Re: Policy & Procedure of Del City Police

[Luke]

On the last week of December, somebody broke into my house while my wife and I were out of town. I live in Del City and have an alarm system. The intruder came in through a window, tripped the motion sensor and ran out the back door with nothing. My brother went to the house and helped the officer fill out a police report. I am very thankful for the alarm system. It saved me thousands of dollars. When we returned the next day, I looked at the broken window. In the floor below the window was broken glass, coins, a keychain (without any keys) and a cell phone. I guess my brother and the officer though that it was my stuff. It wasn't. I called the police and they came to get it. Before they did, however, I looked through the phone and wrote down a bunch of the names and numbers including the actual phone's number.

I called the detective every few weeks to get a status update on my case. He was really busy with homicides so he shoved my case to the back burner (completely understandable). About a month ago he finally got to my case. He told me that he entered the cell phone's number into the "system" and nothing "came up." I asked him if he was going to actively pursue this lead and he told me no. I said, "so can I call these numbers and try to figure out who did this?" He told me that I can do whatever I want and that if I found out anything to call back. Heh...

Honestly, I was dumbfounded after talking to the detective...

I opted not to track this fellow down for two reasons: first, he didn't steal anything and second, because in the event that I did track him down, I wouldn't want to risk anything especially since he knows where I live.

For about the last month I suppose it's kinda been stewing in the back of my head. If this is how we treat robbers, then its no wonder people turn to a life of crime. I can leave all my contact information in a victim's house and if no one sees me, I can get anything I want.

So, yesterday I decided to call the city of Del City. I was recommended to contact the City Manager of Del City. I got a call back from the assistant City Manager (I think). I approached him with a non-aggressive attitude because, as I said earlier, they didn't take anything from me. Secondly, I simply want to find the basis by which they decide to pursue a case.

The most memorable comment he made was, "To play the devil's advocate, how do you know that phone isn't someone else's?" or something like that. I replied, "Yeah, someone ran through my backyard, saw a broken window and decided to throw his phone into my house." Then I said something about reasonable doubt and that was very unreasonable. He kind of chuckled.

Anyways, he recommended that I call the detective to ask him the specifics of how they decided to follow a lead. He also said that I could go up the chain of command if need be.

I guess I just wanted to vent as well as find out if any of you had any advice or comments.

Thanks!

[Easy180]

A potential drawback from making noise in the detective's precinct is you may just find your name and address on the unofficial Slow Response list if you know what I mean

Just the way I am, but I would let it go just to remain in their good graces...May need them again

[Deni]

This is a very difficult situation your house gets broke into like its ok, go ahead.. You dont deserve to have your things protected?? What the heck .. Just because America is the land of the FREE dont mean you can just take anything from houses or break into others property and be protected.
However, I do see that calling the police on mistakes they might make makes them not want to help you in the long run.

Here is what I would do, I would have maybe a attorney friend call those numbers telling those people that you found things that belonged to someone and you want to give them back.
At least you will feel better maybe having a name and maybe a face for the CRIMINAL that thinks he dont have to work for the things YOU OWN!!!

I dont know, I just am sick of people getting away with breaking the law and there is so much crime that even the police cant keep up and the penalities are so minor they get out and recommit the crimes. If you protect your place you can be charged with deadly force on the person that breaks into your property. Well I bet if some more people started just protecting themselves maybe criminals would see yeah CRIME CAN PAY WITH YOUR LIFE...

[Karried]

What a shame.. you must feel so violated!

The phone is probably turned off now, but you should have gotten the number, called it from your home phone and racked up one heck of a cell phone bill.. it might have made you feel better.

But it all actuality, it's probably safer to let it go. He knows you have an alarm so he won't come back.

I thought if someone broke into your house you could shoot them.. I remember hearing about it.. Make my Day Law

[Karried]

I found this article from a few years ago.. have you thought about a firearm Luke?


At 3.30am on January 6, 1987, Dr Frank Sommer, a dentist in Tulsa, Oklahoma, woke to the sound of his garage door opening. He looked at the clock, mentally scolded his son, then 18, or his daughter 20, for getting home so late, and waited for the sound of their footsteps downstairs.

"After a few minutes, I thought that it was odd that I had heard nothing more. I took the gun from my nightstand, left my wife fast asleep and went downstairs to make sure everything was OK," he recalled yesterday.

What happened next was an experience of pure terror. As he looked through the peep-hole from the kitchen into the garage, he saw two strange men. One was pilfering from his wife's car: the other was standing at the opened door, by the tool racks.

