This is the very top headline story on the front page of today’s Conway Daily Sun newspaper (New Hampshire)
Police turn up heat, cool down argument over thermostat setting
*Police responded to a heated exchange Jan. 26 involving a mother, her two sons and their thermostat.
The family members were arguing over the temperature of their home. Police said one of them refused to set the thermostat higher than 52 degrees. The other two were complaining the house was too cold and thought the thermostat should be set at 60 or 62 degrees.
Police came to the house to help them work out the problem. The family agreed to have the temperature at 61 degrees,and a police offi cer set the thermostat.
Lt. Chris Perley said Friday the family has been known to call the police over petty arguments. He recalled that police were called to the home Thanksgiving Day over a disagreement involving a pie.
“They’re all grown adults,” Perley said. “It is funny, in a sad way.”*
There are times when I go to a call and you can see in their eyes the moment they realize that they called you for a really dumb reason. Other times they never realize. Since the article says the police have been there numerous times, I would guess they fall into the later category.
Some interesting ‘Domestic Incidents’ the cops in our unit have been called out to in the last few months:
An argument over buying the wrong type of kebab after a night out.
An argument over a man breaking wind and thinking it was funny, and his wife not seeing the humour.
A call from a spoilt ten year old girl because her father had taken the fuse out of her TV set as a punishment.
-An argument over whose turn it was to go and buy more cider (this being at eight in the morning, with all the cider from the night before having been drunk).
-A situation in which a woman had given her credit card to her partner (so he could purchase more alcohol for her) and he had also bought himself a chocolate bar on the credit card. He refused to pay her back for the chocolate bar.
-A man ‘farting’ in his girlfriend’s face.
These stories are not unusual. People will call the police over anything. The common themes are alcohol, spoilt children, mental illness, and apparently gas.
Opalcat, are you surprised this made the paper? Remember, this is the state where the nighly news most often report crimes that happened in other states. It must be hard to be a reporter in NH, what with 14 murders a year and an otherwise generally low crime rate.
glee, they took the police away from writing speeding tickets. I’m sure they were happy for the change of pace.
You will be calling a lot. I am a nonconformist when it comes to spelling and grammar. Add to that a complete lack of typing skill…
Not really. It is a domestic dispute. It is our job to go there and it is better that we go while it is still verbal. The only law that would be broken is if they were making up a reason to call just to see our reaction. It is legal to be stupid. Of course laws vary state to state yadda yadda.
You will be calling a lot. I am a nonconformist when it comes to spelling and grammar. Add to that a complete lack of typing skill…
Not really. It is a domestic dispute. It is our job to go there and it is better that we go while it is still verbal. The only law that would be broken is if they were making up a reason to call just to see our reaction. It is legal to be stupid. Of course laws vary state to state yadda yadda.