So, at the risk of being accused of picking on the police department, I really have to ask:
I'm not sure what's going on with the new street officers, but it ain't right...
I have a lot of sympathy for the amount of paperwork we all have to fill out in the 'helping professions'.
For every good deed we do, there's 10 pages of documentation that has to accompany it and for every screw up there's even more.
Trust me, I'll match the pile of work and reports on MY desk with anything on any desk in any precinct.
But that shouldn't be used as an excuse for sloppy work or short cuts.
When a neighbor calls 911 and says a kid next door is being beaten by family members, I would expect that when you respond, after separating the kid from his uncle and mother, you'd at least take his statement and look him over and see if he had any injuries.
Do I think the kid was a choirboy?
No.
Could he have responded differently and not added fuel to his mothers and uncles short fuses?
Yes.
But if people could use their words and not provoke each other to violence, we'd both be out of jobs!
His injuries were quite visible.
His hand had been stomped on, was abraded, bleeding and swollen.
He needed medical attention, not told to "Just walk it off and go find somewhere else to stay for a few hours".
Luckily, he was smart enough to walk to a place where he knew people would respond and help him..And yes, when I made a Hotline report, I said that if I could, I'd report YOU too; you had care, custody and control of that kid in that moment and you blew it.
When the after hours worker for MOCD, who also happens to be a police officer, reviewed your report, you had coded it as a disturbance call; no injuries and no requests for assistance - in other words, you lied.
The broken bones in his forearm and hand were from his uncle.
The broken bones in his forearm and hand were from his uncle.
His hypothermia was totally on you!
