Dos and don’ts of being a hero: more citizens stopping crime with phone tips to police
“As a police officer, I’d much rather respond to a robbery than a death,” Chalker said.
Average citizens are taking charge of their communities’ safety by reporting crime to the police, but sometimes well-meaning people can harm more than they help.
Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) Sgt. Shawn O’reilly said more and more, people are phoning in tips to the police when they witness a crime.
“(They’re) taking ownership of their community and not letting the bad guy, if you will, take control,” he said.
But sometimes taking control can be dangerous.
On July 31, John Dwyer, a 65-year-old jewelry store owner in St. John’s, chased a man who allegedly tried to rob his store, and allegedly kicked him in the face.
Dwyer was later charged with assault.
“You can only use as much force as necessary to make an arrest,” O’Reilly said.
People trying to stop crime run the risk of becoming a criminal themselves if things get out of hand.
Sgt. Vicki Chalker, who co-ordinates Crime Stoppers Newfoundland and Labrador, said citizen’s arrests can help stop crime.
“Any time a citizen makes an arrest it helps the police because they’re a first responder,” she said.
But Chalker cautioned that rushing to the scene may create more trouble.
“Don’t put yourself at risk where it now becomes two victims,” she said.
Average residents aren’t trained to know how to safely apprehend a suspect, and threatening an armed criminal can lead to tragedy.
Phone tips save lives
O’Reilly said, not counting the recent incident at the jewelry store, he hasn’t noticed many citizens trying to stop crime physically.
Instead, he’s noticed more people are reporting crime via their cellphones.
“I’ve noticed a lot more complaints coming in from citizens because of cellphone usage,” he said.
O’Reilly said phone tips have proven especially useful with catching drunk drivers.
In the past, if you noticed a car swerving on the road, you had to find a pay phone or call from home. By the time you got in touch with the police, the driver might be long gone.
But cellphone technology has enabled people to do more than just call the police at a moment’s notice.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) launched Campaign 911 in 2005 to encourage citizens to report suspected drunk drivers.
“It absolutely saves lives,” said Christine Care, who volunteers with MADD Avalon.
Care said she’s even heard of people tailing a suspected drunk driver after they called in the tip to police to ensure the person was stopped.
But following a swerving vehicle can put the concerned citizen in harm’s way.
“We really don’t want people following impaired drivers,” O’Reilly said.
O’Reilly and MADD advocate pulling over to the side of the road and calling the police immediately.
“An impaired driver on the road is a loose cannon,” Care said. “There’s no greater reason for calling 911 than the possibility of saving someone’s life.”
Capturing evidence
Cellphone technology enables citizens to not only reach police in an instant, but capture video and picture evidence.
Sgt. Marc Coulombe of the RCMP said whenever a citizen captures a video or image of a crime being committed, that image becomes valuable evidence that can lead to a conviction.
“When it’s taken by a third party, an independent party, someone outside the police realm, it carries a lot of weight,” he said.
Coulombe said the most important thing to look out for when taking a picture of a crime being committed is not to edit it.
In order for the evidence to hold up in court, it needs to remain untouched.
“It has to remain what it was the day you took it,” Coulombe said.
“Keep it on their phone and don’t delete,” O’Reilly advised.
But sometimes these videos wind up online, not in the hands of police.
“We see a lot more of this stuff is actually getting posted to social media like YouTube,” Coulombe said.
He said people seem more interested in broadcasting their surveillance than turning it in to the police.
Often, the RCMP finds out about these videos from the media, and not the citizen who shot the footage.
“Some people like their 15 minutes of fame,” Coulombe said.
If the police do want to use a social media video or image as evidence, they need to get a production order from the courts to obtain a copy of the evidence.
If the video is posted on a local website, getting a copy can be quick. But dealing with a website like YouTube, which is headquartered in California, can be more arduous.
Too much information
O’Reilly said in addition to the added hassle, sometimes posting a video online can alert the suspect as well as the police.
Often, police don’t want the perpetrator to know they are being investigated, because it may cause the suspect to flee or destroy evidence.
“Sometimes when a citizen acts themselves, they may actually taint the evidence,” he said. So what are the simple dos and don’ts of stopping crime? Do call 911. “Their best defence is to pick up their cellphone,” O’Reilly said. Don’t call while you’re driving. Instead, pull your car over to the side of the road.
“Talking on cellphones and driving is not safe,” O’Reilly said. Do be detailed. “Descriptions of clothing, height — those are things we need to know,” O’Reilly said.
Do draw attention to the crime being committed.
“Scream, yell, blow your horn, blow a whistle, draw attention to the crime,” she said. Don’t put yourself in harm’s way. “Consider your own safety first,” Coulombe said.