Ten minutes is a long, long time

[Treo]

I am listening to a police scanner on my computer right now and a very interesting call going on right now. It involves a 16YO girl alone in a house she’s on the phone W/ 911 dispatch and someone just came into here home. Shortly after that the person left her home but she thinks there’s still someone in the basement. There are cops converging on the scene from all over the district and as a matter of fact the first call came in that they were on scene while I was writing this. The thing that’s interesting is that it took at least 10 minuets from the time the first call came in till the first unit arrived. Ten minutes is an awfully long time to wait for the police to show up when there’s a bad guy in your house.
It’s even longer when the bad guy is in your house alone W/ your daughter.

I own a gun for a reason

http://www.radioreference.com/apps/audio/?ctid=261

FWIW here's the link to the scanner you can look up your area on it if you choose. seems like it would be a good resource in the event of an emergeny

[triple point]

1. When seconds count, the police are just minutes away.

That is the unfortunate fact. Coincidentally, my sister just sent me this story, it was about 3 blocks from her house :scared:
http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=11216120

[beyurslf]

2. A few years ago, my house was robbed.

We were not home but we pulled onto the street as it was happening. We saw 4 young men running into the back of the house. I stopped and called 911. I was on the phone with them the whole time, telling them what they were doing and where they were. We watched as they carried out our electronics. As they drove away (still no police there), I followed. We had their plate numbers and descriptions. Once they realized I was following, they sped off and ran lights. We lost them. At home, we waited for another 25 minutes for the police. It was about 40 minutes total. They told us they were finishing a report on a stolen check. I said "thank god we weren't in the house then!" To make it worse, about a week later, as fate would have it, we happened to be at a funeral service for a woman we knew and 3 of them were there--it was one of the boys' grandma. We waited until after the service, and called the police. They could not dispatch anyone because a crime was not being committed. We followed the car to their house and gave the address to the detective assigned to my case. They still never caught them. A year later, I had a follow up call to see if I had ever resolved the robbery!

[JonQ]

3. I'm kind of curious in this scenario

would anti-2nd amendment folks (but not the fanatics) be happier if she lives but uses a gun in self defense, or is killed, but remains "pure", having never touched on of those vile things?

[spin]

7. The majority who post here seem to favor the criminals...

victims should be happy to be victims. It's not their fault that they were severely injured or murdered.

The anti-gunners do seem to get upset when someone posts about an incident where a homeowner or someone with a carry license successfully defends themselves against violent attack. Often the anti-gun organizations tell people that using a firearm for self defense is a bad idea as the typical homeowner or concealed carry permit holder lacks the training to properly handle a firearm in a dangerous situation. The stories of successful self defense with firearms undermines that propaganda.

[tularetom]

4. Thirty minutes is a fuckin eternity then

That's what the sheriff told me his response time was to my home. Said it in a public meeting right in front of God and all the elected county dads.

Two months later he had the balls to threaten to charge me when I stopped at burglary in my garage using the only weapon I had handy, a pellet gun.

He backed down after I reminded him that he already said publicly he couldn't respond. When he said "The government has no obligation to protect you" I knew I had him.

I own guns for several reasons but protection of my family, pets and property is a big one.

[DonP]

5. Ronyale White Chicago 911 - 16 minutes to murder

A few years ago we had a classic case of a woman, Ronyale White, calling 911 to tell the dispatcher that her ex-husband (she had a TRO on him and he had been picked up by the police several times for violating the TRO but never prosecuted) had just called her and said he was going to kill her for leaving him.

It took the police 16 minutes to reach her home. In that 16 minutes the dispatcher recorded when he started hammering on her front door, when he was breaking in her bedroom door, and her screams when he killed her.

She was dead and her ex husband gone by the time the police arrived. They picked him up shortly afterwards. He was convicted of murder.

[Treo]

6. TRO's

You bring up an interesting point, on a lot of these DV. DD and DB call one of the first facts that comes over the scanner is that there are multiple OP's (protection orders same as a TRO) filed in the case. Never seems to stop the bad guy. What was that line from the Dixie Chick's song about how Earl ignored the restraining order and put Wanda May ( or W ever TF her name was) in intensive care?

Although I will say that they are useful for establishing a pattern of criminal intent

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

8. The only complaint I have with TROs is the malicious use of them

Too many TROs are issued without substantive demonstration for the need to have one - especially when it's issuance could severely hamper the life/livelihood of the person it's aimed at. More often than not it seems the first person to "lawyer-up" files a TRO for no other reason than to take the first legal shot despite the consequences it may have on the target or whether the person is even a confrontational/violent person.

For example, lets say the person was a collector of firearms and happened to work at a job where a DOD security clearance was required. Despite not having a history of violence, criminal record, or indication of instability that person will lose their 2A rights and likely their security clearance... putting them out of work, defenseless, and possibly out on the street.

IMO, buying a revolver would probably do more than a stupid restraining order and would be cheaper too for most TRO situations.

[DonP]

9. Even a used, bolt action J.C. Higgins .410 would address the issue better than a TRO ntxt.

[Hangingon]

10. Interestung choice

I bought a very nice one two weeks ago for $45. J,C. Higgins was a Sears house brand.

[DonP]

13. Got a J.C. Higgins 12 gauge

My Dad gave me one of his old J.C. Higgins bolt action 12 Ga.

It has the original 1953 Bill of Sale (hand written) from the Sears store at 63rd and Western in Chicago, for $12.95.

One of those in .410 was about as basic, "weak" and non-threatening a gun as I could think of that still would go boom when the trigger was pulled.

[cognoscere]

15. There was a similar incident in Kenosha

many years ago, even before the 911 system was in effect, IIRC. A woman called the police to report someone was trying to break in her front door. When the police did get there, eventually, they found her front door kicked in, the door to the bathroom where she had fled kicked in, and the woman dying from multiple knife wounds. In the ensuing uproar, investigation, and CYA, there were varying estimates of anywhere from two to ten minutes for the response. I can't help but believe that if she had owned even a Jennings in .22, .32, or the often disparaged .25, the outcome would have been significantly different especially if she spent the time she wasted calling the police to get the gun and chamber the first round.

[gorfle]

11. If you have a strong heart, listen to these:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTAADW9wNvk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd3vWsa4ags&feature=related

In both of these 911 recordings the woman victim is on the phone with the police from the start of the break-in all through the physical or sexual assault.

The woman in the first video has a firearm and kills her attacker. The woman in the second does not and is subsequently beaten and raped before the police finally arrive on the scene.

I actually have a high degree of sympathy for the police in these situations as they frequently are in direct contact with the 911 dispatcher and are able to hear the victim screaming as they race to the scene. Imagine listing to that knowing that you won't get there in time. Imagine living with that forever. Honestly I don't know how these people arrive on the scene and do the right thing and just take the criminal into custody. My first inclination upon busting through the door would be to put the guy up against a wall and blow his head off.

[Treo]

12. Worth mentioning

Woman 2 had at least two big dogs and they didn't slow the rapist down at all.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

14. Wow, I've never thought about it like that. :'(

Imagine listing to that knowing that you won't get there in time. Imagine living with that forever. Honestly I don't know how these people arrive on the scene and do the right thing and just take the criminal into custody. My first inclination upon busting through the door would be to put the guy up against a wall and blow his head off.

:-(

[Tim01]

16. That's why you shouldn't be a cop.

And me too. I definitely shouldn't.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

17. There is a reason response times affect a fire department's class rating.

Maybe they should grade cops the same way.