Vanity: House Surrounded By Officers This Morning - Dogs Survived!

Vanity Post | 8-27-2013 | Celeste Christi

[CelesteChristi]

We hear about overzealous Police Officers on a regular basis. This morning my house was surrounded by Riviera Beach, Fl Police Officers. Except for the pure surprise of it, this encounter with the RB Officers was a most pleasant experience. There was a manhunt in progress. The officers were concerned that the suspect had broken into my house and was holding us hostage. They woke me by banging on the back door. I greeted them with a CZ75B.

[CelesteChristi]

The officers and the RBP Dispatch had tried to reach me by phone, but I work late into the night and at 8:30am I'm still asleep. Oddly enough before they banged on the back of the house they called my Mother who lives in another city in South Florida (how did they know her number?). NSA? She told them I was asleep and provided them with the number of a second cell phone number here at the house. They called that number as well, but as I said I was asleep. Before they managed to wake me they encounterd my two 100-lb German Shepherds in the front yard (which is why they went around the house and over the back fence and to the back door). They did not molest my dogs and they were not offended that I came to the door armed. They were very polite and concerned that the gunman they were searching for might be in the house. They were the epitome of Officer Friendly and I can't tell you how much I appreciated both their demeanor and performance on duty. Here in Riviera Beach we've had some bad apple Officers as a Google search will bear out, but the Boys in Blue that came to my house this morning were a credit to the force, and I'm very grateful to them.

I posted this because I never read stories about the good cops in America, but they're still here. I know. Half a dozen of them were on my back patio today, standing in the pouring rain trying to make sure we were okay.

Thanks Fellas.

[Resolute Conservative]

Sadly we always hear about the small percentage that are bad and that feeds the hate.

[Jeff Chandler]

"Poweese? Ruh roh!"

[Secret Agent Man]

Sad to say your experience is getting rarer and rarer.

When it’s Officer Safety above ALL ELSE, and all it takes was a “I felt threatened”, things don’t end well for the regular citizen.

[Shimmer1]

Very glad to hear it turned out so well, good police and you weren’t being held hostage.
It’s not such a low percentage of bad police anymore I’m afraid!

[centurion316]

A good outcome, no police, dogs, or innocent civilians injured. That should be the outcome in all such cases.

[MeganC]

Sad when this kind of behavior from the police seems to be exceptional. But good on the RB police for acting like protectors instead of enforcers.

[Frapster]

My brother’s one of the good ones - love this story. Thanks for sharing.

[golux]

My brother was one of the good ones, too. So he quit the Police. (D.C. MPD)

[NEMDF]

Did they end up catching the bad guy?

[CelesteChristi]

Did they end up catching the bad guy?

I don't know.

[Utilizer]

Glad to hear it. Both that you and yours were uninjured, and that there are some LEOs that are not JBTs, apparently. Wish that was the rule, rather than the exception. I have some friends who used to be on various Law Enforcement Departments, and what I have been told by them just makes it all the more a happy occurrence this time around, and kudos indeed for the LEOs that were so out-of-character, courteous, and polite with you.

[Uncle Miltie]

Glad to hear someone can still have a good experience with Cops in America.

I’ve had 12 out of 12 bad experiences in my life.

[Tammy8]

My daughter walked out her back door one morning to see she had several LEOs in her yard...they quietly told her they were waiting for her neighbor to come outside because they had arrest warrants for him. They patiently waited for him to go out to the parking lot and then arrested him with no fuss. This is in contrast to the many stories about swat teams going to serve warrants, wrong house, shoot dogs, etc. Some LEOs are still doing things the right way. The only thing that bugged me is her little weenie dog usually barks her head off had not made a sound about the cops in the back yard.

[Sequoyah101]

This is hugh and serus! Cops entered a home with dogs and didn’t kill them? You gotta be kidding me.

They must have just eaten or something.

I can’t believe you didn’t get shot as well.

[apillar]

Being a terrible insomniac, I often walk my dogs at weird times like 3 AM. One night I was walking the dogs on a path down by a local creek when all of a sudden this helicopter flew over and trained it's spotlight on me, about the same time a dozen police vehicles swooped in and trained their spotlights on me. Starting to feel like the guy in Close Encounters of Third Kind, I wasn't sure what to do but stand still until I was told otherwise. After a few seconds the helicopter moved on and heard yells from the vehicles of “Not Him!” and “Some guy walking a dog!”. Then without a word to me, they drove off.

[roamer_1]

Before they managed to wake me they encounterd my two 100-lb German Shepherds in the front yard (which is why they went around the house and over the back fence and to the back door).

I see a flaw in your security plan... Especially if such a threat (confirmed by the dogs) didn't wake you up.

The dogs SHOULD be dead, or the intruders on your property should not have been able to intrude... Just sayin'

[RinaseaofDs]

Outstanding!

Thanks for posting that, and glad you are safe.

[Humal]

This is good to hear, and I too am glad you, your family, and especially your dogs are all O.K. (surprised your dogs didn’t pitch a fit, though). What you might want to do is to send your well written account of what happened to the Sheriff or Police Chief. A well-deserved “attaboy” is appreciated by the whole department.

[Safetgiver]

Oh. OK.