I love how this story ends. I bet you that this whole story was inspired by a calvin and hobbes strip.
Posted by The Pixiest (Member # 1863) on :
Jeez... don't they know they're supposed to protect and SERVE? What do they pay them for??
Posted by dantesparadigm (Member # 8756) on :
We're lucky it didn't happen in America, who knows how it would have turned out then, given the moononites incident.
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
Huh? Moononites?
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Hmm. Can I get the cops to come make my kids clean up their rooms?
Posted by Nick (Member # 4311) on :
Funniest article I've seen in a long time. Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Oh, man, that sounds like something my daughter would do... I always feel sorry for parents of strong-willed children like mine... Of course, I WAS a strong-willed child and pulled my share of funny stuff. My poor mother.
Posted by vonk (Member # 9027) on :
That's hilarious! I love that the officers came back and checked to make sure the room was clean.
In America the mother would have gotten a ticket for that.
Posted by Artemisia Tridentata (Member # 8746) on :
quote:Hmm. Can I get the cops to come make my kids clean up their rooms?
You could ask. I spent their (short) lifetime telling my kids I wasn't going to have any darn teenagers in my house. They would just have to join the Army. When daughter #1 turned thirteen, I asked the Army recruter for assistance. He showed up, in full uniform, with an enlistment contract for her to sign. She was impressed and remained a "model" kid for the duration of the period in question.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
quote:Originally posted by Artemisia Tridentata:
quote:Hmm. Can I get the cops to come make my kids clean up their rooms?
You could ask. I spent their (short) lifetime telling my kids I wasn't going to have any darn teenagers in my house. They would just have to join the Army. When daughter #1 turned thirteen, I asked the Army recruter for assistance. He showed up, in full uniform, with an enlistment contract for her to sign. She was impressed and remained a "model" kid for the duration of the period in question.
I WILL be doing this with all my children when they turn 13 and start exhibiting deviant behavior. Glad to know they will actually do this!
Posted by Artemisia Tridentata (Member # 8746) on :
quote:Glad to know they will actually do this!
Just tell them that Sergeant Major Miller said that It was a good idea.
Posted by romanylass (Member # 6306) on :
This is just like something my kids would do. Matthew tried to call the cops on me once for making him do the dishes. DH asked why I took the phone from him...if he tries again, I'll just let him.
Posted by vonk (Member # 9027) on :
In my experience, police officers generally don't respond favorably to prank/false 911 calls.
Posted by Olivet (Member # 1104) on :
My eldest called 911 once. I was home with him and the baby full time, and my husband was worried I'd fall down teh stairs or something, so he told my three year old that If I was hurt and needed help, he should call 911. He showed him how.
So, when I was changing the baby and my older boy needed help tying his shoes, I told him to wait, I'd help him in just a minute. He called 911 and said he needed help tying his shoes.
Wee Boy had a fireman come to his preschool during Fire Safety Awareness week. He was so excited to know how to call the firemen if there was a fire.
Coupl days later I'm making a red velvet cake for the preschool's Fall Festival, and the portable phone suddenly is not where I left it. I found the Wee Boy with the phone pressed to his ear. he looked up at me with his ginormous blue eyes and said, quite seriously, "We need to leave the house."
I snatch the phone and talk to the dispatcher. She was very understanding, but said that the law required that an officer come by.
I cleaned the smears of red velvet batter off of myself and had wee boy go out to talk to the officer with me when he came. The officer was very nice, and made a point of telling him that he should never be afraid to call 911 if he needs help, but that it was for emergencies.
I think they would have been mad about a prank, butthey were super nice about it both times the boys called.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
How would the mother have gotten a ticket if it had happened in America?
Posted by aiua (Member # 7825) on :
I accidentally dialed 911 trying to get a hold of my Bio teacher. Turns out it was a prank by said teachers son. But the cop was quite nice about it and told me he'd do his best to get the prankster in trouble.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I think the response depends on the dispatcher you get and the general stress level at the time. My friend's toddler dialed 911 and she got a chewing-out for not keeping the phone out of reach. My toddler dialed 911 and then talked to the dispatcher, but wouldn't give me the phone when they asked her to, and hung up on her. The dispatcher called back and was very nice when I explained what had happened, just explained that they needed to talk to an adult to make sure there was no emergency so they could cancel the call. She accepted my apology very sweetly and said she had kids of her own and understood. So I think it's all on the dispatcher you get.
Posted by vonk (Member # 9027) on :
Well, I guess it would be more acurate to say that the mother could get a ticket, not would. Like KQ said, it would be up to the discretion of the officer or dispatcher. Primary Google searches indicate that the laws vary from state to state. So I will edit to say that as far as I know, in Louisiana, Texas and Alaska the mother could get a ticket for her child making a false/prank 911 call.
