I called the cops, would you have

[Rora]

I would have definitely called.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Thank you so much for the input. I was really scared. The cop made me feel like I was ridiculous because the girl was only 10.

She was "only 10" but couldn't identify her own house? I don't know about you, but even after we moved when I was 5, I knew which house on the street belonged to my family! I could see not knowing if she was brand new to a neighborhood with identical houses, but really?? Something seems like it's not adding up here, especially since she was going to houses on both sides of the street.

I think you did the right thing. I am wondering if something more is going on and they just said "she got mixed up" to get the police off their backs. Also, since you're new to the neighborhood and they're not, I wonder if the police are familiar with the family.

I have called the police before, for a very similar reason. A child, also about 10 or 12, was banging on my door. The police came and took it seriously. Later, child protective services was over. The boyfriend of mom was trying to beat her, so she went banging on doors to get help.

I'm not saying that is what is happening in the situation on your block, but it's what came to mind based on the experience I had.

 

[Magpie]

I can't believe how many people would not open the door, or even speak to the little girl through the door to find out if everything's okay!

Consider if she had been like that kid who was kidnapped in previous post. How sad would it have been if she'd had to sit out on the porch with a head injury until the cops arrived? What if she'd run off and got hurt? What if the guy had come back and grabbed her again?

My first assumption would have been that the little girl was in trouble. I don't think I could have just sat inside my house, calling 911 while peering through the windows, without at least speaking to the child.

And if she IS some kind of "sleeper agent" (unlikely, imo), I'd think it would be far more likely that she'd be checking for unoccupied homes for her family to rob. After all, home invaders don't need to use children to open doors - they can just kick them in! Or pretend to be UPS guys. Or use a million other ruses. Children are unpredictable and not terribly useful when embarking on a crime spree.

 

[msjprincess]

Honestly, if there was a little girl throwing herself at my door i would probably have opened the door to be sure she was all right. My first thought would have been that she was fleeing from somebody.

Same here

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I would have opened the door to help the kid out if it was me.

 

[torinsmom]

I would have spoken to the girl through the door, but would not have opened the door. Criminals have been known to use women and/or children to get into places. For instance, the child bangs on the door while the criminal stands around the corner, just waiting for someone to open it. Plus, wouldn't the child have been yelling for help instead of saying to someone "She won't let me in" if she was in danger?

As far as the cop, he should not have acted like you did the wrong thing. That is what they are there for, and what they are trained for. Whether the child was a threat(or someone with the child was a threat) or in trouble, the police would be the ones to call.

Marsha

 

[MichelleVW]

Were you watching Criminal Minds last week?

 

[robinb]

A little girl who is 8 or 9? I would have opened the door to make sure she was all right! So, no. I don't think you did the right thing.

ETA: It's really sad that some of us are so fearful that they see the boogieman everywhere ... even in the body of a 8 year old girl.

 

[BCDisneyFanatic]

I would have spoken to the girl through the door, but would not have opened the door. Criminals have been known to use women and/or children to get into places. For instance, the child bangs on the door while the criminal stands around the corner, just waiting for someone to open it. Plus, wouldn't the child have been yelling for help instead of saying to someone "She won't let me in" if she was in danger?

I realize that this is Chile and not the US, but I've personally known two people who have fallen for the 'child asking for help at the door' scenario, and then were tied up while robbed. While I would have talked to the child through the door, I would have been very, very cautious about opening it under the circumstances described in the initial post (unless I truly felt that the child was in imminent danger).

 

[BCDisneyFanatic]

A little girl who is 8 or 9? I would have opened the door to make sure she was all right! So, no. I don't think you did the right thing.

ETA: It's really sad that some of us are so fearful that they see the boogieman everywhere ... even in the body of a 8 year old girl.

I think you should be very thankful that you live in an area where violent criminals can be equated with mythical 'boogiemen'.

 

[palmtreegirl]

Honestly, if there was a little girl throwing herself at my door i would probably have opened the door to be sure she was all right. My first thought would have been that she was fleeing from somebody.

That was my first thought as well.

At the very least, before I called the cops, I would have opened a window so I could talk to her and ask her WHY she was flinging herself at the door. If she was in trouble it could have gotten so much worse waiting for cops to come.

I would have opened the door to help the kid out if it was me.

 

[OceanAnnie]

I think you should be very thankful that you live in an area where violent criminals can be equated with mythical 'boogiemen'.

Indeed.

There are many, many cases in the U.S. where people have feigned a crisis that have resulted in horrific crimes. And these cases weren't confined to known violent areas.

 

[Magpie]

I think you should be very thankful that you live in an area where violent criminals can be equated with mythical 'boogiemen'.

There's obviously a huge difference between living in North America and living in Chile. My mother lived in Pakistan with an armed guard at her gated front door. I guess he would have dealt with the child, instead of my mother, although she might have yelled down from the top floor (where she lived, behind another locked gate) to ask what was going on and to give him instructions.

But I think it would be a crying shame if we - in Canada, or in quiet US neighbourhoods - started acting like we were living in Chile or Pakistan. In my town, people open their doors to everyone. Heck, most people only lock their doors at bedtime or if they're going out! Few people have alarms on their homes, unless they're gone out of town a lot.

