karz10
Member
I don't think any of us can make blanket statements for or against your choice, we weren't there.
I'm less likely to call cops on a driver, unless I believe them to be intoxicated, on drugs, or really almost caused an accident, etc... I'm what I consider to be a considerate aggressive driver, meaning I go out of my way not to cut people off, or hinder the flow of traffic, but I'll take the initiative to do what I need to do, especially when I see the other party(ies) are not taking the initiative.
I try to obey the principle traffic laws I remember reading in my driver's manual 20 yrs ago, the things most people on the roadways seem to forget, I give people a second or two to take the initiative, if they don't then I do what I need to do. I don't tolerate left lane campers going at or below the speed limit in the left lane on highway, when noone's in front of them. I don't like being tailgated when someone is impeding my forward progress, there's nothing I can do about it, I don't usually have cars pass me on the highway, but when one's coming, angry or not, I get out of the way. I don't stop in the middle of the main street to let someone from the side street enter the roadway, people seem to think they're being nice to one person, while screwing the 50 people behind them, w/ no clue that this is bad and dangerous behavior. Other people cut you off to go slow, what is that about?
Anyway, many years I drove 30k miles a year, mostly daily driving, not long trips, I've seen a lot of stupid stuff. You never know what some ******* did to someone else that got them a little hot under the collar, I think most people given a few minutes to cool down, will be alright, I'm not going to rush to call 911 on someone that's being aggressive w/out an overwhelming sense of probably cause in my heart, because I may not know the whole story. I'm not saying the OP did wrong by calling on that driver, I wasn't there, just sharing my opinion. I think many people are too sensitive about the driving thing, but then again, you do have to be aware, because road rage can get out of hand real quick, and you should certainly keep an eye on someone like that if you're near them, but my instinct is to remove myself from that situation if at all possible. The drunk driver however, is sometimes easy to spot and I think warrants a call.
As for the other stuff, I think we all have to follow our instinct, which will vary by our background, location etc. I think it's good to check on the out of uniform, no truck having, alleged UPS guy. This is the kind of thing that organized businesses like UPS should enforce a strict policy about protecting their image and branding. Anything like this could easily be a scam to get money from vulnerable citizens, as another poster said potentially assault someone, rob someone either as a property or personal crime, and merely ignoring the guy or not dealing with the situation might have let a criminal move onto his next victim.
That whole windchime thing sounds fishy to me anyway, but whatever, I mean weird noises, possible screams, breaking glass, it could go either way. Someone references the sword guy and the porno neighbor, that guy overreacted busting into someone's house based on assumptions, whereas if he had called the cops to check on it, they could have investigated in a more reasonable manner, IMO.
I think some people are malicious in their attempts to butt into other people's business, which is a shame. But I think if you're seeking professional help to investigate suspicious behavior to protect yourself and lookout for your neighbors or fellow citizens, then that's a normal (or should be) response, and we need more of it, IMO. And I like what others have said that sometimes it may not be an immediate response to thwart a crime, but may just be the missing link to solve something after the fact, or be used as a small piece to add up w/ other small pieces to notice trends that eventually lead to positive action.
Karz
I'm less likely to call cops on a driver, unless I believe them to be intoxicated, on drugs, or really almost caused an accident, etc... I'm what I consider to be a considerate aggressive driver, meaning I go out of my way not to cut people off, or hinder the flow of traffic, but I'll take the initiative to do what I need to do, especially when I see the other party(ies) are not taking the initiative.
I try to obey the principle traffic laws I remember reading in my driver's manual 20 yrs ago, the things most people on the roadways seem to forget, I give people a second or two to take the initiative, if they don't then I do what I need to do. I don't tolerate left lane campers going at or below the speed limit in the left lane on highway, when noone's in front of them. I don't like being tailgated when someone is impeding my forward progress, there's nothing I can do about it, I don't usually have cars pass me on the highway, but when one's coming, angry or not, I get out of the way. I don't stop in the middle of the main street to let someone from the side street enter the roadway, people seem to think they're being nice to one person, while screwing the 50 people behind them, w/ no clue that this is bad and dangerous behavior. Other people cut you off to go slow, what is that about?
Anyway, many years I drove 30k miles a year, mostly daily driving, not long trips, I've seen a lot of stupid stuff. You never know what some ******* did to someone else that got them a little hot under the collar, I think most people given a few minutes to cool down, will be alright, I'm not going to rush to call 911 on someone that's being aggressive w/out an overwhelming sense of probably cause in my heart, because I may not know the whole story. I'm not saying the OP did wrong by calling on that driver, I wasn't there, just sharing my opinion. I think many people are too sensitive about the driving thing, but then again, you do have to be aware, because road rage can get out of hand real quick, and you should certainly keep an eye on someone like that if you're near them, but my instinct is to remove myself from that situation if at all possible. The drunk driver however, is sometimes easy to spot and I think warrants a call.
As for the other stuff, I think we all have to follow our instinct, which will vary by our background, location etc. I think it's good to check on the out of uniform, no truck having, alleged UPS guy. This is the kind of thing that organized businesses like UPS should enforce a strict policy about protecting their image and branding. Anything like this could easily be a scam to get money from vulnerable citizens, as another poster said potentially assault someone, rob someone either as a property or personal crime, and merely ignoring the guy or not dealing with the situation might have let a criminal move onto his next victim.
That whole windchime thing sounds fishy to me anyway, but whatever, I mean weird noises, possible screams, breaking glass, it could go either way. Someone references the sword guy and the porno neighbor, that guy overreacted busting into someone's house based on assumptions, whereas if he had called the cops to check on it, they could have investigated in a more reasonable manner, IMO.
I think some people are malicious in their attempts to butt into other people's business, which is a shame. But I think if you're seeking professional help to investigate suspicious behavior to protect yourself and lookout for your neighbors or fellow citizens, then that's a normal (or should be) response, and we need more of it, IMO. And I like what others have said that sometimes it may not be an immediate response to thwart a crime, but may just be the missing link to solve something after the fact, or be used as a small piece to add up w/ other small pieces to notice trends that eventually lead to positive action.
Karz
