Calling the police BEFORE you're assaulted?

January 10, 2023 9:19 AM

I want to figure out how (and whether) calling the police applies to holistic self-defense. Obviously they're a last line of defense, and one should flee to a crowded area first if possible. But if it isn't possible, should one even bother calling as a general rule? What factors influence whether calling is a good idea? (E.g. location, time of day, etc.?)

Let's clarify the kind of situation I'm concerned about with a scenario: You've driven to a park. You're wearing a t-shirt that makes your political leanings clear, and as you step away from your car two men start shouting "Let's Go, Brandon" at you. You say nothing and move away, but they've now stationed themselves between you and your car, and aren't leaving. You believe that if you just walk away they are going to vandalize it, but if you try to get back to your car you risk being assaulted. No else one is around. Do you call 911 while you're at a safe-ish distance? What do you say?

Or another scenario: you and your partner are walking and three men start shouting ethnic slurs at you. Your partner can't outrun the people accosting you. Do you call 911? What do you say?

Hopefully any advice will be applicable in the United States in the year 2023. Resources for additional learning especially appreciated!

posted by commander_fancypants to Law & Government (16 answers total)

I think this will vary wildly based on location. You certainly have the right to call police if you are in fear for your safety. You tell them exactly what the threat is. The police's response to such a call is anybody's guess and I imagine to be impacted by their assessment of the nature/ urgency of the threat and their capacity. In the large city where I live, there is a significant amount of serious crime and police are stretched thin. I think it is unlikely that officers would be dispatched (at least in any urgent manner) for verbal threats or concerns about potential vandalism. Your area may differ.
posted by fies at 9:53 AM on January 10, 2023

This may just be in my city, but in all of your scenarios, there is no crime being committed. If you call the police, they will not come. I may not like it, but someone calling you names (no matter how offensive) is not an emergency scenario.
posted by meowzilla at 9:53 AM on January 10, 2023

I think you are greatly over estimating the effectiveness of police. I mean, maybe there are places that exist where this is not the case, but everywhere I've lived the police often take anywhere from 15-1hr to arrive when crimes are actually being committed, and as has already pointed out, your examples do not include crimes - especially in the first one - it's a pretty big assumption that people verbally harassing you about your presumed Biden vote are actually going to do anything physical.

In both these cases, your best line of defense would be to retreat, and get to wherever there might be other people/witnesses (busy road, business, etc.)
posted by coffeecat at 9:57 AM on January 10, 2023

I think the answer will vary a lot by person. As a white woman with a low risk tolerance and who is not armed nor physically capable of much physical self-defense, I would probably call 911 in at least the first
situation, maybe both.

After preview, it does depend on the location too. My local police dept is pretty active in community relations, and I trust them to respond respectfully, or tell me what I should do.
posted by Sparky Buttons at 9:58 AM on January 10, 2023

Assault is causing someone to fear physical harm--if it is something that would cause fear in a "reasonable person" (e.g., the mere presence of an ethnic minority wouldn't clear that hurdle, even if the complainant actually was afraid). Battery is the act of inflicting physical harm.

The extent to which the police are likely to respond (in the way you would like them to respond) depends on a huge number of factors. What is the nature and severity of the behavior? What sex/race/ethnicity are the parties? And so on. For example, we we have seen, the police will show up if a white woman in a public park calls to report that she is being threatened by a black man. Switch roles and they might not respond with such alacrity, if at all. There are risks for the person complaining (e.g., Central Park Karen has had quite the comeuppance) and also for the person complained about (e.g., police harassment, shooting, etc.). Local culture no doubt also has a large effect.

If someone is acting threatening you absolutely can call the police. If you do, you should tell them what's happening as succinctly as possible, including describing yourself and why you feel threatened, truthfully and without editorializing. In the first instance you could say, "I am at such-and-such park. Two men have been shouting at me since I arrived, and now they're deliberately standing in my way to prevent me from returning to my car. There is no one else here to help defuse the situation." In the second instance you could say, "I am on such-and-such street with my partner and three men are following us shouting ethnic slurs. My partner has a hurt foot so we don't have much ability to get away from them and this is starting to feel dangerous." The police are likely to ask questions.


