Having a block party to meet the police

Has anybody heard of anything so stupid? A couple months back there was a notice in the newspaper that some people in town were expected to hold block parties, so everybody could come, and the police would be there, and everybody can come and get acquainted with the police. First of all, why would anybody want to do that? Second of all, turns out our neighbors are one such family having one, going around inviting everybody, us included, and we declined. Oddly enough now suddenly everybody has got amnesia and even though they're the ones holding the parties 'we didn't hear anything about the police coming', even though it was plastered all over the paper.

Now a few questions I've got, 1. First thing we're told is nobody has to bring anything...sounds like all the food and drinks are being supplied, and who does that for a block party? Now I take this as meaning either 1. they think we're too poor to bring food, or 2. everybody's gonna sign their names to their own cups and then later be collected to take everybody's DNA.

2. This isn't a revolving door town, most people here have lived here all their lives, it's not like we're an epidemic of people moving in, why would we want to meet the police? Especially since nothing of this sort has EVER come up before.

3. This sounds like an invitation for trouble, we have about 20 cops in this town, if they're all at block parties meeting all the neighbors, WHO is going to be called if any crimes are committed that night? Oh but we find out, the rookie cops will all be left behind at the station incase any calls come in...leaving the rookies in charge? Is there a reason why we're not supposed to meet them? Is there a reason why the newbies are being left in charge on what could potentially be a payday for crooks? In my opinion it's too many questions and everybody's too suspicious to supply any answers. Why would the hosts of said party suddenly forget the police would be involved when that was the sole idea when this idea was originally brought up?


How about everyone here? If it was you, and you were given an invite, would you go, or not?

Well, I'm used to cops shutting down block parties.....not one being thrown to invite them. Retarded to me. No, I wouldn't go to that.

Yeah, nobody on this side of the block is attending, all for a variety of reasons but the #1 being nobody wants to go, nobody's really interested in meeting the police and answering their questions all night, especially when you add to the fact it's on a week night when people gotta go to bed early, and the party's held in a driveway at a time when it's going to be RIGHT in the 100+ sun. Seems to me for this being planned so far in advance it could be executed a lot better.

I'd like to know what everyone else here thinks about the whole idea.

I never heard of cops coming to block parties as community guests. There's gotta be a better way to become friend with the fuzz.

Yeah really. And NOW the story is the whole point of this is to teach us about safety, what the hell? We stay safe because we look after ourselves and don't rely on the cops who either never come, or when they do, anything that somebody does to us, it's OUR fault.

Our dog got bitten a couple years back and they send a cop out, he spends 20 minutes asking to see our IDs and asking to see our dog's papers and looking through our house instead of going out to look for the dog. And when we first called it in, they told US to go out and see if the dog has tags and read them! Safety my ass.

My thinking on it is they just want to know where everybody lives, how many people are in each house, and ask them a bunch of questions and if you don't answer them, it's 'what've you got to hide from the police?' I don't trust any of it.

I think you are being too suspicious of the whole thing. It is probably as simple as the department realizing that their public relations suck and they need to remedy that and this was idea #1.

Since you don't like you local p.d., I can see how the idea seems lame to you. Plus it sounds like the whole thing is just being thrown together. But something like that, well organized, in an area it will be well-received, could be a very good thing.

The police couldn't come to one of my parties.