i don't know if this is a comment about the police, or about me.

[barbtries]

Last edited Sat Sep 9, 2023, 06:33 PM - Edit history (1)

ETA: my front doorbell is broken, possibly from a severe thunderstorm recently. The police were very nice, professional, and had made efforts to let me know they were there before they went to the back door, which is where we met up. I apologize if my account was incomplete!

Context: i live in a townhouse. Living room, kitchen, hall, 1/2 bath downstairs, 3 bedrooms and 2 baths upstairs. I spend most of my time in my bedroom with my little chihuahua, which is what i was doing earlier today. Had just gotten off the phone with my oldest son and was planning to take some video of the flooding downstairs to send to him (Durham NC, we had thunderstorms throughout most of the day today).

So the dogs are barking like crazy, which is not terribly unusual. My older dog, Charlie is reactive and she'll stand at the patio door and bark at people half a block away. The other dog, my personal companion, Chai is barking because Charlie's barking and so what.

As I am going from my room to the office, the barking continues and I swear I hear the voice. of a human. I am the only human here, my middle son is at work...so I go on down the stairs calling out, "Who's there?" and as I enter the living room, I observe 2 uniformed police officers entering my home. WHAT

Charlie's still there screeching her head off and the second thing the officer says to me, can you take care of your dog. So I pick her up and fortunately she's literally all bark and no bite, but here's the thing and I almost cried later on when I was telling my youngest son about this episode.

They could have killed her. They could have panicked and pulled out a gun and shot my dog to death. Happens all the time right? I mean this is my thought.

Anyhow, long story short, an alarm had sounded, they had the wrong address, they were very nice, and they did not shoot my dog. but FUCK. why is that the biggest takeaway here? Is it me, or is it the police?

[brewens]

1. It's the cops. What you were afraid of has happened too many times. In a different place, especially

at night and if you're African American, you could have more than just a dead dog.

[Glorfindel]

2. Definitely the police. Creeping unannounced into your home.

That's just unacceptable. Also, your dog was at home. It had every right to bark at those intruders, and I'm glad it did.

[barbtries]

26. they were not unannounced

i was ignoring the noise. my doorbell broke and the dogs were going off. As they were coming in the door they were announcing who they are, but the dog was yapping so loud all i could make out was the sound of a voice.

[wnylib]

3. It's the times we live in. Police are militarized and

are inclined to shoot first and ask questions later.

Since neither you nor your dogs were shot, I am guessing that you are White.

[barbtries]

27. you are correct.

though they didn't know that. i live in a diverse development.

[FakeNoose]

4. Wow I'd be extremely upset, and my dog is the same way barking at every stranger

I can't believe the police just walked in your door without knocking or ringing the doorbell.

I keep a chain-lock on my door (even though it's usually locked) and I'll bet it wouldn't stop them from cutting the chain.

[barbtries]

29. no, they tried to let me know.

they had an alarm and were doing what they had to do. it's not the entry that bothers me, it's just the fear, that came later, of them killing my dog.

they had pounded on my door. i couldn't hear it.

[Prairie_Seagull]

62. Barbtries, have you verified that there was an alarm in the first place? nt

[barbtries]

64. the alarm was for a different townhouse in my complex.

I don't know if it was a false alarm or what.

[UpInArms]

49. Good grief!

If it had been my house, my dogs would have attacked them as intruders and would have been killed.

I have two Australian shepherds and a sheltie … all would have defended their home with vigor.

[brush]

5. They just forced their way in without knocking/ringing the door bell?

WTF?

[ProfessorGAC]

10. First Thought Here, Too

They didn't ring the bell or knock?
That is just wrong.

[barbtries]

31. no, no, no

I didn't make myself clear. They followed protocol for an alarm going off. my doorbell is broken and they pounded on the front door and I didn't hear it, then they went around back. Not their fault that the lock on my screen door doesn't work for shit. I put a dowel in nightly, but it gets taken out when the dogs get walked in the morning.

i want to make it clear that they did nothing wrong. my angst has to do with the belated recognition that they could have killed my dog, nothing more nothing less.

[MiHale]

6. Ain't you barb...

[Jilly_in_VA]

7. It's them

They are afraid of all dogs and will literally shoot any dog that barks at them. They also are prone to getting the wrong address constantly and never check. Also, chihuahuas are fiercely protective of their humans and go into Great Dane mode at the slightest threat, so it's not you.

[Lemonwurst]

8. In this case, the police

They should not have been in your house without your consent or knowledge, full stop. You own that townhouse, it’s not a public place. Mistake or not, they have an obligation to make their presence known before they enter a domicile, forcefully or otherwise.

I would be indignant and angry to the point where they would probably have some justification to shoot ME, and that’s not something I’d be able to avoid, as I’m naturally combative when surprised by my space being invaded.

I’m glad that for you, no permanent harm was done. But the shock of it all, and the feeling of a close call that you had no control over - I don’t know how you’ll get closure on that. It would bother me for quite a while.

[barbtries]

33. i really want to make it clear

that they made every effort to let me know they were there.

