
Police Officers Reveal Everything About All Hands On Deck Crime Scenes
[rebelmouse-image 18358647 is_animated_gif=The brothers in blue have a tough job and there are incidents that sometimes require a swarm of cops. From violent crimes to air disasters, these stories are ingrained in officers' memories.
S-IVB_Upper_Stage asked, Police officers of Reddit, have you ever had an "all units" call, and if so, what happened?
Submissions have been edited for clarity, context, and profanity.
Darn them pesky rodents...
[rebelmouse-image 18358648 is_animated_gif=Twenty-five years ago, smallish rural town, my dad is a beat cop on patrol. My cat brings in a live mouse and is playing with it in the kitchen and my mom is deathly afraid of rodents. So she calls dispatch and tells them my dad needs to come home. Dispatch gets on the line and tells my dad to switch to a secured line, there's an emergency at home. My dad's driving home to take care of the issue when all of the cops (probably like 4) of my small town on patrol come with sirens and lights blazing on my house because all they heard was there was an emergency at my dad's house. My mother was mortified.
When you're not keen on highway abbreviations...
[rebelmouse-image 18358649 is_animated_gif=Years ago, Friend of mine was a dispatcher for the County- he covered sheriff, EMS and fire communications, and also worked with communicating with other agencies as well.
From the state troopers, he got some sort of text communication( not a phone text this was before that was a thing) and it referred to an accident with injuries at the intersection of I-40 and Business 85.
Something along the lines of "COLLISION I-40 BUS 85 INJURIES INVOLVED"
The way it was abbreviated and written made him misread it - instead of an accident at 85 Business, he thought there was a Buss Collision on I-40, with 85 people injured.
He dispatched every damn fire truck and ambulance the county had, they show up and it's a 2 car wreck with minor injuries.
Edit: wasn't actually I-40, but I can't remember which highway it was - somewhere in Davidson. I know the Bus 85 part is right though.
I hope I get to use the line "send everything with lights" someday...
[rebelmouse-image 18358650 is_animated_gif=When my buddy was still new, he worked in a larger city. They had just gotten the "shoulder mics". You know, the ones every cop has now mounted up by their mouth so they can call in easier? When new to them, they wore the cord in FRONT of their shirts, always "in the damn way". And great handles when people wanted to wrestle. Jimmy was called one night to a bar brawl. He strolled into the bedlam almost over. He was a rookie, always getting the sh_t detail, so he was becoming famous among his department for ruining his uniforms. To the point he was having to come out of pocket to replace them. He walked into a vet telling him to "cuff everyone still here", they'll sort them out later.
Jimmy grabs the closest guy, they struggle a little and go down to the ground. As they do, rrrriiiippp, Jimmy splits his pants "clean up the backside". Knowing he's going to be the butt of jokes anyway, he turns his head to announce to the other officers, "Well, that's another uniform down!" And keys his mic. Base hears "uniform down". So does everyone else in the county.
The radio EXPLODES with chatter, but the three cops at the bar already have their hands full....so they turn down their radios. (FU #2)
Base decided to "roll everything with lights" to the scene. Jimmy said they were glad of the help when the first few cars rolled up...but they just....kept...coming....
He was known as "Jack the Radio Ripper" till he transferred.
Minor reprimand and he still had to pay for the pants.
An hour-long fight? I want tickets.
[rebelmouse-image 18358651 is_animated_gif=Former cop here. The all units call was basically a riot at a large nightclub in a very rough area of the neighboring city. Once things were finally calmed down and the dozen or so people were taken away and my boss wanted us all back in our city I was amazed at not only how many cops showed up but from where....counties and towns I had never heard of before. I looked up a few at the end of shift and some came from an hour plus away.
Doesn't new equipment come with instructions?
[rebelmouse-image 18358652 is_animated_gif=So, I interned at the local PD at a time when all stations received new radio devices. The new devices looked a bit like old cell phones and had a bright orange "panic button" on top. It was meant for situations where e.g. a single police officer was attacked and needed help. Pushing that button resulted in all communication on the standard "channel 1" being turned to one-way communication only (so all units would listen to what's going on wherever the panic button was pressed) and an automatic "all (free) units call". All other units had to switch to (the much weaker) "Channel 2" to communicate -- but Channel 2 only allowed 1 device to speak. (So either dispatch OR car 1 OR car 2 etc. could talk, but not multiple people at the same time like on channel 1.)
