M-Taliesin
Regular Member
Howdy Folks!
I work up in Brighton but live in Aurora. We live in a mobile home community.
Behind the clubhouse is a swimming pool. It is entirely enclosed in a chain link fence, and padlocked when closed.
After work I returned home around 9pm and as I came to an intersection where I could see the clubhouse pool, I noticed several kids had climbed over the fence and were in the pool. Terrific! One of those kids drowns and their parents (shoddy as they must be) turn and sue the park for their young'uns trespass. So I drove around and stopped my car in front of the clubhouse.
I was OC'ing my P94 Ruger .40 cal in an IWB holster with black pants and a black tee shirt. I headed directly for the pool area, and there they were, swimming merrily away.
"What the hell are you people doing in the pool?" I asked in a gruff manner.
Two other hooligans on bikes, just outside the fence, ran off when they saw me. I heard one tell the other "That guy's a cop!"
I've never said I'm a cop, but if that's what they think, peachy! The more of these young criminals in the making that believe I'm a cop, the less likely they'll be to do nefarious things around my home. We've had vandalism before, but this year has been much quieter around my neighborhood.
Anyhow, not satisfied with the answer I got from those kids, I hollered
"Get your butts out of the water. There is a reason the gate is padlocked."
Then I asked the girl, while taking out a notebook and pen:
"What is your name and lot number?"
She gave a name, probably bogus, and said she did not know her lot number.
"How can you not know where you live? Are you mentally impaired?"
She said they'd just moved in and she didn't know her lot number.
Then to the boy I demanded;
"What is your name and lot number?"
He gave a name and lot number, both I'm sure will prove to be bogus as well.
"Get your butts out of this pool area now. Not ten minutes from now. NOW!"
They dried off with towels then climbed back over the fence.
"Next time I see you kids in this pool when it is close, I'll detain you for arrest. Got it?"
They left the area and I wanted to kick myself for not holding them there until calling Aurora PD, but I left my cellular in the car. Meanwhile, I am pretty certain those kids will pass the word that they got busted for trespassing in the pool area by what they believe (however falsely) was a cop. Talking with another neighbor moments later, I learned that this isn't the first time kids have climbed the fence to swim after the pool is closed and that her husband also ejected kids from the pool several days before. But this time, those kids were met with an armed man who was quite commanding in his demeanor.
Another neighbor, while discussing hooliganism in our neighborhood, noted that there was much less trouble in our end of the park this summer. Usually every summer, there is some sort of trouble. One year kids went around using spray paint to put graffitti on homes. Another summer, kids went around busting windows out of many cars in the park. This year we've had none of that. One of the reasons for my open carry is for that message to go out to the young hoodlums responsible for such activity that at least one homeowner is armed. That encounter at the pool will further ensure peace in our neighborhood, because they believe (albeit falsely) there's a cop on my street.
All in all, I think it was a favorable exercise.
Blessings,
M-Taliesin
I work up in Brighton but live in Aurora. We live in a mobile home community.
Behind the clubhouse is a swimming pool. It is entirely enclosed in a chain link fence, and padlocked when closed.
After work I returned home around 9pm and as I came to an intersection where I could see the clubhouse pool, I noticed several kids had climbed over the fence and were in the pool. Terrific! One of those kids drowns and their parents (shoddy as they must be) turn and sue the park for their young'uns trespass. So I drove around and stopped my car in front of the clubhouse.
I was OC'ing my P94 Ruger .40 cal in an IWB holster with black pants and a black tee shirt. I headed directly for the pool area, and there they were, swimming merrily away.
"What the hell are you people doing in the pool?" I asked in a gruff manner.
Two other hooligans on bikes, just outside the fence, ran off when they saw me. I heard one tell the other "That guy's a cop!"
I've never said I'm a cop, but if that's what they think, peachy! The more of these young criminals in the making that believe I'm a cop, the less likely they'll be to do nefarious things around my home. We've had vandalism before, but this year has been much quieter around my neighborhood.
Anyhow, not satisfied with the answer I got from those kids, I hollered
"Get your butts out of the water. There is a reason the gate is padlocked."
Then I asked the girl, while taking out a notebook and pen:
"What is your name and lot number?"
She gave a name, probably bogus, and said she did not know her lot number.
"How can you not know where you live? Are you mentally impaired?"
She said they'd just moved in and she didn't know her lot number.
Then to the boy I demanded;
"What is your name and lot number?"
He gave a name and lot number, both I'm sure will prove to be bogus as well.
"Get your butts out of this pool area now. Not ten minutes from now. NOW!"
They dried off with towels then climbed back over the fence.
"Next time I see you kids in this pool when it is close, I'll detain you for arrest. Got it?"
They left the area and I wanted to kick myself for not holding them there until calling Aurora PD, but I left my cellular in the car. Meanwhile, I am pretty certain those kids will pass the word that they got busted for trespassing in the pool area by what they believe (however falsely) was a cop. Talking with another neighbor moments later, I learned that this isn't the first time kids have climbed the fence to swim after the pool is closed and that her husband also ejected kids from the pool several days before. But this time, those kids were met with an armed man who was quite commanding in his demeanor.
Another neighbor, while discussing hooliganism in our neighborhood, noted that there was much less trouble in our end of the park this summer. Usually every summer, there is some sort of trouble. One year kids went around using spray paint to put graffitti on homes. Another summer, kids went around busting windows out of many cars in the park. This year we've had none of that. One of the reasons for my open carry is for that message to go out to the young hoodlums responsible for such activity that at least one homeowner is armed. That encounter at the pool will further ensure peace in our neighborhood, because they believe (albeit falsely) there's a cop on my street.
All in all, I think it was a favorable exercise.
Blessings,
M-Taliesin