Common Sense Rules from 911

Rule #1: Doors
Keep yours closed and locked if there is a bad guy outside… especially if it’s a bad guy you know.
People don’t understand this rule. It’s really easy.
You = inside with a phone that can call the po-po.
Bad Guy = outside where he can’t get you (easily at least).

Rule #2: Criminals are unpredictable.
Resist road-rage. The guy you flip off after he cuts you off can easily be the guy who has a gun in his car. If not a gun, see also: baseball bat, crossbow, tire iron, and 2X4. Also the bad guy is sometimes a bad girl or a bad kid. Teens and drunks are notoriously volatile.

Rule #3: The Chase
If you catch someone committing a crime and they run when they see you – LET THEM GO. What are you going to do if you catch them? Really think about rule #2. If there has not been a homicide and you are just a citizen, then get a good description of the bad guy while you let him run off. If he has a gun or a knife, trust me on this, you are not prepared to handle that. Go to a safe place and see rule #1.

Rule #4: Violence Hurts
Seems simple but it’s true. If you get into a fight you are liable to get hurt. There is no “winning” if you break tiny bones in your hand striking someone’s face. There is no “winning” if you end up in cuffs. And there is no winning if you, in the heat of anger or the adrenaline of pursuit, overreact and kill someone who has damaged only your property.

A dozen or so years ago a furniture store owner by the name of Jim Lowe shot and killed a high-school student who, while participating in a yearly unsanctioned scavenger hunt, had climbed onto the roof his Lowe’s store to steal a giant advertisement blimp. Lowe claimed to have been firing warning shots at the four teens as he chased them off of his roof but when the teens climbed into their expensive pickup to make good their escape and discovered that a bullet had entered the back of one of the boys, the hunt was over. Later that night, so was the life of the victim and the future of Mr. Lowe. The law says you cannot use deadly force to defend only your property. There was a crime being committed against Mr. Lowe that night but no one deserved a death sentence over it. Had he simply called the police, then he could have righteous outrage on his side and even get some media attention which might sell a few extra sofas that year. As it turned out, he served time for manslaughter and lost his business. It’s hard to have sympathy when everyone involved did the wrong thing.

Rule #5: The phone is mightier than the sword
Cops have guns and are trained when and how to use them. Likely you are not. Cops have reinforcements if things really go bad. Likely you do not. Your trustiest tool in an emergency is your phone. Call 911. Answer the questions and follow the directions of the person who answers that call. She is not wrapped up in your emotions, she does not have that massive rush of adrenaline clouding her judgment. She is highly unlikely to steer you wrong.