[Mr.Bill]

9. I would definitely file a complaint with the Police Department.

I don't know if it would do any good, but I would still do it.

[barbtries]

34. I have nothing to complain about.

let's just say it WAS my alarm, and they got no answer at the front door and no answer at the back door. They are supposed to enter at that point. I could have been dead inside, tied up and gagged. No, they did their job.

I really want that understood.

[ProfessorGAC]

11. How'd They Get In?

Did they do property damage gaining entry?
A odd and disturbing situation.

[barbtries]

35. no, they didn't do any damage.

my screen door is whack.

[ProfessorGAC]

43. Ah!

Well, at least nothing got broken.

[barbtries]

44. especially Charlie!

yeah, on balance it was a pleasant encounter. only later i almost cried when I thought omigawd they could have killed her.

[ProfessorGAC]

46. I Can See That

The "what ifs" sink in after the fact.

[brooklynite]

12. The police didn't shoot your dog. They didn't draw their guns to shoot your dog.

They asked you to take care of your dog.

Seems like the entirety of the story.

[brush]

14. Did you not get they forced their way in without knocking or ringing the doorbell?

That's the story.

[IrishAfricanAmerican]

16. No shit.

[barbtries]

36. but no they did not.

the doorbell is broken and they tried to knock - i didn't hear it. the dogs were going off, along with thunder all day long, and i just did not hear it.

[brush]

39. OK, might be a good thing to mention.

[barbtries]

54. OP edited.

thank you.

[brooklynite]

68. All the OP says is that they entered.

[sheshe2]

18. Excuse me?

They entered her home without permission and had the WRONG ADDRESS to boot!

Why do you do this?!

[barbtries]

38. that's totally not what happened.

they did have the wrong address but they did not do anything wrong. Ironically enough, the corrected address is one whose mail and packages are routinely left at my house.

but no, it was a positive interaction with 2 professional LEOs doing their job. It was only afterward that I thought about Charlie and how she could have been shot.

[LeftInTX]

71. On Nextdoor (The awful RW app)

A lady entered someone's home unannounced, then left.

Everyone was, "You need a gun". "You need a 2A solution".


Then it turns out that she found homeowner's dog and he wouldn't answer the door. So, she opened the door and put the dog in the house.

You couldn't see the dog on the Ring camera because it was too low to the ground.

[barbtries]

45. yeah.

you're right. i'm borrowing trouble. nonetheless I am so damn thankful that they did not shoot her. i think i may be overstating the fear and may be reasonably relieved, because i know it happens. i know sometimes they shoot and ask questions later.

[rsdsharp]

13. It's the police. Why is it that the pizza guy and Doordash can read house numbers,

but our well trained (cough) law enforcers can’t?

[localroger]

28. I once had a pair of cops knock on my door.

Fortunately we have a storm door so I could talk to them through glass.

"We're looking for x80 thisstreet," they said.

I directed them to the numbers on the front door that said x85. x80 was a rental and the tenants had left a couple of days previously in the middle of the night.

"Well sure, but you put those numbers there and this could be x80"

"Well officers, since like most streets in this country there is an odd and an even side, and every other house on this side of the street has an odd house number don't you think it would require quite a conspiracy between me and several hundred of my neighbors for this to really be a house with an even number?"

They had obviously been looking for some trouble and when they didn't find it where it was supposed to be, went looking for it elsewhere.

[barbtries]

40. i don't know

but this is not unique to law enforcement. The address it was corrected to is one whose mail and packages routinely end up on my doorstep.

[tblue37]

15. Cops have been known to shoot Chihuahuas.

[Silent Type]

17. Good to know police show up. With an alarm, they seldom know what they

are walking into.

[brush]

19. Where in the OP is an alarm mentioned?

[Silent Type]

21. Last paragraph. Guess you didn't read that far.

[sheshe2]

20. Bully for them that they showed up at the WRONG address!

[Silent Type]

22. Better than not showing up period.

[brush]

24. I read that but I took it as an alarm had sounded somewhere else.

They had the wrong address. She didn't say she heard her alarm, just voices in her house and they apologized.

[Silent Type]

32. They showed up at wrong address a couple houses down. Maybe someone

there actually needed help.

[sheshe2]

25. Really?

New Mexico police kill homeowner after showing up at wrong address

tps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/apr/08/new-mexico-police-shooting-farmington

[Silent Type]

30. I can tell you from experience they sometimes show up and actually help, probably

like 99 times out of a hundred. But I’m fine with police bashing too, when it’s deserved.

[brush]

37. Maybe 99 times out of a hundred in white neighborhoods.

Not so in many other areas.

[ProfessorGAC]

47. It Is?

Doesn't that mean that if there were a crime being committed elsewhere they weren't actually responding to it?
That doesn't seem better than not showing up.
It would be better if they showed up at the right place.

[Silent Type]

50. Of course it would. Unfortunately, the cheap alarms people use aren't very accurate.

If you don’t want to call police when something goes bump in the night, don’t. I likely will if I need help.

