Unattended Babies in Hot Cars Question... Law Enforcement Viewpoint?

[Kate]

It's been alarming reading one news report after another concerning babies and children dying from being left in hot cars. I suspect some are deliberate with thoughts of "getting away with it"... but my question is about the "proper" (if there is one) response to *seeing* an unattended child in a hot car.

I've heard two opposite answers to this... one is call 911 immediately and stay by the car until police and emergency workers arrive. I'm not sure I could stand there possibly watching a baby die even if help is just a short distance away.

The second line of thinking is that a child could die, so call 911 first but then break that window if the car is locked possibly saving the child's life.

So bottom line question... any consequences for a citizen doing that if a child is in danger? Most likely the parent or babysitter would claim just having been gone for a few minutes... would *that* change the consequences since no one knows if it's true or not?

 

[askanison]

Of course call the police, but unless you know for certain the child is close to dying you wait for the police to show up. Also take pictures of the car and the baby left alone in the car in case the parent comes back and leaves before the police get a chance to arrive. I would never have left my infant unattended in a car running or not. It is too easy for a child to be abducted, get heat stroke, just a million things could happen and you would have, by neglect, murdered your child.

 

[Kate]

So bottom line question... any consequences for a citizen doing that if a child is in danger? Most likely the parent or babysitter would claim just having been gone for a few minutes... would *that* change the consequences since no one knows if it's true or not?

Follow-up to my post here... not sure if I should call it comical or not, but I just heard that a lady in... New Jersey, I think it was, returned to her car to find that EMTs had smashed her car windows to get to the unattended baby in the car seat.

Only it was a doll that her granddaughter had put into the car seat.

 

[Kate]

Of course call the police, but unless you know for certain the child is close to dying you wait for the police to show up.

Any thoughts on how you would determine whether or not a child was "close to dying?" You can't tell things like that from outside when the baby is inside.

Good thought about taking pictures... I'd be sure to include one of the license plate as well.

Bottom line is that I wasn't asking whether or not to call the police... that's a no-brainer. I was asking about the next step. I have heard authoritative information that contradicts other authoritative information.

 

[bravetran]

I can only speak for Canada, so it's probably very different for Americans. Here in Canada, if you see a pet or a child in a locked car unattended on a hot day, even if you are unsure if the child or animal is distressed or not, you are allowed to break into the car and rescue them. Of course, one should phone the police, but those minutes it takes for an officer to get there can kill.
A quick Google search shows that some states in the US do allow this practice. I just think it should be allowed because it's just a good practice and you can save lives this way.
Also it tends to be get the child/pet out as quickly as possibly and phone 911 while you're doing it or after; priority is saving a life.

 

[Ricardo187]

If I see that the baby is having troubles to breath, I'd surely break the window even before calling the police, but else I'll just call and wait. Perhaps try to interact with the baby and go in the supermarket(if I'm in one) and ask the people to call for the parents on the microphone.

 

[Peninha]

No question there, the problem is spotting these situations, they are not that common, but if I saw it I'd break the window that is for sure.

 

[Ricardo187]

No question there, the problem is spotting these situations, they are not that common, but if I saw it I'd break the window that is for sure.

And sadly we're not looking inside everyone's car when we walk through a parking lot so I guess these situations are really hard to spot sometimes, unless the baby is crying or something like that.

 

[bala]

If i find some baby inside a car,i surely would smash the windows and get it out,but sadly we don't get to watch inside every car,which makes the task difficult.It is the care taker who should realize that leaving behind the baby in the car can prove fatal.We really can't do much,unless we notice it.