To disable the panic mode, you had to push the bright orange button in a certain way (think of holding it for 3 seconds followed by 4 quick pushes). It could not be done remotely.
This happened in a rather large city where some police stations are closed at night (usually the ones in the suburbs where few calls come in). That night, an older PO closed down the remotest station in the suburbs and decided to shut off the radio devices. You guessed it, he pushed the panic button on top because he thought that's where the devices were to be turned on and off, without realizing what he did. He locked the station and went home. Since it was the first day of using the new radio devices, quite a few officers were unsure how to turn to channel 2. Basically, all communication was blocked. Cue panic everywhere with frantic cell phone calls to dispatch, and dispatch trying to figure out who closed that station (and thus had one of the only keys to open it), so the panic mode could be disabled. This unintentional "all units call" turned into an actual "no units (can) call", though quite a few units were busy trying to resolve the situation.
This is at least 3 stars in GTA, easily.
[rebelmouse-image 18358653 is_animated_gif=Police Dispatcher here,
Usually, these happen whenever an Officer screams for help or when there are calls for a shooting in progress or something else high priority that requires a perimeter set-up.
It's tempting to push those buttons.
[rebelmouse-image 18358654 is_animated_gif=Our local school has a spring festival that's a big fundraiser for us. The local police have been extremely supportive, and always send out a VW bug painted in police colors. The officer they send is great with kids and an excellent ambassador for the force. So, bright sunny spring day, kids milling around, carnival atmosphere. I'm walking with my friends, one eye on my kids. My friends have their non-verbal autistic son close by since it's a lot of stimuli. He loves the police car. Sirens, lights... it's awesome. Officer McFriendly crouches down to eye level as the boy is sitting in the car. The boy turns to him and offers a 'high-five'... landing his hand on the officer's radio. More precisely, on the 'officer down' panic button. Like the doleful eye of Sauron, every cop in range turns to converge on the schoolyard. The officer realizes what's happening and manages to wave off the imminent hot takedown of a pre-schooler... but I must say there was genuine fear in his eyes.
A bomb threat was called in to distract from a bank robbery.
[rebelmouse-image 18358655 is_animated_gif=Former Royal Canadian Mounted Police here in a small tourist town. Was working on a regular, mid-week day shift when we received a dispatched call for a bomb threat, in the industrial/commercial sector of the town. We all went there, called in the bomb squad, the dogs, got people out of the area, and so on. We were doing roadside when we got another call that the local bank's silent alarm was turned on.
Now, we are in Canada, in a tourist town, things are usually relatively calm. But this. This was absolutely chaotic. We got the All unit call, they call our neighboring detachment to help, we all split and head to the bank. We arrive (around 20 some patrol cars all around) there to see all bank employees bounded and gagged, smoke everywhere from smoke bombs.
We realize very quickly that the bomb threat was the diversion, we immediately got a BOLO out to get the 3 males, identified by the Bank staff, including a former bank employee. We get the BOLO out to CPIC, got words to airports and border crossings. We managed to catch 2/3 of the guys, the last one flew back to his home country (was in Canada on a student visa). We remained on high alert for days after this, looking for the third guy.
Canadian authorities worked with their colleagues from the other guy's country to get him extradited almost a year later. In the end, as I recall, about $130,000 were missing and never recovered.
For most of us, it was the first time we had a bomb threat and/or a robbery. First time we were guarding an area, expecting to be shot at from an unknown location. (The robbers were reported to have AK47-type looking weapons).
Edit 1: BOLO - Be On the LookOut for / CPIC - Canadian Police Information Centre Edit 2: Changed deported by extradited. N.B. I won't name the town or the country involved.
Imagine having to tell a colleague they aren't dying...
