Where were the police?

Dear Editor,

I am writing in regards to our local law enforcement officers and whom ever answered my 911 call on the evening of 12/28/2011. I want to explain my dilemma and what came of it. I answered a knock at my front door around 6:20 p.m. and a young black male claimed he was from direct power and was checking to see if I had recieved my rebate check he told me he needed my PPL bill.

This to me was suspicious. I had recieved an email with my PPL bill explaining that this scam was happening in other areas and that these people were not for real. I told the man to come back later when I could find a bill. In the meantime, I was planning on calling the police. I phoned my mother who lives around the corner and told her that if the man approached her house not to give him any information or let him in. The man did indeed come to her house and she called the local police. Also within in this time, I contacted my sister who lives on the next block and the same man had come to her house and given her a different utility company name.

I went to my mothers to wait for the police so I could tell them about the man also coming to my home. They never came. I returned home and the man was approaching my porch for the second time. I ran past him went in my house quickly, closed the door and locked it. I then also called the local police. The rude woman on the end of the line tried to hurry me from the phone, saying some had been sent and the people were probably real. I wouldn't take no for an answer so I repeated to her that the man had come to my house a second time and would not provide any ID. He also poked around in my back yard and pounded on my back door until the security light triggered and he took off.

Again, no officers came to the house. The man then returned a short time later for the third time. By this time, I was scared and feared for my safety so I called 911. I spoke with the man on the other line, explained to him what was happening and he said he would send someone. I waited and waited for hours and nobody ever came.

My niece who had been walking home from a friends house mentioned she had seen the police officers at Percinis market eating hamburgers around the time they should have been coming to make sure I was safe.

Is it customary for police officers and 911 to not show up? I thought these people where supposed to keep the residents safe, not ignore calls for help. Hopefully, if I ever have another emergency someone might actually show up.

Sincerely

Katie Arnold

Tamaqua