WHY can't people just acknowledge/nod and say hello first? It alleviates tension, and emphasizes that you are a real person - versus an anonymous, dehumanized or profiled target - in the eyes of either a criminal or of a wary, overly protective wanna be. This also gives you the chance to familiarize yourself with that person's facial features, voice, clothing description details, etc. if needed later to report to the police. It is much easier to recall these details accurately when you note them while you are calm and relaxed.
In the townhouse complex where I live, there are lots of frail old folks, and young couples with little kids and babies. I am very fond of my neighbors, and feel very protective of them. So, about 6 months ago I was walking my two dogs, on the way back in through the main complex entrance. I see a short, middle aged black man on a BMX bicycle, just sitting there at the corner looking around. I say "Hi", he says, "Hi" back to me, and at this time an old white man in a car is turning this corner slowly and staring at the guy. I stay put, as the black guy (who actually does look very shady/sketchy, but not dangerous) and I are just talking, and soon both of us were smiling and relaxed after finding out we both used to live in Atlanta, so we are reminiscing about what we each loved about that city. This dude is definitely shady, yeah, but he's also a human being, and he responds to me as another human being. Risk resolved. Tension defused. He's not an ice cold, ruthless sadistic gangster. He's not a sociopath. This is not a news hype moment, not a Hollywood meme scenario. He's just a loser. My dogs never got tense around him, either.
But then the old man, who had been driving 5 miles per hour and probably looking at us in his rear view mirror, quickly backs up his car and stops, staring at the guy. The guy was startled by this and pedaled away out of the neighborhood. The old man rolled down his window and smiled saying, "I have my gun in my lap. He better not ever come back".
After the old man said that was the only time I felt scared. I would much rather chat up a criminal than deal with a riled up 75 year old who has a gun in their lap, you know? Yes, the guy was sketchy, and probably a burglar or a burglary ring's scout casing this affluent subdivision. All the old man needed to do was call 911 to report a suspicious person. As to his concern for my safety, which I thanked him for, all he had to do was park his car by us, roll down his window, and join the conversation. That would have tipped over the sketchy guy's comfort level, and he'd most likely have excused himself and cruised on out of there. No gun was needed, even if the sketchy guy was armed (as he probably was).
I was hoping to take my leave of the guy, and call in a suspicious person report to the police and give his description. The guy may very well have continued on riding around casing the neighborhood, which has only two entry streets. The cops could have found him and questioned him or picked him up on out standing warrants. This could have led to busting a burglary ring, or at least discouraging this guy from coming back to the neighborhood for a while.
As it turned out, thanks to the well-meaning but stupid/scary old man, this dude escaped. OPD has a burglary stake out unit and they placed unmarked surveillance cars around the neighborhood for the next ten days, waiting to catch any burglary or home invasion perpetrators. There have been several break ins and two home invasions in this neighborhood in the past two years. Would have been nice to actually let the police have a chance to catch these guys.
