A would-be robber goes up to the teller, gets cold feet and rips up her note

boing
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The reality is…it certainly can be either way right?

But in this case…I happen to personally know a couple Fall River officers, and my spouse worked in the school department for the better part of 5 years and also dealt with her share of officers through her capacity as a School Psych/Counselor, and she will tell you she met a lot of good people who cared about a rough very down trodden community.

Like I said…I just would hope for the best in this case. I don’t think they would see “attempted robbery” as a worthwhile pursuit in this case. She didn’t even make a threat of any kind, so the odds they could make anything stick would be low.

EDIT: in reply to @GulliverFoyle Again I would argue the system itself is not corrupted absolutely. There are times when the system has worked and worked well. In particular that is when it is good people pulling the strings and doing right by the community they serve. So I would disagree in saying that the good ones matter…a lot.

It’s a moot argument as this thread really shouldn’t be about “What is the overall state of the legal system of the US”…it is really about…“Why did this young woman do this in Fall River MA, and is someone there trying to help her in any way?” Which is where my optimism lies…I hope someone is.

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it definitely can be MANY ways, but i get defensive about the current tendency to paint all cops as bad people. i think it’s balancing to remember that there are definitely good people who work for the police, too, who always try to do the right thing, no matter who they are dealing with.

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Of course it is, Fall River suuuuuuuccckkkkks kehd

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Even if it’s only mostly corrupt, and I happen to think it’s very nearly completely corrupt, it’s still not trustworthy. I simply can’t place any confidence in it or suggest others to, though I respect that some will disagree with that analysis.

Well I agree we are getting a little off-topic and should steer it back around to the case at hand. My issue is, if they’re trying to find her to help her, then why describe it as an attempted robbery, a very specific criminal misdemeanor as you say, on their Facebook post? That to me is a red flag.

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Good question, I suppose technically that is an accurate statement on their part…but, I’d rather not make assumptions about the intent. I seriously dislike it when people do that to me, so I will refrain from doing it to others. I’d prefer just to think the cake is just a cake.

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This is more like “contemplated” robbery.

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Agreed. I mean the note isn’t even threatening. I fail to see what she could actually be charged with…maybe, bad criminal style choices? Who wears Under Armor for a robbery?!?

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Anyone who recognizes the woman in surveillance images is asked to contact Fall River police.

Here’s a handy guide to talking to the police:

Step 1:

Don’t.

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I love this. I want it on a shirt.

“Are you being optimistic about pessimism, or pessimistic? Wouldn’t an optimist say, ‘sure we can if we only try harder’?”

I agree with this point.

That said, is it an individual cop looking for her for this reason, or did someone higher up in the department say to find her because of this?

I mean, if she tore up the note instead of presenting it to the teller, she didn’t “attempt” the robbery. At worst, she littered by not taking the pieces with her.

Also, why didn’t she take the pieces with her? That’s an odd decision, to leave them behind. Someone who was about to rob a bank, and then changed their mind would surely not leave behind evidence of the intent, right? Weird.

I find myself wondering if this was some kind of performance art…

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I might even argue it’s not littering as it is not public space.

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The paper should have said:
“You forget a thousand things every day, pal. Make sure this is one of ‘em.”

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I wouldn’t take the chance either way. But that’s me.

I kind of doubt someone in this situation is thinking clearly and rationally, even though deciding not to go through with it was certainly a wise decision.

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Are you a cop? Because you have to tell us. It’s the law.

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If I was I’d already have said so a long time ago. I do not hide who I am what I am about nor my history.

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image

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#notallcops

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Or a gub.

You’d think that the bank would have accessible shredders for the convenience of the customers.

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I blame the police response to this non-crime on the insidious “do something” urge.

Sometimes the hardest thing to do is nothing at all.

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If she does come back and rob a bank and the police hadn’t made an attempt to find her first, people would be mad at the police. I can totally understand the police wanting to find her first.

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To be fair if someone is obviously contemplating a robbery and even begins to execute it but gets cold feet, I think it’s reasonable to want to know who they are. They might be inclined to steel themselves and try again. I would suspect that lots of criminal careers get started with baby steps.

At the very least you’d want to know if they are in some kind of trouble that is compelling them to consider this route. She seems to have a conscience; maybe she needs help.