Got A Gripe? Call The Cops!
Karen Bune
Victimology Contributor
Officer.com
Got a problem with the way your sandwich is made? No problem– simply dial ‘911’ and expect the police to respond with red lights and siren to ensure that you get all the ingredients that you want on the sandwich. That’s exactly what Reginald Peterson did in Jacksonville, Florida. When a sandwich shop omitted the all important and “must have” sauce on his sandwich, he apparently could not figure out a legitimate way to communicate his dire need to employees of the sandwich shop so, instead, he called the police and explained his “emergency.”
When police did not immediately rush to the scene at high rates of speed, they immediately became victims of Mr. Peterson’s disapproval. He became even more distressed that they did not share his pain and, with a level of increased anguish, he, once again, dialed “911. This time, Mr. Peterson complained the police were taking too long to answer the call. All the while, employees of the store remained rational, focused on their own safety, and locked Mr. Peterson out of the store after observing his belligerent behavior.
Though Mr. Peterson considers himself a ‘victim,” he is as far from being one as the man in the moon. To the contrary, Mr. Peterson victimized others—the store employees, the police department, the community, and all those who were subjected to his tantrum-like display of infantile dissatisfaction. When the police arrived, Mr. Peterson had to explain to him the proper use of 911 amidst his grumbling about his wronged sandwich.
Perhaps when he is in court facing the judge for his violation of the law, he could benefit from a sentence of community service as a payback for tying up law enforcement officers on a bogus call, an anger management course to calm his volatile outbursts, and a period of probation akin to “time out” for children that is analogous to his demonstration of child-like behavior.
I heard about Reginald Peterson on the radio, while on patrol, and the story first made me laugh. Then I started to wonder WHY it was even newsworthy.
We’ve ALL dealt with our own Reginald Petersons if we have any time on the job at all. Personally, I have had to explain the difference between CIVIL and CRIMINAL to glassy-eyed, uncomprehending droolers more times than I can count. It can be frustrating, but it is part of the job. More often than not, people are just frustrated and will happily take direction from the police if it is politely and directly given. If not, well, that’s their problem. If they cannot grasp it and want to complain, then I cannot control that. If they want to make a scene and create a disturbance, I’ll make it the judges problem.
Mr Peterson and others like him usually have bigger problems than the single issue we come into contact with them about. Often they are mentally ill or lack the capacity to solve problems on their own. Life for them is often a series of problems and frustrations. Sad, really, but face it, we have job security. Soemtimes the best thing that can happen is they take matters too far, get hooked by the police, and are then forced into a situation where they MUST take corrective action.
Mike, you must be a poet. Well said.
So it’s not just here in Maryland where I work!?! Mike, you hit the nail on the head. We all have ‘em, and how we deal with them make the difference.
In my department, a large portion of the blame for citizen’s abusing 911 can be directly linked to the department’s policy. My requires a written report, no matter how trivial, any time a citizen requests one, criminal or not. True story, a unit was dispatched to McDonald’s because a citizen was angered that they were out of coffee sugar packets and demanded a report to document his dissatisfaction. Guess what, we had to write a report concerning the short inventory of sugar packets at McDonald’s. Asinine for sure, and a blatant waste of time, effort and manpower, but also an involuntary day off for the officer that dare stand up to the citizen and say no way. We wonder why we have retention problems too….