Posted by romanylass (Member # 6306) on :
Yes, and then the mother can make her kid pay for the ticket by doing extra chores.
Not saying I'd encourage my kid to do it to put the fear o'God into him. But I wouldn't chase him down and tackle him to get the phone from him either.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
It really is all on the dispatcher.
Like that 4 year old (I believe) boy who called 911 when his mother collapsed and the dispatcher chewed him out and did not send units to check things out.
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
quote:Originally posted by vonk: Well, I guess it would be more acurate to say that the mother could get a ticket, not would. Like KQ said, it would be up to the discretion of the officer or dispatcher. Primary Google searches indicate that the laws vary from state to state. So I will edit to say that as far as I know, in Louisiana, Texas and Alaska the mother could get a ticket for her child making a false/prank 911 call.
But the child didn't call 911, she put a sign in the window that said "Help! Call police." So the mother could not have been ticketed for a false 911 call, since no one from the house made one.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Artemisia Tridentata:
quote:Glad to know they will actually do this!
Just tell them that Sergeant Major Miller said that It was a good idea.
*eyes AT suspiciously*
Posted by vonk (Member # 9027) on :
quote:But the child didn't call 911, she put a sign in the window that said "Help! Call police." So the mother could not have been ticketed for a false 911 call, since no one from the house made one.
I know, in the post you quoted I was responding to the comment about allowing children to make emergency police calls to teach them a lesson about what will happen. Not that tickets are all that bad, or you necessarily will get one, or anyone would necessarily let their child make an emergency call, or that that would be the motive if they did. I was just sayin', that's all.
My original comment of "in America the mother would have gotten a ticket," well, I still think she could have, even just for a sign.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
On what basis?
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
I was always told to get an adult to call 911 (or 999 as it was) and if there weren't any other people around, to do it myself.
quote:I know, in the post you quoted I was responding to the comment about allowing children to make emergency police calls to teach them a lesson about what will happen.
I think this is needless. I'm sure that it was impressed on me that only very serious emergencies were phone-call worthy. Like if the adult is incapacitated/unconcious. I think that I was always aware how serious it was to make a 999/911 phone call and that you didn't do it lightly.
I feel like the onus is on whoever's doing the teaching to impress on the children that if Mum or Dad or Big Sister are still walking around, it's not okay. It sounds like a lot of toddlers are not getting this.
Of course I can't remember actually making a phonecall without my parents specifically instructing me to until I was at least seven or eight. Although I do remember talking between the two phones in the house hehe.
Posted by martha (Member # 141) on :
I think I must have been about six when my dad told me to call 911 if he got hurt while changing a fluorescent lightbulb. I was so freaked out by the possibility of his getting incapacitated, I didn't absorb what he was saying about the phone call.
I also have a phobia about phones. I use them now, as an adult, but until I was in high school I could have counted my phone calls on my fingers.
Posted by vonk (Member # 9027) on :
quote:Originally posted by rivka: On what basis?
On the basis that it is illegal to yell "fire" in a crowded lobby, or claim any other emergency that causes widespread concern and commotion, as I believe a crying child with a help sign could do. I, personally, think people would gather, sidewalks would be blocked and people may approach the apt in an attempt to help. I think that if enough people got angry enough about it, including bystanders, good semaritans that interupted their day to 'help', local shop owners whose business is impeded, building managers, cops, dispatchers, etc, etc, there could be citations issued to the parent for allowing their child to cause such a commotion.
I've already ammended my earlier statement that it "would" happen to it "could" happen. And I still stand by that. Everything above is hypothetical. I'm not saying would happen. I'm saying it could happen.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Who says she was crying? If she needed her little brother present for sympathy value, I'm guessing she wasn't.
I still have no idea why you think this supposed ruckus would be more likely to happen in the U.S. than in Berlin.
Posted by vonk (Member # 9027) on :
I don't. But I don't know the laws in Berlin. Maybe in Berlin she could have gotten a ticket too.
The story linked says she was crying.
quote:Pedestrians in the central city of Braunschweig saw the girl crying in the window, holding up a sign up saying "Help! Please call the police!" Next to her sat a small boy.
My bad though. I don't know for sure what would happen, or could happen, or may haps haven willoin happen.
Posted by happysmiley (Member # 9703) on :
Funny article.
My mom was trying to call my dad one time but accidentaly called the police (his number starts with 913 but she held down the 1 too long and it called 911.) It was knid of funny because she probably expected that if anyone in my family made a call to 911 it would probably be my brother or me.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)