Mar 28 2009
A Legitimate Need for Police
Concerning the suburbs of nearby Boston, I find myself confounded over a pair of recent transpirings. Everyone has his or her own way of evaluating the necessity of pressing the 9 and 1 buttons on the telephone. These two examples are at each extreme of that scale, leaving people like me to wonder if it’s worth calling if I’m suffering my own emergency.
In the first instance, a suitcase with an attached note and cell phone was left dormant in front of a Lawrence, MA district courthouse this afternoon. After it was discovered by a maintenance worker, he found the need to phone it in as an emergency. Rightfully so, seeing as it could potentially represent a serious threat to the municipal building’s staff and bystanders.
The call was treated with apathy.
Worker - “I’d like to report that there’s a suitcase laid suspiciously near the entrance to the courthouse, and it’s been there a while.”
Dispatcher - “Uh huh.”
Worker - “It should be reported, maybe have it looked at by the authorities.”
Dispatcher - “Ok. Great.” (click)
A follow up call was made, and the dispatcher once again hung up. After an internal investigation was launched following the incident, the dispatcher might be in pretty hot water. Oh, and the bomb squad who arrived on the scene after the call was deemed to be of a more serious nature detonated the package. Here’s a picture;
In another story taking place at Boston Latin Academy, (the Alma Mater of people like Benjamin Franklin) the police were called and the school was shut down for more urgently serious concerns;
Yes. Boston Latin Academy was shut down because several students had been complaining of vampires in the building. The rumors of vampires roaming the halls and biting students were forwarded to police from several of the school’s pupils, leading to the investigation and subsequent lockdown of an entire school in Greater Boston.
I only wish that instead of pretending to be sick when I didn’t feel like going to school, I had thought of this instead.
Furthermore, I’m shocked that in our terrorist-susceptible culture, vampires were taken more seriously than a possible bomb threat.
If only there were a bomb in the school and vampires outside the courthouse. Oh, my.
Incredible.