Parents, smell your teenage son's clothing today

Got about 6 14-16 year old boys smoking pot in the common area behind my townhouse. Not sure if I should call the police and rat them out or leave them be... I mean, it's not like I didn't *ahem* try when I was in high school...

 

If that was my child you saw, I would want to know what they were up to. I wouldn't mind my neighbor telling me, I would be grateful.

 

And I believe that anyone smoking pot is breaking the law. If you are observing minors breaking the law, don't you think you have a responsibility to call the police?

I think "leaving them be" is the wrong choice in the matter.

 

next time drop a dime on them.

 

dime- NOT dime bag.... hee hee

 

This is one of those things that I've always wondered about. Who exactly would I call? It's not 911 worthy. Could I just be anonymous? How long would it take for the authorities to even come out to check it out? The kids hung out for maybe half an hour. It's not like I'm going to go out there and tell them to stay until the cops get there.

 

703-777-1021

the non emergency sherrif's number.

 

you'd call the sheriff's non-emergency line and hten they send someone out to investigate.

 

I see you point about letting them be, but there could be a chance that someone will go off and hurt themselves or someone else.

We've also seen an increase in petty crime so it's always worth it to call non-emergency to report anything. If nothing comes of it right away, maybe loose ends could be tied up later on.

I did stupid stuff when I was a teenager (wonder how I'm still alive sometimes), but as an adult it irks the crap out me to see kids vandalizing stuff, leaving trash everywhere, etc.

 

Because God looks out for Kids & Drunks.

 

I’m wondering how you know they are just smoking pot? How do you know they are not doing meth, or heroin or a substance that is going to really hook them? Maybe they won’t have enough money to buy more and they will start to look for some way to get the money, like from the neighborhood. My education with drugs says someone is buying and someone is selling. How many other kids in the neighborhood are they selling it to? You may have *ahem* in high school, but I’m thinking times are a bit different now. If you decide not to call, at least have the courtesy to tell your neighbors what is going on so they have the opportunity to take the action they desire. Please let me know if I’m your neighbor.

 

I would call Dept. of Homeland Security

 

Just because you "tried" stuff in HS doesn't make it okay for them to do it. It's illegal! IF you drove once after a few too many, would you hesitate it calling in a drunk driver if you saw them driving through the neighborhood? Whose to say these kids aren't going to go off and try something else because they aren't getting caught doing the pot. I realize I'm going to the extreme here, but I'm just trying to prove my point.
I would think the legal system would be relatively lenient on first time offenders, especially when they are young. Maybe some community service or even just confiscating the drugs and turning them over to the parents. What else could happen? The cops good let them off if they get the kids to tell them who supplied them with it. THEN, all of us other parents don't have to worry about that SOB supplying it to our kids! Being under 18, it wouldn't show up on background checks later in life. So it's not like you are "ruining their life" by turning them into the authorities.
I realize that when my kids get older, they'll make stupid decisions...but I can't help them realize it's a bad decision unless they get caught or I catch them. If you don't know their parents, the only way you can help is by calling the police. Just my two cents.

 

People are getting pretty fired up about this post. Let me explain this one particular situation that I happened to witness today. I would have called the police if they had started doing anything destructive or acting out of control.

I knew it was just pot because I looked out my kitchen window, I saw them lighting something (which is what first got my attention) and passing it around. I had the windows open and smelled the familiar smell a little later. They left after about a half hour as people started coming home. The area they were in is visible from the cul-de-sac.

I am not condoning drug use by minors or otherwise. Chalk it up to I saw it, wasn't sure what to do, but wanted to make others aware there are teens stupid enough to do something like this out in the open. If they are there tomorrow, they will be getting a visit from LCS.

 

I have no tolerance for drug use, and as a parent I would definitely want to know, and would want the cops to scare the heck out of them. IMO you should definitely call and report that sort of thing.

 

Jeesh - folks are getting worked up! I think the standard advice from the board is to call non-emergency and report it (or anything that's strange for that matter). It doesn't hurt.

Thanks for posting btw!

 

In Montgomery County you may call in a report and state that you want to remain anonymous. You can identify yourself in case the investigating officer needs to follow up for additional information and maintain your anonymity. Does anyone one know if that is an available option in Loudoun?


I do wish the LCSO had been summoned. I sure wouldn't want any young ones observing that example of bad decision/behavior.

 

Yes - it's an option. I've called the non-emergency number three times and always had the opportunity to opt out.

 

I definitely would call the cops as well, but let's be real here. Would a police officer really had shown up that quickly? Izzysmom is right when she thought about calling, but what the police have done when they showed up and no one was there? I'm not trying to get people fired up, but perhaps there's someone in the Sheriff's Office that can answer that? What exactly would the police have done? Especially if the kids are not there when the police show.