[rebelmouse-image 18355596 is_animated_gif=Prior to changing careers, I was a deputy sheriff working for a relatively large county in the Midwest. Each deputy had their own "zone" within the county they had to cover. One Saturday morning after working the night shift, I overheard over the radio that a unit was performing a routine stop. He was calling in the info when over the radio frequency, static and loud blasts were heard, followed by "Officer hit! Officer hit! Shots Fired, Officer Down!" I'll never forget that day. Like I had tunnel vision, I high-tailed it about 30 miles over and I was about 3 minutes away (initially 20) before being able to report back to dispatch to inform them I was en-route. In total 3 jurisdictions, 40 total units responded. Arrived on scene, 4th or 5th unit there in a standoff with a person in a vehicle who we later determined to have committed suicide. The officer was shot several times but survived. He was about 4 months away from retiring. I remember performing basic life support on him, cutting open his shirt and applying pressure. He looked at me, tearing up, "hey, tell my wife and kids they're always number one in my heart and thank you for the best years of my life." I said, "you're not dying." I changed careers shortly after and now I'm a medical student. My revelation.
Edit: Wow, thank you so much for the encouragement and the response! I appreciate the gold! :) I rarely tell this story since it always makes me emotional, but I will utter the same sentiment many officers would say, I was just doing my job! As corny as it sounds, I have a tattoo commemorating this event in my life. It's the Sigil of the Archangel Raphael (the archangel of healing)
Where are you that you need all hands on deck once a month?!
[rebelmouse-image 18358656 is_animated_gif=Usually about once a month or so. We're taught that if you need backup if sh_t's hitting the fan, call it in and worry about how many people come later.
A unit was on patrol 2 weeks ago and some guy just started shooting at him. All the unit got out was "34th st, 10-33 I'm taking fire" (10-33 is the code for sending the cavalry/Officer in need of assistance). It all ended fine, we caught the guy, no injuries, but you better believe every officer in our area dropped what they were doing and went.
Another recent one a mini-riot broke out at a candle vigil for a murder victim. An officer stepped in alone (bad move) to stop the fight, and started getting his ass handed to him. All he said was "Patomic, 10-33" but it worked. We came in, dispersed the crowd, and got out.
Edit: good chance to rant about a pet peeve of mine. When 1033 goes out, there are always a few units who block the air with useless chatter. "hold me responding" "what's their location" "dispatcher I'll come back to my current assignment later" "do they need a rifle on the scene ". It drives me CRAZY. Get off the radio and leave the air clear for the unit fighting for their lives. And every unit not on something absolutely necessary is required to respond, why would you waste time to say you're going.
Not jumping in front of a moving vehicle is a good policy.
[rebelmouse-image 18358657 is_animated_gif=I got run over by someone fleeing the scene of an incident that they weren't involved in. He just got scared and apparently had a gun on him. I was out of my car talking to the person who called and my partner was trying to stop the person who was really called on, so he didn't even see me get hit. No one knew I got hit or where I was because my radio went flying. Luckily there was a lot of witnesses who called 911 and found my radio. I confused the dispatcher because I was in so much shock that I came over radio taking like I normally do, but I was bleeding badly from my head and broke my leg. I didn't feel the pain for about two hours.
So I had that call come out because of me. I'm also pretty sure a policy got made because of me too.
"I'll never do that again."
[rebelmouse-image 18358658 is_animated_gif=I remember listening to an episode of This American Life where an officer accidentally locked himself in the back of his car when he went to take a nap. He left his radio in the front, so he called dispatch and was like, "Don't make this a big thing, just send one unit to me." And then dispatch proceeded to call out the code for "Officer Down." So then he heard a bunch of cars put on their sirens and race to him.
"Crimes of passion" are still crimes, yo.
[rebelmouse-image 18346749 is_animated_gif=Not a police officer, but I shadowed one a few years back. They had an "all units" call that day at around noon to some house out in the woods that was partly in their bounds but some of the driveway was not (as part of another county's bounds). The entire police force which totaled out to be around 12 police cars, 2 officers each (minus our car which was the officer + me but I'm not an officer) arrived at this place and this house looked like a bit of a trainwreck. Somebody nearby had reported hearing gunshots and screaming (there were a few houses near this one, but not really too far apart).
I couldn't go in, but everybody else did. According to the officer I was shadowing, they found a guy sitting and staring at a blank TV screen quietly humming to himself with a shotgun in his lap. Several officers stayed with the guy (who was totally out of it) and others, including the one I shadowed, went upstairs. They found a dead woman and man laying in bed together, and in another room a young child which had been strangled to death.
Apparently, the man downstairs came home to his wife in bed with another man, and he grabbed his gun and just straight up shot them, but that guy wasn't the one who killed the kid. The wife did, according to a journal that admitted to her adultery for many years and the "intolerable screaming" coming from the child.
