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Originally Posted by mikeod;77***7
Here's what I glean from the OP's description. A group of young adults were gathered near the dance area, but not on it. One of them had a pet snake around his neck. The presence of the snake scared the OP. Period.
Posts that attribute malicious intent by the young man are jumping to a conclusion not supported by the description given. If the intent was to "scare the old people" wouldn't it be better for the snake to be carried around the dance area or seats? Since the snake was obviously a pet, why would you think he cares so little that he would allow it to escape and be lost?
Posts that malign the police do them a disservice. If the snake is not prohibited from the area by law or regulation, they have no reason to ask the man to remove it because one or two people express concern about its presence. They are there to enforce the law, not cater to personal likes/dislikes. Now, if the presence of the snake was causing widespread panic, different story.
Do I think it was a smart thing to bring the snake to the square? Nope. But, I sometimes shudder remembering things I did as a teenager or young adult. Do I think it was a dangerous thing to do? Maybe for the snake, but not for the people there.
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I don't believe my post
maligned the police, but I certainly don't believe they are above
criticism when they receive a complaint and don't even bother to interview the source of the complaint.
This is not the first thread in which people say their complaints are met by a statement from the police that they can't do anything about an issue.
I have a multi-agency law enforcement career which included experience with a small town police department, one of the largest sheriff's offices in the nation and an elite federal agency. I am as pro-law enforcement as you can get.
Nevertheless, I cannot conceive of a situation where a police officer would not at least talk to the source of a complaint in an attempt to resolve the concerns of the person making the complaint.
In the case under discussion in this thread, the python is regarded as an exotic pet which requires a (cost free) license to own. At the least the police could have spoken to the owner to assure that the proper license existed. In the same conversation the officer could have made the owner aware of the concerns of the complainant and perhaps the owner would have removed the snake from the area in consideration for those who were made uncomfortable by its presence.
In my law enforcement career I never failed to talk to the source of a complaint, even when I knew no violation of law had occurred. Sometimes you meet some very nice people when you do so.