All of this depends on whether or not you feel actually threatened with physical harm (and, I suppose, whether the hypothetical "reasonable person" would feel threatened) and whatever judgments you make as to how the various factors at play might affect the advisability of involving the police.
posted by slkinsey at 10:00 AM on January 10, 2023

I don't think there is a one size fits all response. One bit of research you might do is actually talking to a local cop* or a 311 line operator and see what they would say the best course of action is.

I think filming on your phone and sending pics of the people in question to a friend (in case something happens to your phone) might be a deterrent also.

*A lot depends on your skin color and comfort with cops. But you might be able to chat with a school resource officer, etc.

In the second scenario I would say call in the people as drunk and disorderly, threatening bystanders, etc. You might have more luck making it less about you and more about a general threat or disturbance.
posted by emjaybee at 10:58 AM on January 10, 2023

I've called the police to report violence (one of my neighbours physically assaulting his relative, unfortunately this happened regularly) and the police took 3 or 4 HOURS to respond. And this was a house that regularly had police and/or ambulances out the front. So...
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 11:09 AM on January 10, 2023

you and your partner are walking and three men start shouting ethnic slurs at you. Your partner can't outrun the people accosting you. Do you call 911? What do you say?

I would not call 911. I might go into a busy store or other public place or try to find someplace with a larger group of people. I might also pick up my phone and start recording -- or at least pretend that I am so they think they are being recorded. I might loudly communicate that I am livestreaming (even if I am not).

I would not call 911 in this scenario because I do not trust the cops not to perceive my partner (as in your example, presuming the ethnic slurs are related to them being a visible person of color) as the cause or problem, and I would be scared that the cops would hurt my partner.

I might pretend to call 911, though. I might actually call someone, a friend perhaps, who lived nearby. But I think the most safety would be found in a store or similar.

You believe that if you just walk away they are going to vandalize it, but if you try to get back to your car you risk being assaulted. No else one is around. Do you call 911 while you're at a safe-ish distance? What do you say?

In this situation, is anyone else around? If not, and if I needed to get to the car, I might consider recording, or pretending to record. If they were acting aggressively to me, I might say, "I am livestreaming this." Something like that.
posted by bluedaisy at 11:53 AM on January 10, 2023

This would probably work just fine in, like, an upscale suburb.
posted by kickingtheground at 12:29 PM on January 10, 2023

Don't call the police unless it's life or death because calling in angry thugs with guns immediately makes it life or death.
posted by Jacqueline at 3:01 PM on January 10, 2023

Remember that the police sometimes shoot Black and Indigenous people so don’t call the police if such a person is present unless you think someone is literally actually at risk of dying. Being yelled at or taunted isn’t enough - I’m talking like there’s a gun in someone’s hand.

And note that there have been several occasions where a racialized person called the police for protection and the police showed up and shot the caller.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 3:13 PM on January 10, 2023

Re: if they would even come, you can get a police escort to a situation that they agree is dangerous even if no crime is currently being committed. Whether they will agree you are in danger, or be useful when they are there, is up for debate.

A friend did this for me when I left an abusive situation but needed to return to get my possessions. I was young and didn’t know enough about the police to ask her not to. They were not helpful and traumatized me further, but they did come at her request despite there being no documented crime committed.
posted by brook horse at 5:28 PM on January 10, 2023

In scenario 1, I might consider hitting the "panic" button on my key fob to activate the car alarm to hopefully deter their behavior or attract attention.
posted by wats at 6:21 PM on January 10, 2023

If they're blocking your way, charging at you, causing/miming damage to your property or saying that they are going to x to you and yours: call the police and what you say is that you are being menaced.

FWIW my cousin and his wife live in Seattle and won't wear t-shirts displaying their political beliefs east of the mountains.
posted by brujita at 7:14 PM on January 10, 2023

So there IS a crime being committed, but just because a crime is being committed does not mean the police are obligated to show up and does not mean they will take your side.
posted by corb at 5:21 AM on January 11, 2023

Different country, but I've been told by police/the 000 phone people to call in similar situations. They may not actually turn up unless a crime is being committed, but being on the phone to them is a deterrent to anyone who can hear you.

I assume 911 is the same as here, in that when you call you talk to a person who isn't a first responder, but someone trained in how to address these sort of situations. If you are in a legitimately dangerous situation, they would prefer to help you diffuse it or get out safely, than have to send someone down to deal with an assault.
posted by kjs4 at 4:50 PM on January 11, 2023