Advocacy & Safety - What to do about bad (or lazy) cops?

Last night late-ish, I ran into a group of kids throwing bottles at bikers from behind a chain-link fence, trying to hit riders in the bike lane; all in all, they threw close to 40 while I was there (though they luckily had pretty terrible aim!). So, mindful of the recent incidents in which people have been seriously injured by flying objects knocking them off their bikes, I called the cops.

5 minutes later, a patrol car arrived; the kids had left the lot where they started out, but I'd been watching the and knew where they were. I signaled to the patrol car, and they pulled over and rolled down their window. I asked politely whether they were there about the bottle-throwers, but they expressed a lack of knowledge about my earlier call. Still politely, I told them what was going on, and expressed concern that somebody would be injured if the kids were allowed to continue; I also pointed out to the officer the large quantities of broken glass and thrown bottles all around.

In response, the officer in the passenger seat said "Yeah, right." in a very sarcastic voice; the patrol car then drove away. No report was taken.

I'm pissed; this is NOT the kind of response I expect from people paid to protect the citizenry. I didn't get badge numbers, but I did chase the car long enough to get the patrol car's plate number. Is there anything I can do at this point? I rode down to the station last night after this episode and the duty officer agreed to dispatch additional patrols past that intersection last night in case the bottle-throwers started up again, but I'd like to find a way to "encourage" the patrol officers who SHOULD have taken an interest to do their jobs next time...

Thanks for your advice!

-chris

Make a note of the time that you called and the time that the squad car arrived then either call or visit the Watch Commander or Desk Sergeant (however that works) and tell THEM what these two knuckleheads idea of law enforcement amounts to. Kindly inform the individual that you speak to that you want notification of any discipinary actions taken and also alluse to the fact that you are unafraid to take the matter higher. (ie Chief of Police, then Mayor, then Media). Document each meeting you have as having a paper trail is always a good thing when dealing with gov'nt agencies.

Pepper spray the kids. They will leave.

The patrol car that came by may not have been answering your report, however, they certainly should not have ignored your report. What you can do is call your local police department and ask how you file a complaint. Since you have the approximate time and patrol car number, they wil be able to identify the officers involved. Write a letter describing the situation, including the time of your call, the time the car came by, where the incident occured and an account of your conversation. Express your concern that your complaint to the officers was ignored and received only a derisive reply. Demand an explanation why you were not treated with courtesy. Although there may be good reason for the officers not to go off to chase down the offenders, they should at least have explained this to you and noted the incident.

You should get a response to your complaint. Be sure to send it in writing, not by phone or email.

It's sad when minor offenses are dismissed out of hand. I believe that by dealing with mischief society avoids many future serious crimes.

I normally prefer to visit the police station itself rather than just call the cops. However, I've said in the past that if I get an ignorant or lazy cop, I'll just go to the next police station down the road, report the incident a second time, and report the lazy cop while I'm there.

Re assigned this cops to Iraq