I know Lemmy has the ACAB sentinment, and I get it, I don’t trust them either. But real talk tho, there are some scenarios where you might not have other options.
So… the question is: When, if ever, would you call for law enforcement? And if you distrust law enforcement, is there ever a situation where it gets so bad that you just have to risk involving law enforcement?
Our local police are really good, we call them a couple times a year for accidents in our front yard (we live in a fairly busy road where a 35 mph speed limit means read your phone while doing 50…). They are always really professional and helpful to both the drivers and us. It helps that our borough has I think 8 officers total.
I have also called when a driver got mad at me for turning towards our old apartment while he tried to pass us which caused him to spin in the middle of an intersection somehow. He then followed us to our building, and started beating on my window and cussing me out while I was on the phone with 911. Drove off before the cop showed up but I got a blurry picture of his plate as he drove away. Showed the cop who read it no problem, found out it was the guys wife’s car. Asked if we wanted to press assault charges (we didn’t, just asked him to go talk with the guys wife, figure that would be punishment enough when he got home from the bar he was at). Cop called me later that evening to check on us and let us know the guys wife was livid when the cop stopped by to chat with her.
Overall, our local police in the various boroughs around Pittsburgh have been pretty great, can’t say the same for the ones downtown though.
Ay fellow Pittsburgh person. Surprisingly good cop experiences here too. Obviously ACAB because fuck the system in general, but twice in the last couple years there were some domestic disturbance calls around here, and the cops deescalated some VERY loud and angry situations. I think it helps that they are smaller groups who tend to live here