you-turn-in-a-loved-one/610510/73 "2017-01-31T00:56:34Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Alright, why … now? I stumbled across it while searching for something else. ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-what-crime-s-would-you-turn-in-a-loved-one/610510/74 "2017-01-31T02:37:52Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Well, what does espionage mean, exactly? I took it to mean “spying for our government”, in which case, who the heck am I going to turn him into anyway? Plus I know on some level spies are necessary. > > I did click treason though, along with all kinds of rapes, serial murder, all kinds of DV, major assault, and kidnapping (I can’t remember what else). Gray areas in some of them. espionage as a crime is generally understood to be spying for another country. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-what-crime-s-would-you-turn-in-a-loved-one/610510/75 "2017-01-31T02:53:59Z")
Somewhere between all-of-the-above and never. Depends on the loved one, circumstances, reward, etc etc etc… ---
**Author:** ![Bayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bayaker/32/3454_2.png) [@Bayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-what-crime-s-would-you-turn-in-a-loved-one/610510/76 "2017-01-31T03:17:11Z")
Texan here. I voted - “I wish you’d asked me about \_\_\_” because the answer to even the most serious of the crimes listed would depend on the circumstances as to whether I would turn someone in or not. If I thought that innocent people would continue to be murdered then I _probably_ would. I might also include treason and espionage. In general, I would rather try to help kith and kin through a tough spot than to turn stool pigeon:) But I don’t believe I would ever turn in immediate family or lifelong friends. Would the police be able to do anything or even be interested in some of the listed crimes? What would happen if I called the police and said “My cousin, Crazy Guggenheim, drove home drunk Saturday night”? ETA: Just noticed this was a zombie. I guess polls don’t expire either… ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-what-crime-s-would-you-turn-in-a-loved-one/610510/77 "2017-01-31T03:36:41Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > I was not going to vote for parking violations, then it occured to me that many people abuse handicapped parking rules. This gets my vote! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-what-crime-s-would-you-turn-in-a-loved-one/610510/78 "2017-01-31T05:46:06Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I stumbled across it while searching for something else. Good a reason as any, I guess. Will have to cruise on up and make my choices now. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-what-crime-s-would-you-turn-in-a-loved-one/610510/79 "2017-01-31T05:57:04Z")
I went pretty much everything except the parking and various minors. The only bigger offenses where I doubt I would drop a dime on a loved one were DUI, blackmail and extortion. Don’t know what it says about me as an individual but there it is. Oh, and in the category of _I wish you had asked_ ----- I would probably drop a dime on anyone who decided to become a Resurrection Agent. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-what-crime-s-would-you-turn-in-a-loved-one/610510/80 "2017-01-31T06:13:06Z")
Nothing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-what-crime-s-would-you-turn-in-a-loved-one/610510.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-what-crime-s-would-you-turn-in-a-loved-one/610510.md?page=5)