I guess it's up to the OP to decide whether she lives in the kind of place where little girls are commonly used as bait to kidnap, rob and murder, or whether she lives in a place where it's totally unheard of.

Me, I'm happy to say, I really don't have to worry about that kind of thing. Our crime is different. A guy broke into a house nearby a little while ago! He was confronted by the homeowner and they got into a fight which the robber lost. The robber was acquitted of attempted murder charges because he had rung the doorbell and knocked on the door and shouted, and the homeowner had ignored him. The cops say you should never ignore knocking because around here robbers will move on to an unoccupied house, if they realize you're home. They don't want to hurt you, they just want to steal your stuff and sell it for drugs.

 

[DaParkers]

I think you should be very thankful that you live in an area where violent criminals can be equated with mythical 'boogiemen'.

I live in a city that either is or is always close to having the highest murder rate in America and I still would have tried to help. You don't have to open the door to ask "Are you ok" or "What do you want"? In the U.S., there is a very small chance of that little girl being used to commit a crime. What if it was your child that was possibly in danger? I'm sorry to those that disagree, but I believe in helping if I can, especially children.

 

[DaParkers]

Indeed.

There are many, many cases in the U.S. where people have feigned a crisis that have resulted in horrific crimes. And these cases weren't confined to known violent areas.

Adults, not kids.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Adults, not kids.

Actually, adults have used kids as bait. The number of cases are debatable.

 

[BCDisneyFanatic]

There's obviously a huge difference between living in North America and living in Chile. My mother lived in Pakistan with an armed guard at her gated front door. I guess he would have dealt with the child, instead of my mother, although she might have yelled down from the top floor (where she lived, behind another locked gate) to ask what was going on and to give him instructions.

But I think it would be a crying shame if we - in Canada, or in quiet US neighbourhoods - started acting like we were living in Chile or Pakistan. In my town, people open their doors to everyone. Heck, most people only lock their doors at bedtime or if they're going out! Few people have alarms on their homes, unless they're gone out of town a lot.

Just so you know, Chile is actually a VERY safe, 'first-world' country (in fact, there is much less incidence of violent crime than the US, and is pretty comparable to Canada). Putting Chile and Pakistan in the same category for crime is kind of like lumping Canada and Mexico together.

Before moving to Chile, I lived in Vancouver and my parents live in Ottawa. Most of my friends and my parents' friends have burglar alarms. I guess it depends where in Canada you live, just like everywhere else in the world.

While I agree that it is sad to 'live in fear', there is always room for a bit of caution. While I'd never have ignored the child, I would like to think that I'd assess the safety of the situation (for my own children's sake) before opening the door.

 

[DaParkers]

Actually, adults have used kids as bait. The number of cases are debatable.

I'm willing to bet that you have a better chance of being murdered on the job by a disgruntled employee than having a kid "set you up". Should we not work? Any crime scenario is possible and has been tried at least once by a criminal. But, at what point do we muster up a little courage and join the police and firemen that we expect to take on all these dangers and just simply ask through a closed door "Are you ok" or "What do you want"?

 

[Magpie]

I realize that this is Chile and not the US, but I've personally known two people who have fallen for the 'child asking for help at the door' scenario, and then were tied up while robbed. While I would have talked to the child through the door, I would have been very, very cautious about opening it under the circumstances described in the initial post (unless I truly felt that the child was in imminent danger).

Just so you know, Chile is actually a VERY safe, 'first-world' country (in fact, there is much less incidence of violent crime than the US, and is pretty comparable to Canada). Putting Chile and Pakistan in the same category for crime is kind of like lumping Canada and Mexico together.

Before moving to Chile, I lived in Vancouver and my parents live in Ottawa. Most of my friends and my parents' friends have burglar alarms. I guess it depends where in Canada you live, just like everywhere else in the world.

While I agree that it is sad to 'live in fear', there is always room for a bit of caution. While I'd never have ignored the child, I would like to think that I'd assess the safety of the situation (for my own children's sake) before opening the door.

If you've personally known TWO people who have fallen for a "child asking for help at the door" scenario, then Chile is a LOT more dangerous than most of Canada. Because I can tell you I've never heard of such a thing in all my time living here. It just doesn't happen.

That's why I assumed Chile was closer to Pakistan. Because the "child asking for help at the door" scenario leading to people getting tied up would be all over the news here, coast to coast. It would be that shocking!

That said, there are definitely parts of Toronto that I'm happy not to have to live in.

 

[OceanAnnie]

I'm willing to bet that you have a better chance of being murdered on the job by a disgruntled employee than having a kid "set you up". Should we not work? Any crime scenario is possible and has been tried at least once by a criminal. But, at what point do we muster up a little courage and join the police and firemen that we expect to take on all these dangers and just simply ask through a closed door "Are you ok" or "What do you want"?

I merely stated kids have been used as bait. You can wager bets all day long. It doesn't dispute the fact it has happened. What you choose to do with that fact is your determination to make. For better or worse, reading about crimes of this nature (crimes against Samaritans) does impact people.

I don't fault the OP for being cautious. IMO, the extreme you suggest about not going to work is not analogous to being startled at one's home.

Asking questions through the door would have been a good starting point. The OP was startled and fearful. She was wondering if she handled it right.

Good grief.