A conversation with a policeman, on my doorstep, at 6am this morning:
Policeman: Uh, hello. Sorry to bother you so early.
Me: How can I help you?
Policeman: Is that your Mercedes out front?
Me: Uh... yeah.
Policeman: Well, we picked up a couple of kids in the neighborhood this morning. They'd been going around taking faceplates from car stereos. A couple of neighbors caught them and called it in. We picked them up pretty quickly. Is this your faceplate?
Me: Yeah, it is.
Policeman: Alright. These kids were pretty apologetic and they've been telling me where they got everything... So here, let me give this back to you...
Me: Thanks
Policeman: Yeah. So. I guess they were just going around and trying to find unlocked cars. I guess yours was unlocked.
Me: Really?
Policeman: Yeah. The question now is if you want to press charges or not. I mean, you'll have to go to court and everything if you do... but...
Me: Well, I don't know. How old is this kid?
Policeman: Sixteen
Me: Is he scared?
Policeman: Well, I gave him a good talking-to and he's really shook up. His friend is worse off—he had four faceplates and a stolen laptop. We've tracked down most of the owners though...
At this point in the conversation, I carefully weighed the fate of the sixteen year old hooligan and made my decision. But I'm curious, Blogtownies. What would you have done?
