April 22, 200818 yr I don't think pulling out a cell phone and dialing 911 could be considered public panic. I agree. Falsely yelling fire in a crowded restaurant is inducing a panic. Was anyone harmed or put in any danger (other than the swimmer) ? Doesnt sound as if he intentionally led people to think he was in danger.
April 22, 200818 yr Think about what you just said the next time you're drowning. The police should have beat the tar out of the bafoon! Fortunately for him, they are professional and did EXACTLY the right thing. This guy needs to do some serious jail time for staging such a horrible public hoax. This is no different than yelling "fire!" in a crowded theater. Anyone in their right mind would assume that someone in the middle of the river is drowning. The very last thing you would think is that some idiot is actually being foolish enough to swim across. So the caller did exactly the right thing to try to save this man's life. Maybe he should have sat there and watched him a while to see whether he was "really" going to drown or not. Now that we've established that it was right to call for emergency help in this situation, let's look at what could happen because of it. The police, fire, and rescue units, as well as multiple water rescue units have to fly to the scene at high speed in order to rescue the victim. Not only is this terribly costly, it takes the officers away from patrolling and take the other units away from responding to a possible "real" emergency. Then of course, there's the terrifying prospect that someone could be killed in an auto accident involving one of the emergency responders. Are you going to laugh it off and say how unnecessary it was at the funerals of the accident victims? And what about the copy-cat, who read about this genius's exploits and tries it for himself? "Surely, if he can do it, I can too!" Whose going to explain it to his family? This guy created a public panic by performing this foolishness at a time when it was obvious that he would be spotted. And he did so in such a way that he was certain to be mistaken for a drowning victim, fallen from one of the many boats or from anywhere else along the river. There is only one person who did something wrong -- the swimmer. There is only one person who made a mistake -- the moron swimmer. :thumb: Police are darned if they do and darned if they don't.
April 22, 200818 yr My dad had a good comment on the issue. The dude should've bet the cops $3 he could swim back.
April 22, 200818 yr My dad had a good comment on the issue. The dude should've bet the cops $3 he could swim back. :laugh::laugh:
April 22, 200818 yr Have charges been filed as inducing panic? If so I'm gonna ask the D.A his take on things, he's a pretty good guy, and I'd be kinda surprised to hear if he pursues these charges much further.
April 22, 200818 yr Although he's a shmuck for doing it, he did nothing illegal and I think arresting him is just plain silly. Really, isn't there something else better they could be doing like arresting real criminals? They should have given him a stern talking to then made him hang out in his wet clothes....And how did I miss this, I was walking across the river at that time!
April 22, 200818 yr Although he's a shmuck for doing it, he did nothing illegal and I think arresting him is just plain silly.Having your entire family killed by a speeding fire truck wouldn't be very "silly."
April 22, 200818 yr :thumb: Police are darned if they do and darned if they don't. Amen to that! :ylsuper:
April 22, 200818 yr Having your entire family killed by a speeding fire truck wouldn't be very "silly." What in the world are you talking about???
April 22, 200818 yr Was anyone put in any danger (other than the swimmer)?Yes, all of the emergency personnel...everyone on the streets along the routes those vehicles traveled...and your pocket book, if you live in one of the responding cities.
April 22, 200818 yr Im glad I didnt go practice for my triathlon in the Ohio....they might of thrown me in pokey..
April 22, 200818 yr Im glad I didnt go practice for my triathlon in the Ohio....they might of thrown me in pokey.. People go to pieces when you swim in the Ohio River. Be careful.
April 22, 200818 yr Isn't there man eating carp in the Ohio? O well, during the tri I will have my tracking device on so they will at least find my carnage!
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.