Reporting suspicious activity

If you saw someone stealing or breaking a public law, would you report them?

  • Yes.

    Votes: 3 33.3%

  • No.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Depends on the circumstances.

    Votes: 6 66.7%
  • Total voters
    9
It depends on the circumstances, how serious it was, whether I would want to get involved
 

Probably not. I went outside one evening and some teenage boys were stealing gas from my truck. I just said, "aw-w, Come-on guys! Please don't do this. I really need my gas." They apologized and were on their way. I was 15 years old once myself.
But there was one hot, Summer day when I saw two men wearing ski masks ,going into a bank. After laughing, I think that timeI I mentioned it to an officer who was parked down the block.
 
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Yes - and I have.

For some reason, I seem to have a knack of seeing people stealing. Too many instances that I won't write them all here. The last time, two young men were in a men's clothing store where my girlfriend and I were shopping. The split second one of the young men put a shirt under his jacket, was when I looked at him. He knew I saw him. I waited for them to leave, which was immediately. The reason I waited was that I didn't know if they may have had some kind of weapon. The manager called security, but I don't know if they got away.
 
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I would probably run this question through a "decision tree" of some sort:
Is anyone getting hurt: Yes
Is any damage significant: Yes
Am I sure that I am actually seeing shoplifting or theft: Yes
Is the law or rule one that doesn't make much sense: No (and there are a lot of these little nuisance rules these days.)
 
I never have, but years ago, we had several people dismissed for stealing those little bottles of booze on the planes. Now, they are kept under lock and key.
 
Once saw a truck backed up to a fairly completed building site. They seemed to be moving things out at night, so I phoned the local police station.

They sent a car out and the people were stealing the stove, hot water system and so on.

Another time I saw a woman slip some things under a baby in a department store and walk out without paying. Told the cashier, and she just shrugged.

Turn a blind eye to department store theft now.
 
I wouldn't turn in the woman with the baby because I'd be concerned about what would happen with the baby.
 
It depends. One time I saw some illegal logging going on in the wooded area across from where we live.
There are signs all over the place,no logging.
When it comes to protecting anything Mother Nature has given us I get very protective.
I called the police and they caught them red handed. I don't know if they got a slap on the wrist or a stiff fine,I hope the latter.
 
It depends on the circumstances for me too. If it's a serious crime, an animal or person is being abused, or like Ruth mentioned, anything destroying nature, I would report it. If someone is just stealing something from a store or workplace, I'd mind my own business, they should have security to deal with those things. I've never been a busybody or got any satisfaction from ratting on people.
 
Am I going to have to go to court to testify.....in front of the accused.....? If so, and it wasn't for murder or mayhem or something like that, I'd probably think twice before getting involved because of the possibility of retaliation on the part of the wrongdoer. They're going to get out of jail eventually......or they're going to have friends....and I don't want to get beat up or my car/house vandalized.
 
I was driving home & saw two cars racing each other; they passed me at around 70 mph, weaving in & out of traffic. Speed limit on that street was 35. A young woman was pulling out of a driveway & one of the racers broadsided her. There was an ambulance nearby & they rushed to her car but they couldn't get her out right away because her car was on its side & the doors were crushed. I don't know if she survived. The driver got out & looked like a hard-core gang member - teardrop eye tattoos, neck tattoos, the whole bit.
I called police & told them I saw the car that hit her & the driver was racing another car. Police wanted my name & address. I said I would give it if they could make sure the driver couldn't get it. They said, "We would have to provide the driver with your name & address."
I said, "No, thanks, I'm not stupid enough to bring drive-by shooters to my family."
 
I was putting things in my trunk after shopping at a "Whole Foods" market a couple of years ago. I heard a loud commotion near the front of the store. A security guard was pulling on the front wheel of a bicycle & a much-larger guy was pulling on the back wheel, yelling, "Let go of my f-----g bike." The guard was yelling back; "It's not your bike." (it wasn't; the guard knows the guy who parked it).
What was sorta funny was the size difference between the two - the guard was around 5'5" & the thief was around 6'7" but the guard was obviously really strong.
Finally, the thief let go of the bike & started walking away & the guard started calling police on his phone. That's when the thief looked right at me & started walking quickly toward me - likely to carjack me & maybe help him escape before police arrived.
I stuck my hand in my trunk & said, "Don't....I'll blow your head off." He ran off. I doubt police found him.
 
bingo said:
i saw a man kick a dog ...i was livid...animal control and sheriff came out...
Click to expand...
good for you bingo ..I saw this once he yanked it one to many time so I went up to him and had words '
said i know u live around here ' and he said if u want it take it ' i said take it to rspca' and he's friend said he ok with the dog 'so
i sat in my car pretending to write and looking at him -
 
toffee said:
good for you bingo ..I saw this once he yanked it one to many time so I went up to him and had words '
said i know u live around here ' and he said if u want it take it ' i said take it to rspca' and he's friend said he ok with the dog 'so
i sat in my car pretending to write and looking at him -
Click to expand...

sometimes we take a risk standing up...this guy turned out to be a felon..steel toe boots broke little dogs ribs....of course animal control took dog ....sheriff took the devil
 
It was 15 degrees F outside. It had snowed a couple of feet. I had been out clearing my driveway with a snowblower. I had to deposit some checks, so I went to the bank. The problem was that I wore a ski mask, and forgot I had it on. I waited on line, got to the window, deposited the checks , and left. It was only when I got back in the car that I noticed I had the ski mask on. I guess some eager beaver might have called the cops on me, but nobody did. I have to remember that when I need some extra cash.
 
A couple of years ago, while driving to Kansas City, we came upon a car that was being driven erratically....weaving all over the road. I stayed behind him waiting for an opportunity to pass. A couple of cars that passed him almost had an accident. After a couple of miles of this, I had the wife dial 911 on the cell phone, and gave the dispatcher a description and location of this car, and stayed on the phone for several minutes until I saw the red lights of a highway patrol car coming up behind us. The patrol car, with lights and siren blasting, took a fair amount of time and distance before this goofy driver finally pulled over.
I never found any info on this incident, but I suspect the driver was either quite drunk, or high on drugs. It's a wonder that he didn't cause a bad accident. Had he spun off the road, and crashed himself, with no other vehicles involved, I would have probably cheered.
 

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