DON'T CALL THE POLICE, SAY A PRAYER
The police two days ago tell me to call 911 when there is drug activity on Frelinghuysen Street, the next apt over on my
shared driveway.
So 15 minutes ago, `1:23 a.m., there is a stream of cars and people on foot coming into the driveway. I call 911 and wait. The officer pulls up so I go out and explain what I see.
"Well," Police Officer Brown tells me, " How do you KNOW they are dealing drugs? They could be going in there for lots of reasons?"
(The drug dealer's wife also takes care of kids during the daytime. Perhaps a nice "cover" but is THAT the right environment for kids......around a drug dealing husband?)
"I hear them out my bedroom window, talking about drugs," I say to Officer Brown. "At 1:30 in the morning and staying for 2 minutes each. Do you think they are going in there to pick up kids or for prayer services?," I reply, sorry, but a bit sarcastically to Officer Brown.
"Well, you have a good evening," he tells me, getting back in his patrol car and driving away.
Good grief, Mark A. Behnke, Kaytee Vast-Binder Faris, Kate Flores, Deborah Rose Owens, Dave Walters
I think I'll get out my Rosary. Because Its too early in the morning to attend a prayer service. At least saying the Rosary will do more good than calling Officer Brown and, tonight, the Battle Creek police.
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ERRATA: I've meet and/or interacted with some fine, helpful Battle Creek police officers, including Chief Blocker, over this problem during the past six weeks. But all it takes is contact with one or two "puffed up or professionally detached" Officer Browns to ruin a lot of good community contact work by his police colleagues...and city commissioners who go out of their way to be responsive to citizen complaints.