Just as he stepped through the door to challenge the intruders, the lights went out. "It was total darkness and suddenly I was very, very scared. I fired one shot and yelled a warning. I saw one figure run off and as I went towards the driveway I saw a body in the doorway. 'Oh no!' I thought. 'He's dead.' "

In those few seconds Dr Sommer, 66, had been plunged into a case that changed the law in Oklahoma and may yet influence a change in the law in Britain. Within weeks of the incident, the Oklahoma state government passed legislation that became known as the Make My Day Law, named for the celebrated scene in the Clint Eastwood Dirty Harry film.

The law was pushed through by Sen Charles Ford, a Republican, the opposition party in the state.

"The purpose of the law is to protect the victim of crime who defends his home and his family against unlawful intrusion from any criminal prosecution or civil action," Sen Ford said last week.

"We considered it outrageous that someone who protects his home and family should suffer. Our law says you can use any force, including deadly force, to defend your home."

It has been an unqualified success. Since the Make My Day Law came into force, burglary has declined by almost half in Oklahoma. In 1987, there were 58,333 cases; in 2000, just 31,661.

While crime rates throughout America fell in the 1990s, Make My Day supporters point to a second statistic in Oklahoma they say proves the impact of the new law: while burglary rates plunged, other forms of theft stayed constant. In 1988, there were 96,418 cases, in 2000, 96,111.

Similar anti-burglar laws have now been adopted in Colorado and Arizona. The reason, said Sen Ford, was simple: "The law works. We were in the grip of a violent burglary epidemic when Dr Sommer's home was invaded.

"Over that Christmas, we had six people in their 70s and 80s killed, bludgeoned to death by burglars in their bedrooms. How were they meant to defend themselves if they could not legally resort to lethal force?" he said.

Giving householders immunity from criminal and civil action was also inspired by Dr Sommer's experience. Although he was taken to the police station and interrogated, the District Attorney read the public mood over the series of deadly burglaries and decided against charging him with the killing of the burglar, Russell Bryant, 19.

An "ambulance chaser" lawyer contacted Bryant's family and sought damages for a lifetime of lost earnings on the grounds that the killing was unlawful.

"This was outrageous and focused attention on the vague state of the law which left the victim of burglary vulnerable," said Sen Ford, 73.

Prior to the Make My Day legislation, the law, as it remains in most American states, sanctioned force in self-defence and the defence of property, but only on the basis of "reasonable" response to the violence offered by the criminal. This allows a baseball bat against a baseball bat, a knife against a knife, and a gun against a gun - although in theory the householder should allow the burglar to shoot first.

There have now been at least 11 cases where intruders have been shot dead in Oklahoma and the householders who pulled the trigger have escaped any sanction under the Make My Day law.

While Dr Sommer is a fervent supporter of the law protecting householders, he said that killing Bryant had left him into overwhelming feelings of guilt and that for years he was tormented by the thought that he had committed the "ultimate sin".

"Every time I go into that garage I think about it," he explained. "But I do not regret it. My wife and children were in our home. I am sorry that young man was in the wrong place at the wrong time. But that was of his choosing."

[WaterLillyfairy]

A potential drawback from making noise in the detective's precinct is you may just find your name and address on the unofficial Slow Response list if you know what I mean

Just the way I am, but I would let it go just to remain in their good graces...May need them again

See, in my opinion this is where it all falls down, I mean why should we have to be in their good graces, their the darned COPS! How about doing the job their being paid to do? But it's obvious that's a problem not just in the police force, but in every business in this country. No one wants to do the job they agreed to do. Everyone wants the short cut, the "easy button". Police are no exception. We had an officer Run another viehicle off the road and into our parked (in our driveway mind you) car. We needed a whole new door. Then when the perp got away on foot (missing a shoe) the cop had the gall to get an attitude with my husband. Good thing we have insurance, cause they didn't care. They caused the damage, still didn't care. Oh well, hubby's a do-it-yourselfer so we ended up getting paid for it anyways. I say don't bother with it, not because you want to stay on their good side but because it's not worth the energy you will exhort to force the issue. Good thing for the alarm.

[Redskin 70]

The cell phone was a prepaid non traceable type and the few phone numbers on it checked back to gang bangers that knew nothing. The service provider did what little they could.

[FRISKY]

I agree with most things said in this thread, but would like to point out the thief that broke into your house could have stolen the cell phone from an innocent victim in a previous burglary.

[Luke]

While not at all likely, the police didn't even check anyways.