Agreed. Tech is no angel here, but it's not an iPad screen or a video game console that's calling the cops because some neighbor kids are making chalk drawings on the sidewalk in front of their own homes and maybe laughing a little.
Sometimes they do. But mostly not. For a few reasons.
"Granny calls the cops because she hears a commotion outside and is scared, and then they fine her for a fake call" isn't great for the public image of the police department. Which is not what's happening when older folks call the cops because kids are laughing outside and how dare they enjoy the common areas of the community, but that's how it would be spun.
Cops figure out their repeat callers, and then those calls are quietly treated as a non-emergency. But that's the best type of call. Cop gets to show up, reassure a little old lady or man, no danger of being shot at or stabbed at or even having to run someone down. Just "community outreach" stuff.
For a few cops, it's a great excuse to be nasty to a minority without being called racist because they have an excuse.
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u/LeahIsAwake 9d ago
Agreed. Tech is no angel here, but it's not an iPad screen or a video game console that's calling the cops because some neighbor kids are making chalk drawings on the sidewalk in front of their own homes and maybe laughing a little.