Editorial: Pestering the police

Posted 8/16/17

Police officers serve a critical role in any community, protecting the public, investigating and preventing crime, keeping the roads safe for drivers and pedestrians … pretty much ensuring …

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Editorial: Pestering the police

Posted

Police officers serve a critical role in any community, protecting the public, investigating and preventing crime, keeping the roads safe for drivers and pedestrians … pretty much ensuring society continues to function smoothly.

But officers do so much more than fight crime, as a cursory glance at any police log in the Bristol Phoenix makes obvious. The police department is the first call residents make whenever anything goes wrong.

And it’s the first call residents make even when nothing goes wrong.

My neighbor is playing his music too loud — call the cops!

A raccoon is walking through my yard — call the cops! (Yes, that’s an actual call in Bristol.)

A driver dared to park in front of my house (in a legal parking spot) — call the cops!

One street in particular seemingly draws officers for resident complaints more than any other. Every week, the police log contains multiple calls to Sousa Street for noise complaints (even in the middle of the day), children playing in the neighborhood, fireworks being lit off in the early evening, even neighbors’ guests parking legally on the street. In almost all cases, the complaints are “unfounded,” which is often cop-speak for frivolous.

And it’s not just Sousa Street, or just Bristol. All over, people who can’t be bothered to handle their own minor annoyances just pick up the phone instead of handling a situation like an adult. What’s wrong with walking outside and asking the kids to be careful not to throw the ball in your yard? Or ringing your neighbor’s doorbell to ask that they keep it down after a certain hour? Or just simply ignoring something that isn’t actually a problem in the first place? Showing such maturity and respect instead of just calling the cops can go a long way to solving any of those annoyances.

This is not to say people should not report actual problems or crimes — certainly, if you see something, say something. But those whose first instinct is to call the police for every little thing should consider whether that’s actually necessary.

Frivolous calls to the cops for simple issues that residents could easily handle themselves do nothing but distract officers from the actual problems they have to deal with, thereby making the town less safe. Police officers are here to protect and to serve, but that does not mean they are anyone’s personal servant.

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Mike Rego

Mike Rego has worked at East Bay Newspapers since 2001, helping the company launch The Westport Shorelines. He soon after became a Sports Editor, spending the next 10-plus years in that role before taking over as editor of The East Providence Post in February of 2012. To contact Mike about The Post or to submit information, suggest story ideas or photo opportunities, etc. in East Providence, email mrego@eastbaymediagroup.com.