Fraudulent police calls hurt us all

Several months ago, I was puttering about in my garage when I received a visit from the police. The officer looked in and asked me if I lived here. I told him I did, and he asked how long I'd lived here. "Since 1996," I said.

"Well, that's odd. We got a call that someone was in this garage, and the caller didn't recognize the individual and thought perhaps there was a burglary in progress."

"That's ridiculous! I've lived here for years; everyone knows me."

"Do you have ID?"

I did, and handed it over (unlike Professor Gates, who'd been in the news a few days earlier). The officer thanked me and left.

I expect someone had a little fun at my expense, but what they may not have realized is this: When people are thinking of buying a place, they often check police activity. SJPD publish theirs, so it's easy to find. If a prospective buyer checks and finds a lot of police activity, they're not going to dig into it; they'll just take their money elsewhere.

So if you're thinking of playing a practical joke on someone by calling the police, or if you call the police as a first line of action whenever there's a problem, or if you call the police with a false report, think about this: You're wasting the time of people who are putting their lives on the line to keep us safe, you may be committing a crime, you're lowering the value of your own property and that of your neighbors, and you're probably creating a bigger disturbance than the one you're complaining about - they always send two cruisers, and some of those guys are *loud*.

If someone's being too noisy, or if they've got a light on you'd rather have off - do us all a favor. Walk across the courtyard and ring their doorbell and ask nicely (and quietly) for whatever it is you want; you'll probably get it. If you scream obscenities, leave notes on people's doors, complain to Peachtree, or call the police - your neighbor is less likely to have any incentive to do what you want, and very likely to do things you don't like and to regard you as a mean, nasty person who's best ignored. And then there's karma..... it will come back and bite you in the ass, every time.

Think about it.

Helen