One night in one of my jurisdictions
I was 10-80 (riding with another officer) and we were sent to a house
concerning possible children in need of care.
We walked through the front door
and were immediately accosted by the smell of rotten food or garbage. In the
kitchen dirty dishes and pans were stacked on the counter about one foot high
with no counter top observable. The sink was also full of dirty dishes and
pans. There were a couple of pans
sitting on the filthy stove filled with some type of liquid. I observed several
of what I thought were cockroaches walk across the stove, climb into one of the
pans then climb back out. My skin started to crawl. The floor was filthy to the
point I wasn’t sure what color it was. The kitchen was filthy beyond description.
Adjacent to the kitchen was a
room with a double bed in it. (not sure if it was actually a bedroom or not) The
bed did not have sheets on it. There were several small children laying on and
playing on the bed. The mattress was covered with numerous dried urine stains.
We left the residence and requested the dispatcher contact the appropriate
social service agency. After contact was
made, the dispatcher told us the agency would go to the residence the following
morning, and that residence was an ongoing case.
I was miserable the rest of
the night because I felt bugs crawling all over me. I c was constantly checking
and there were none on me. I was
miserable until I went home took off the uniform with undergarments and bathed.
This was relatively early in
my career and I was junior to the officer I was riding with. I’m not sure
exactly how I would have handled the situation, however I don’t think I would
have left those kids in that environment for another minute.
How much are we as a society
“our brothers keeper”? Americans especially, like to think their home as their
castle. How much should we try to control the lives of others in their homes? How do we justify the government’s intrusion
constitutionally? The situation I mentioned above was blatant, but where does
society draw the line? Dependent on whom you ask they probably have a different
definition of filth, of unfit for human habitation.
I know social service
agencies have set standards for acceptable cleanliness, but I am trying to get
you, my readers, to look at the big picture.
PS. I am getting the itches
and crawlies just writing this.
Until tomorrow,
Sally S
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