Two months ago I wouldn't even have thought about not helping somebody due to the possibility of false accusations. My thoughts on this have been altered by a woman I know getting falsely accused of abusing a third grader while substitute teaching. She was locked out of subbing for nearly two months while the state investigated if to charge her, but concluded lack of evidence to charge. The accuser came up with a scenario physically impossible. She'll not risk it anymore for just over $100/day.

Someone I know had a son murdered trying to help a female who was in an altercation with a boy friend. Being a good witness from a distance sounds like sage advice overall.

But one thing to consider. If it was your daughter, grand daughter, girlfriend, wife, mother who was being attacked, abducted, accosted, etc. you would be ok with bystanders just minding your own business or making a call?

Years ago we were awoken in the night by a young women banging on our front door. screaming to let her in. I grabbed my shotgun and the wife and I let her in. She was in a panic and said her boyfriend was out side and had attacked her. We called police and they came and got her and picked up him. Could of gone a bunch of different ways.

I am not advocating getting involved but every situation in different.

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:

I am not advocating getting involved but every situation in different.

Every situation is different for sure. I remember an instructor at Front Sight giving real life examples as a LEO where things went south. One was being bitten by a woman whose boyfriend was beating the crap out of her when he arrived. After he and his partner pulled the boyfriend off and cuffed him, she attacked the cop and bit him so hard he needed stitches.

Not knowing the full story can be deadly to the good Samaritan. The person who seems to be the victim could turn out to be extremely dangerous. The distressed motorist could be a lure into a violent attack.

One factor for me is that we have Constitutional carry in this state, so every adult has the opportunity to be armed. That reduces my feeling of obligation to rescue strangers.

This is one of those things you won't know what you'll do until it happens. I do advise caution. It is very easy to misread a situation unless you witnessed the very beginning of it, and maybe not even then. More often than not it will be a better idea to observe and report, a process made much easier by a cell phone.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:
No situations are alike. There have been both good and bad outcomes (to the point of the Good Samaritans losing their lives). Never know how you're going to react, until you're in it, but the general rule, I agree, should be mind your business, unless your life is in danger.

And with that, I take back everything derogatory I said about the young man in this story. I wasn't there. But it was too easy to armchair quarterback with video replaying in slo-mo for you.

It is weird living in the liberal area. Gigantic pieces of crap manage to slide though the cracks over and over and over. Upstanding citizens on the other hand can get railroaded. Including cops.

I live where I work, so I live my day-to-day with some level of expectation that I will intervene in a situation. I’m also driving a work car most of the time, though it’s unmarked it’s still obvious a cop car-and I’m on call at least a third of the time so I’ve always got my stuff with me. Even with that, my normal rule is to be a good witness. I evaluate every situation cautiously and differently.

Just last night I came home from being called in at around 4 AM and saw that one of my neighbor’s car doors was open. I cautiously checked it and the area and closed it, and then let them know this morning. Turns out their husband accidentally left it open yesterday afternoon. Hopefully the battery is good.

I will not stop on the side of the road for anyone unless it is clearly a desperate situation or I have a duty to act. Far too many people get hit and killed helping or doing work on the side of the road. I will not die that way if I can help it.

A violent, severe assault in progress would require a response. But I’m not talking a fistfight. A medical emergency as well. Shoplifters? Hell no.

quote:

Originally posted by SevenPlusOne:

Why are women incapable of changing a flat tire?

while working on a project in Raleigh NC, I normally flew the V=Tail home to Florida to spend weekends with my wife. One weekend, she decided to come to Raleigh instead, scheduled an early morning flight from Orlando to Raleigh.

I picked her up at the Raleigh airport and was really surprised to see my wife, who is very conscious about her appearance, get off the airplane looking dirty and disheveled.

Turned out that she had a blowout on the way to the Orlando airport. She had never changed a tire in her life, but she was determined that she was not going to miss her flight. There she was, on the shoulder of highway, at dark-thirty am, with a flashlight in one hand and the car owners' manual in the other hand, learning how to change a tire.

She was just about finished with the job when a Highway Patrol Trooper pulled up behind her and helped her finish the job. He double-checked the lug nuts, put the flat tire in the trunk for her, and wished her "bon voyage."

She made the flight with minutes to spare (this was before 9-11, so no TSA bullshit) and no time to clean up.

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Note to 7 + 1: Don't put all women in the same basket. My wife will not hesitate to tackle any job. Think about SIGforum member Brecaidra -- she hasn't posted here recently, but I remember stories of her doing stuff on her car, that most people would take to a shop. And then we have a very active member here, who shares a small ranch with and some horses his girl friend, who is a tiny feminine woman who will do any job on the place.

I know a few women who own and manage hardware stores, and know a heck of a lot more about the hardware and tools than their male employees.

As a retired LEO, I'm definitely in the "call the professionals" camp. But I'd also never leave anybody alone who was truly in need. At the very least stay in the area until the professionals arrive. But every situation is different and requires it's own analysis.

Also, biblical teachings such as "loving your neighbor," "Do unto others as you would have them do to you," and even the story of the "good samaritan" compel me to want to help people when it lies within my power to do so. But these aren't necessarily black and white and the realities of our day and age require us to examine each situation closely for all the reason others have mentioned above.

In pother words....whether to help, and to what extent will be determined on a case by case basis.

quote:

Originally posted by SevenPlusOne:
Why are women incapable of changing a flat tire?

If they are, it is because they were never properly trained. Both my wife and daughter are fully capable of changing a flat tire, and pay enough attention to their vehicles and tires that it is unlikely that they will ever need to exercise the knowledge.