[ProfessorGAC]

63. You Are Completely Missing The Point

If I heard your dreaded bump in the night, called the cops and they went to the wrong place, what good did their response do?
Answer: None
They went to the wrong address! It's not useful unless they go to where the trouble may be.

[Silent Type]

65. OK, they are horrible, useless, worthless people. Defund the police, they aren't needed.

Dispatch sucks too, they likely gave the wrong address. They are all worthless.

[sheshe2]

23. I am sorry that you had to go through that, barbtries.

It must have been frightening.

I agree with others, you should file a police report.

[barbtries]

41. if i did

i would commend them for their professionalism.

I didn't think I was so unclear in my OP. The police did nothing wrong.

[Elessar Zappa]

42. It's the cops, not you.

There are countless stories of cops shooting dogs that posed absolutely no threat. Cowards shouldn’t be wearing badges.

[TexasDem69]

48. Seems like there's a lot going on here

My take is the police did nothing wrong based on my understanding of what happened. But would appreciate it if the OP corrected me.

[barbtries]

51. continue reading.

they did nothing wrong. I guess my emotional reaction is only to the what if. that came later.

[TexasDem69]

52. Thanks for the prompt response

And I understand the reaction, which seems ok to me. A really unfortunate situation that had an ok outcome?

[barbtries]

53. exactly.

thank you!

I know I'm emotional and sometimes I don't know if I'm overreacting, which in this case I probably am, but still. I've read the reports of pets being shot on sight for no good reason, and here's Charlie with her hair up yapping incessantly...in fact they didn't even betray an ounce of fear of her! lol

she thinks she's so tough.

[TexasDem69]

59. We've got a few dogs

And they are family. I completely understand your worries

[Srkdqltr]

55. Good grief , people, read.....before you knee jerk reply. Poor barb , between the cops and people wh

don't read it has been stressful for you. All's well that ends well.

[barbtries]

58. there ya go.

i feel better now.

[LuckyCharms]

56. It's the cops, but in this respect...

First, I'm sorry this happened to you. It's very unsettling.

I understand what happened. An alarm went off in your townhouse complex, the cops arrived to the wrong alarmed townhouse. They rang your doorbell, which you couldn't hear, because unknown to them, it wasn't working. They called out to you. You could not identify exactly who was calling out because your dogs were barking.

Your dogs continued barking as you met the cops, when they asked you to secure your dog. It sounds like the interaction went as smoothly as it could have, considering the circumstances.

Now that the interaction is over, you are concerned that the cops could have shot your dogs, because they were barking. This is churning around in your mind, and it is understandably upsetting you.

This is on the cops. Cops should know how to read house numbers.

This is on the cops because OTHER cops murder dogs all of the time, and nothing is done about it.

This is on the cops because they go to the wrong house all of the time, and shoot innocent people.

By "all the time", what I am really saying is "more times than could reasonably be expected due to human error".

Your feelings are valid based on the actions that are widely and routinely reported about OTHER cops. Fortunately, your particular situation happened to end without incident.

Your feelings are valid, barbtries. It's natural to get upset when thinking about what could have happened.

[barbtries]

57. thank you Lucky Charms!

you totally get it. It's the understanding that if it hadn't been these two, reasonable, helpful, professional LEOs, it could have been one of the many others - you know, the ones that cause so much unnecessary death and suffering.

what a lovely response. thank you so much

[LuckyCharms]

60. Everything will be alright.

I know how you feel. it's upsetting when ANYONE, especially cops, appear inside your living space.

Give yourself a little time. You'll feel better. I'm glad all turned out OK.

[a kennedy]

61. and sorry, didn't read the responses here previously, wanna just say if you were Black you'd be dead

now.

[Skittles]

66. get your doorbell fixed

and was your door locked?

[barbtries]

70. my front door absolutely.

i'm going to check the power to the bell and if that's not it, pretty sure i'll need to replace it. It's a Ring and has been offline since August and looking back through the videos, it went offline during a severe thunderstorm. I'm not sure what happened. Also the screw on the front place is stuck, I can't get it off, but I'm thinking it's not coming back online. So once I'm able to verify that, yes, I will replace it. Problem is I'll have to hire someone to install it because I'm not terribly handy with electrical shit.

[orleans]

67. it's not you.

that was the FIRST thing i thought of as i was reading this; that charlie's screeching her head off

and i thought they were gonna shoot her


it's not you. it's because so many cops are such dickweeds and have a violent / shit reputation.

[liberalla]

69. I agree. That was a *reasonable* response for her to have, and I had the same thought

when I read it too. (Just because we've all read/heard stories of dogs being shot by police.) I'm very happy that didn't happen here, of course.

The thing that jumped out at me - and what I am SO SICK of, is this "wrong address" BS. It's happening WAY too often these days. If they truly messed up on the address, then they're not where they're needed (at the right address). However, you wonder if it's becoming the convenient method for entrance at the address they want to check out.... know what I mean?

[Demovictory9]

72. Scary..glad it turned out ok