background: staying in a roadside motel in the US. Man and Woman in the next room are screaming at each other. 1:30 in the morning. Not my problem.
But I did get voyeuristic and plant my ear on the wall. Most I could comprehend was “your daughter, but what about MY daughter?” from the woman. That’s what I thought I heard.
I was like, if I am certain I can tell that someone is beating on someone, and trying to kill them, or you know just violence is happening, then I’ll call 911. but I was far from certain. all i could discern was crying and screaming.
Hour later, someone is pounding on my door. is it someone in distress? I am in the least accessible and least desirable room in the place. It’s probably one of those two neighbors, but which one?
Anyways, I’m in the US, so I have one or more guns, but I don’t keep them loaded or accessible. by the time I had something ready, I think the neighbors were about to pass out. they currently are quiet after hours of screaming.
So I’m not a fan of cops, but not entirely against them. Situations in which I did call the cops:
-Neighbors were screaming at each other, 3 a.m.; their 6-year-old girl was out in the street crying.
-I heard broken glass and looked out the window, and saw a pair of big man’s boots going into what I thought was a single woman’s apartment.
I might call the non-emergency line for things, like if my car was stolen or house broken into. I think the only time I’d call the emergency line is if I felt actively in danger.
Calling the police is a lot like firearm training, never call them on something you don’t intend to kill.
Have you ever actually called a non-emergency line?
It’s usually just a phone tree telling you what part of the city’s website to go to. If you’re lucky enough to talk to a real person, the moment you start telling OP’s story, they will tell you to hang up and call 911 if you think there’s an emergency.
The non-emergency line isn’t 911-lite - don’t call it because you don’t know if the situation is an emergency or not…