Scenario - Things that go bump in the night

P

pdmoderator

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You and your SO are having dinner and discussing ways to enfilade BGs, when you hear a knock at the door. It's a police officer responding to a 911 call to your house. You didn't make the call and have no idea who did. What now?

Later on, as you're reading your favorite passages from Jeff Cooper, you hear a heavy thud inside the house. Your firearms are not where you are. What now?

- pdmoderator
 
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How many?

Sorry pd,
I have them stashed throughout the house...kind of hard for me not to be able to lay my hands on a side or longarm within five feet of anywhere in my house.
But in the days when I was a little more short of cash...(discretionary income), I'd always have a fixed blade knife around.
 
I tell the cops I/we didn't make the call. No problem here. They're welcome to walk around, outside, all they want. Yes, I do tell them that we're both licensed to carry concealed. That alone will prompt a short discussion on who deploys where and how we proceed.

Regarding that other thud heard later.... How much later? A little while later when it could be one of the cops still looking around outside, or maybe he's climbed on the porch looking around? A whole lot later when it is a virtual certainty its not one of those cops? The time makes a big difference.

My SO and I have signals for exactly this type of thing. We're practiced, no problem there.

When the cops are done they tell me they're leaving, so I know they left. If they return without telling me there could be a problem. To answer the question, my SO and I ping each other thereby establishing zones of control and proceed to disinfect the home.
 
Regarding that other thud heard later.... How much later?
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Say an hour or two. The cops are long gone.

Have I taken leave of my senses? :confused:
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Sorry, Tamara, only you and your shrink can answer that one. ;)

Though I'd like to ask everyone to please play the ball where it lies. Something similar happened to someone I know the other night, and I'd like to get peoples' take on how they'd play the real situation, as opposed to a different one.

- pdmoderator
 
Depending on the mindset of the responders and the nature of the ersatz 911 call, may be hard to blow it off. It has happened that a response to a 911 was deemed in error and later found that the person talked to at the door was indeed a bad guy and someone else was kinda dead like.

That part iffy and going to have to play out as it will.

Never out of reach of arms. I would check out the bump. Could be a cop, bad guy, nuther skunk, piglet etc etc.

Sam
 
Heavy thud where exactly?
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In another part of the house. Exact location is on a need-to-know basis. :D
Where are my guns relative to me and to the "thump"?
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Secured loaded for quick access -- in the rough vicinity of the thump. You have other tools available -- edged tools, clubs, flashlights, etc. Just not guns.

BTW, there is no evidence of a break-in.

It's much harder to do these scenarios with incomplete and contradictory information, ain't it? :D On the other hand, it's just like real life that way. :p

- pdmoderator
 
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1st scenario: The PD will ahve to wait outside until I make a call to the dispatcher and determine that officers were actually sent to my address or if they are making a mistake.

2nd scenario: I'm always within reach of my cell phone and my defensive sidearm. I have the SO ready on 911 while I investigate, could be the cat, could be the wind, could be some unlucky soul breaking into my house, who knows.
 
Ah.

1st - "Sorry, didn't make the call. Must be trouble in the phone trunk. Sure, have a look around outside if you like. Have a good night." (BTW, I didn't think of it, but calling the dispatcher to confirm that cops have been sent to your house is a really good idea.)

2nd - Might be a good idea to leave the house and call the police from a negihbors, eh? I'd try to leave quietly, and with as little exposure to the street as possible.

Of course, when I'm at home my sidearm is on me, so in that case I might (MIGHT) take a look around the house myself. Generally it's not a good idea to try and clear a house, even your house, alone or with a single partner. Also, wouldn't it be nice to have an alarm system right about then? ;)

- Chris
 
Nuff suspense...

After the PD came (and left, perplexed), I first called the dispatcher and verified that they had dispatched the call, then made the rounds around the house. I don't know who made the original call. Prolly never will. Crosswired 911 database entry or something.

The heavy thud was an improperly secured bookshelf coming loose at exactly the wrong moment. I'd worked on the bookshelf earlier that day and hadn't done too great a job of putting it back together. What I did was grab a flashlight and my shillaleagh-like walking stick and cleared the location of the thud. My SO hotted up her cellphone before we did, of course.

Moral of the story: Don't panic. 6 times 9 is 42 (radix thirteen. :D )

The roach bomb to clear the house is pretty clever, though!

- pdmoderator
 
Just lazy. You're eating dinner, so you're close to the kitchen sink, right? General King Dick (from Lydia Bailey) advised that a smart, lazy soldier was best...
 
The NRA's take

My SO pointed out that the NRA's advice (from their "Personal Protection in the Home" book) would be to go to the saferoom, wait 15 minutes for further noises, then investigate. In this case the noise was in or near the saferoom, but we have alternatives.
You wouldn't shoot an unarmed skunk would you?
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Skunks are always armed with a large supply of OC (Odiferous Critterol.)

- pdmoderator
 
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Once the cops came

I normally carry even when in the house so I wouldn't be away from my protection. But if I happened to be cleaning or something I would have the cops stay until it was ready to go again. The fact that they came would make me more watchful and I would have armed myself before the "bump" in the night came:p Another thing, as I have two large house dogs I really doubt that I will have ti check it out. I may have to clean up the mess but what's a little blood on the carpet?
 
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