We had something somewhat upsetting happen yesterday. Paul was on a walk and discovered an older man lying by the side of the road. A car pulled over, and Paul and the driver helped the man up. The man seemed disoriented at first (was resistant to the idea that there was any need to get up; tried to refuse help), but, once up, seemed much more alert, claimed he had just fallen and was fine now, and said his truck was parked right over there with his two little dogs inside, and he would just drive home; he said he lived right up the street. Paul and the driver were like nooooooooope we are doing any plan except that one, and helped him into a nearby business (it was below freezing out). Paul texted me, and I came over with the car, in case I and/or the car could be of any help. Paul wanted us to drive the guy home, but (1) then the guy wouldn’t have his truck, and might not remember where the truck was and/or might have trouble retrieving it; (2) there were two small dogs in the truck; (3) Paul and I are not in any way qualified to assess the difference between “drunk” and “drunk plus another medical crisis” and “something that looks like drunk but is in fact a medical crisis.”
Someone at the business had called 911, and instead of an ambulance arriving, police arrived. [Edited to add: Because it is coming up repeatedly in the comments section: The officers did not seem to be familiar with the man.] They did not check the man to see if he’d hit his head when he’d fallen, or do any other medical checking or questioning; one officer instead immediately started trying to get the guy to say he’d been driving under the influence. (There are several restaurants/bars serving alcohol within a block of where we were. It is legal to drive into town and then drink in those establishments; it is legal to then walk outside. It is legal to have a drink and then have an unexpected medication reaction or unexpected medical event which causes you to fall to the ground.) Perhaps I should not have gotten involved, but I was already involved, and the ingenuous tone of the questioning (“Wait…sir, I don’t understand: how did you and your truck get here?”) gave me an immediate surge of adrenaline. I interrupted the attempt to get the man to incriminate himself, and asked if there was any merit to the idea of us driving the man, his truck, and his dogs home. After all, if the police were confident this was in no way a medical event, it seemed much simpler for us to just deliver everyone back safely to where they were supposed to be. This led to a long exchange I knew I would not win, but I was hoping that I was mistaken at how things were going down, and that at any minute an ambulance would arrive and that it would turn out the police were merely first on the scene. An ambulance did not arrive. The police took the man away, saying he would be in protective custody for four hours, and telling us the small dogs “would be fine” in the truck, in below-freezing temperatures, in the coming darkness, for those four hours. They took my information, as if they had any possible reason for doing so; I gave them my information, even though I know better, because I am apparently incapable of disobeying authority figures. (Though I appear to be developing a new ability to question them, so there is hope for further progress in the future!)
Paul walked over there an hour and a half later, to check on the dogs, and the truck/dogs were gone, so our hope is that the man was able to call someone to come get them. The whole thing leaves me, today, going over it again and again in my mind, wishing I’d said/done something different at absolutely every stage.
I am so angry that calling 911 for a medical emergency gets a police response instead. That’s enraging.
You did the right things
THIS! WHY would they not send an ambulance??? That seems ridiculous to me. Proud you questioned their response.
honestly, this is unacceptable. they have no idea what caused his fall or whether he needed emergency healthcare. This is what gives the police a bad name.
I’m appalled for you! And this is why I have trust issues. Because THEY DID WHAT? WHAT????
You did not mention the skin color of this person, but I”m curious if that was a factor?
Blargh. It might be helpful, in future, to have direct number for an ambulance instead of using 911. WHICH DEFEATS THE ENTIRE POINT OF 911 BUT HERE WE ARE.
Gahhhh. What if it was a diabetic emergency or stroke or other medical issue? I have several friends who are police officers and have a good opinion of the police in general, but this is the kind of thing that scares me. I guess it’s one thing if the guy reeked of alcohol, but you didn’t mention that. Would it have changed your opinion/preferred method of dealing with it if he had?
No matter how strong the aroma (and I’d note that drinking alcohol is legal for adults), there is “drank too much and needs help getting home” and there is “drank too much and needs medical intervention to prevent poisoning” and there is “drank some alcohol and is also having a medical event” and there is “drank some alcohol and also fell down and needs to be assessed for injury,” and that menu of options needs to be navigated by a medical professional; and so my opinion and preference is still medical professional first. I don’t even know what the police would be need to there for in this particular situation—except of course as responders who were able to get first to the scene and try to do what they can (warm blanket, soothing words) until the medical professionals arrive.
There’s actually other, medical reasons why someone can smell like alcohol- like diabetic ketoacidosis. It also matters not at all if this man is a regular or not: this call needed EMTs to dual response at the least. Dispatch messed up here in not sending an aid car.
I’m so sorry and frankly this kind of thing is a big part of why I became an EMT as a volunteer for my local fire station. It’s nice to be in the room, so to speak, sometimes and be able to hold law enforcement accountable in those situations.
Thank you for trying to do the right thing!
Right before I read your post, I read this article about a similar experience a woman had with the police. It’s truly upsetting. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/18/us/washington-woman-dui-arrest-brain-bleed.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Wk0.dtXY.fv5sjVLCZiaH&smid=url-share
I don’t know that there’s anything you could have done differently, but I’m sorry that man was put through that by the police and that they just made assumptions when he may have needed medical care. I’m hoping that the truck being gone is a good sign that the man called a family member and that that family member is helping him.
