Some suggestions for those who get LTTEs published

[zbdent]

After dealing with the phone company and the local police, I have some suggestions from them that I would like to pass on to my fellow DUers.

0. Keep a log of when the calls happen. (Police suggestion & phone company)

1. If you are getting a nuisance call, let the person know that, if it continues, you will press charges. If the call continues and the person gets belligerent, hang up. Go to step 2. (Police suggestion)

2. *69. This gives you the person's phone number. Keep it for reference. (Police suggestion) If you choose to, you can call the person and tell them that you know who they are.

3. Activate the call trace (if you do not have Caller ID). (Phone company suggestion)

4. If the call comes again, use *57 as recommended by the phone company. This starts the trace. Mostly successful. There are ways around this, but Joe Average may not be that bright. (Phone company suggestion). In my case, it costs $4.50 per successful use. Follow up with the phone company to see if it's successful.

5. If the calls continue after you warn the person that you will press charges, do the *69 and *57 (my suggestion) for good measure. Mark in the log.

If the person did not stop after you warned him or her that you would press charges, then the "nuisance" becomes "harassment" - and punishable.

Police suggestion: Do not use your real name for a LTTE. Some papers will not "withhold name upon request". The Cleveland Plain Dealer does (sometimes), the Akron Beacon Journal will not.