OT - The harassing calls

[Vic Smith]

They better bring their guns. The harasser has the right to defend himself.

--Vic

[Norminn]

Good grief! Then all the party has to do is make up a story for the police and the callee will be in jail/court....there is no good way to "get back" at an out-of-control nutcase.

As for police, it very likely makes a difference whether the calls are coming once a week or twenty times a day, whether daytime or late night, etc. If the caller is known to the callee, add points. In early stages, the phone co. might take it more seriously than the police...the police like to see blood, or at least some bruises.

My IP has a set up to block emails; trouble is, the IP sends me an email each time it blocks one! I definitely would not respond to them, other than ONCE to tell them that the victim does not want any contact with them. I have been through dealings with nut cases who are not afraid to lie to police; trust me, it is difficult to defend one's self in those situations, esp. when aggressor is a cop :o)

[Malcom "Mal" Reynolds]

Just call the phone company and report the abuse. They handle it from there. You could say there had been threats of violence...how could the caller prove they weren't making them...and if future calls are recorded, it seems the caller stopped making threats

[Stormin Mormon]

Not known. That's a good idea. I figure the harasser will probably try his behaviour on a biker gang, some time.

[aemeijers]

Some of us refuse to pay extra for caller ID, just like we refused to pay extra for touch-tone back in the day. Ma Bell has a lot of balls charging for a data stream that is in the switch anyway, and actually costs them more to NOT provide to the end of the local loop. We also decline to buy modern disposable phones.

[gpsman]

So... what did the others do...? -----

- gpsman

[Stormin Mormon]

Good question, and I don't know.

[gpsman]

That seems odd. By what method did it become apparent...? -----

- gpsman

[Stormin Mormon]

If I don't know, how would I know?

[Hell Toupee]

I had a friend tell me that she had a neighbor who was making harassing calls to her husband and other male neighbors. The guy was accusing these guys of molesting his wife, and threatening to call the police. She dealt with it by picking up the phone next time he called and telling him to leave hubby alone or she'd come over accompanied by all the other women in the neighborhood, plus the cops, and deal with him then and there. The calls stopped.

Seriously, tell your friend to file a police report. It won't necessarily do anything about stopping it, but oftentimes the police tend to give more credence to the party that complained first. So if this caller is threatening people with the police, call the cops first. For all you know, the cops will end up telling you this person has a history of doing this. Maybe they're looking for someone willing to file a complaint.

[gpsman]

You said you know:

From: "Stormin Mormon" Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2011 08:25:24 -0500

"The caller has aparently done this to others, also."

H o w d i d i t b e c o m e a p p a r e n t...? -----

- gpsman

[Stormin Mormon]

If you leave enough quoted text, maybe I'll know what you are asking. Now that you have done so, I can answer. The victim has heard from other people in the same social network, who have been harassed.

[gpsman]

Try scrolling.

You could have answered before, if you could remember how many things in this thread you have recently declared apparent.

And they all exchanged that fact with one another and then went on to discuss things of greater import...? -----

- gpsman

[Evan]

I highly doubt that NYS lacks a law prohibiting making annoyance phone calls, this "deputy sheriff" you spoke to is probably not familiar with them or even the definition of "harassment"...

Do not ask the police for legal advice, the average police officer does not possess an adequate knowledge of the law to be able to give you any sort of useful answer... Police Supervisors often correct inaccuracies in the way of legal gaffs made on submitted reports by the officers under their command...

Speak to an attorney for legal advice, in this situation, an inquiry made to the local district attorney's office would be in order for advice on how to proceed in a way which will result in usable evidence being generated which can actually be used against the person making the disturbing phone calls...

~~ Evan