Yikes! I am so sorry that this happened and also that you were privy to it except that I hope some small amount of good may have come or may yet come from the latter.
Not that it is my place to do so, but might I call on you to levy your outraged-local-parent-and-community-serving-librarian persona to write one (or more!) strongly worded letters to … your town council members? The police themselves? The local animal shelter (tax-payer funded, not non-profit, assuming the former exists and you may have choices) to express your shock and horror at the way these events unfolded and the ways in which they endanger the safety of community members (lack of appropriate medical attention, reluctance to call 911, well-being of hapless dogs)?
Aiyiyi. Thank you for being there and seeking to help, even though your efforts did not fully achieve what you (and any reasonable person) would hope they would.
Oh, this does sound upsetting. I don’t know how you could have done anything differently, but I wish the outcome had been different. I’m relieved to hear that the dogs and truck were rescued/dealt with.
ACAB. This is very par for the course for cops. I’m not sure there’s anything you could have done. It’s enraging that 911 didn’t send an ambulance.
One-hundred percent.
In the state I live a restaurant or business selling alcohol can not serve someone who is intoxicated. This information came as a shock to me after I became the owner of such a place. I mention this because it does not seem to be common knowledge that this is the law here and the information isn’t easily found online. I would encourage anyone reading this to not assume that it is legal in your state even if you see it happening. It also is not legal to be intoxicated in public in most states. The only reason I can think of that might explain part of your situation is the officers having a prior interaction with the gentleman. The officers bringing the gentleman with them was a way to insure his safety. I feel strongly that a basic check for stroke and concussion could have been done. You could call their department and ask what the protocol is in these situations.
I assume that in most states (and airplanes) it’s illegal for a restaurant to serve someone who is *visibly* intoxicated, but deciding who counts as “visibly intoxicated” is tricky, and in any case, no one was asking anyone to give this guy a drink. They were asking that he receive a medical assessment.
That is upsetting. It would have been ideal if there was a family member/care taker he could have gone home with. I wonder if the cops knew him and if this was a pattern for him. The upside is that you and Paul got him off the street and out of the cold.
That does sound upsetting. At least you helped get him out of the cold and the dogs weren’t left in the car too long.
If you ever start to think that the police are here to help us, just remember Uvalde. The police are here to protect and to serve .. themselves.
I think one of the most upsetting thing about getting older/wiser is learning that the institutions we were brought up to believe would protect and help us (police, government) do not, in fact, do neither of those things more often than not.
I wonder what the person who called 911said (this guy is drunk vs. having a medical emergency). That might have been the difference in who showed up (cops vs ambulance). In my city if you call 911, cops/ambulance/fire dept. all show up.
As others have said, you and Paul were good citizens and that’s more important than ever!
::sigh::
Not surprised. I am very “Karen-y” when it comes to police officers, although what I would have done might have ended up with me arrested. I would have started filming and asked the officers why they were certain this man didn’t need medical attention. Ask them what kind of medical evaluation they had done. Narrate everything happening and film it.
You and Paul did a good job. And you can probably check and see if he was arrested for something and if so, reach out and offer to be a witness.
UGGGGGGHHHHHH this is why I’m not sure I can ever call 911 again. My daughter’s conviction that only the worst, most racist and misogynist and assholish, boys from her high school went into police foundations isn’t doing anything to make me hope policing will get any better either. Good for you for questioning – once they were there I’m not sure there’s anything else you could have done.
You did what you could in a tough situation. I’ve heard that the cops always come when 911 is called to protect paramedics in case the person is armed or violent and the average citizen may not be the best at figuring that out. One of the biggest problems with that is that cops usually assume that anyone they come in contact with is up to no good. I don’t call them anymore unless someone might be dying but I live in a city where they are known worldwide for being at best less than helpful. My friend lives near an empty lot where stolen cars often get abandoned. He will check and see if the doors are unlocked, try to find a registration with a name on it, look up the person on social media, and call them to get their car so that no one has to deal with the police, impound fees, and whatnot. I’m glad you went back to check on the dogs!
I meant to add that this guy could have been dying so calling the authorities is basically the only option unless you drove him to the ER yourself which potentially puts you in danger. The system is one size fits all (or maybe none). Hopefully, your kid’s generation can fix some of this stuff.
As wife of 80 year old veteran with Parkinsons disease this is my worst nightmare!! During an “off” medication period, he can definitely seem drunk.
American Parkinsons organization has an ID card with this information that he carries:
I HAVE PARKINSON’S DISEASE
PLEASE ALLOW ME TIME TO COMMUNICATE.
If I need help, kindly contact the person listed on the
other side of this card. Thank you for your help and
understanding. For more information on PD contact the
American Parkinson Disease Association at 800-223-2732,
http://www.apdaparkinson.org
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurological movement disorder problem.
I may slur my words, seem unsteady on my feet, or not be able to move
at all. I am aware of what is going on. Please be patient with me.