RoadkingLarry asked;
Source reference or link please. I work in the industry and I don't believe that is the case but I am willing to be educated.
When my daughter in law (works for Verizon) I'll ask her, she was the one who told me when I asked about getting an older phone I had activated.
Slugless asked;
Officers, what do you want us to do in a 911 visit?
Cooperate, open the door, answer a couple questions and it's over. The officers don't like waking people up in the middle of the night any more then the people like being awakened. Remember this call, even though 9 times out of 10 it's nothing, is an unknown trouble call to the officers. Their guard will be up and they will be trying to detect signs that something is wrong.
-What do you do if we don't open the door?
Depends entirely on the circumstances. If the 911 operator has said it sounded like static on the line, probably log it no contact and leave. If the 911 operator said, "I heard shouting in the background and them the line went dead, not opening the door is probably not an option. Backup will be called, the officers will probably walk around the house looking in windows and listening, trying to determine what was going on. If they saw someone laying on the floor, EMS may be called and entry might be made. It just depends on what the situation is.
-What do you do if we ask for a warrant?
Explain to you that one might not be necessary because the Supreme Court has ruled that under exigent circumstances we can enter residence and that an emergency call was placed from this residence which may establish that there are exigent circumstances permitting them to enter without a warrant. that totally depends on exactly what the 911 operator heard and what the officers found on arrival. You're standing in the door and the house is in disarray, furniture turned over, phone ripped from the wall....the officers are probably going to want to enter or at very least speak privately to everyone in the house.
-How should we confirm your identity as an LEO?
I suppose that somewhere a plainclothes officer responded to a 911 hangup call. Usually the presence of a marked squad car and uniformed officers is enough of a clue for most people, but all you have to do is call the agency, they will verify it.
-What do you do if we tell you don't look around the house?
Again it depends totally on the circumstances. If the 911 operator heard sounds of a struggle, the officers heard a fight going on as they approached the house, they discovered signs of a fight when they looked in the window and the door was opened and you refused to produce the other residents of the house so their safety could be confirmed, they are probably going to secure you and look anyway. If everything looks normal and it sounded to the 911 operator like trouble on the line, the officer probably isn't going to ask to look around if everyone in the house will verify they are ok.
-What if we tell you don't look at my prescription drugs?
Why would they want to look at your prescription drugs? In 22 years responding to countless 911 calls, the only time I can remember an officer looking through prescription drugs was when there was a medical emergency and that information was needed by EMS or the ER.
-What will you do if we say we have an unsecured gun, either on the nightstand cocked and locked or we tell you about a pistol in a drawer with a trigger lock?
Depends on the circumstances.
-Do you take the firearms? Hold it until you determine nothing's wrong & return it? Take for a longer period?
Again it's totally dependent on the circumstances.
What's your best advice on how a citizen should behave while interacting with an LEO during a stressful situation? I'm always polite, use the proper term of address ("Officer", not "sir" or "ma'am"), keep my hands in plain sight, etc.
yesit'sloaded said;
"May we look around"
"Get a warrant or remove yourselves form my property"
We talk about the 2nd A all the time but we forget some others, like the 4th.
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
If the right circumstances exist, you're likely to be sitting in the back of a squad car in handcuffs charged with obstruction. Maybe you can get your attorney to explain
exigent circumstances to you so you can add it to your understanding of the 4th amendment.
Jeff