Don't know what the guy got charged with/how long he went to prison for, but man the whole thing was just so f_cked up.
Every. Damn. Weekend. In. College.
[rebelmouse-image 18358659 is_animated_gif=I work as a police communicator at a local university, usually, an 'all units' call is a fire alarm at one of the buildings. However, most of the time it's a false alarm and someone just burnt the popcorn in the lounge.
My cop uncle once smashed his thumb to get out of work.
[rebelmouse-image 18354477 is_animated_gif=We had an all units call to one of our own stabbed. Everyone went hell for leather to get there, to find one of our guys on the floor with a stab wound to the stomach. We searched everywhere for the suspects and anyone matching descriptions was arrested. So turns out the officer did it to himself. He'd heard you couldn't be fired from work if you were injured in the line of duty (he was under investigation for a minor issue, not anything involving the public. Just breach of procedure) I don't think I've ever been so disgusted with a colleague in my life. All the other "all units" calls I've been to have been genuine and luckily my colleagues unhurt.
I almost called one myself when someone pulled out a sawn-off shotgun at me. Luckily that panned out OK!???????
Hearing shots over the radio would freak me out...
[rebelmouse-image 18344873 is_animated_gif=We have calls almost daily that kind of meet this requirement. We have patrol sectors, each with a 2 man cruiser and a 1 man cruiser. The 2 man cars handle the high priority calls and the 1 man cars handle the more mundane stuff. So when a call comes in like shots fired both sector cars go and usually other sector cars start radioing in that they are also responding. I do remember 1 night at midnight, which is shift change, we had a 2 man unit that shot a guy who pulled out a gun on them. You could hear gunshots over the radio and the car calling for help. The dispatcher kinda stumbled a bit, then said: "everybody go, everybody go."
Ride along goals?
[rebelmouse-image 18358660 is_animated_gif=I was doing a ride along in college in a fairly small city in GA when we got an "all available units" call. The address came in, the lights and siren went on and we were hauling at about 120 (mph) across town.
I had no idea where we were headed until we got there. The only thing the officer said to me was, "no matter what happens, stay in the car. If you see anyone with a gun call it out on the radio like this (showed me). If any of us get shot, call it in and stay in the car."
Then, he took a deep breath, calmly got out of the car, and took off at a sprint towards a forty person melee in front of the only strip club in town.
We were the first car there. Over the course of the next 30 seconds, officers arrived and kept coming until they outnumbered the people fighting. The officer I was riding with was completely on his own for a 10 second eternity and was able to rip about 10 people apart from fighting before backup arrived. It was the single bravest and most humbling thing I've ever seen with my own eyes.
When it was all over, he got back in the car with 3 drunk and beaten up dudes in the back, turned to me and said, "So when you gonna sign up?"
I've got a couple more stories from that summer doing ride alongs if anyone wants to hear.
Military PTSD is sadly real.
[rebelmouse-image 18358662 is_animated_gif=You might like this tale from a military base that will remain unnamed! While doing a shift change inventory of the armory, one of our security forces guys noted that a weapon was missing and signed out to none other than the security forces commander himself. They send a unit to his home in base housing to retrieve the weapon and address the situation. When they enter the commanders home they find that he's threatening his family and himself with the sidearm. The junior of the pair read the situation as the commander is trying to get attention to address his poor mental state and has no lethal intent. He decides to fire a round into the commander's leg and then disarms him. This kid ends up getting step promoted to E5 but also received a Letter of Admonishment for firing his weapon without lethal intent.
This doesn't seem like something you recover from.
[rebelmouse-image 18358663 is_animated_gif=Happened to my dad when he was stationed overseas, there was an airshow disaster in Germany and he was already there so he was one of the first to respond. He struggles with it still. fireworks and barbeques remind him of the smell of burning flesh that day.
Have you ever heard of a certain job that people call a career and thought... "PEOPLE PAY YOU FOR THAT?!?!"
All hard, honest work is good work.
And then there is just trash work.
And I don't mean garbage collection, that is honest work.
I don't know how some people live with themselves.
Redditor MrTuxedo1 wanted to discuss the careers they don't believe people should chase. They asked:
"What job do you have no respect for?"
Ticket scalpers. How do you the audacity to say that's a job?
Actual burglars have more empathy.
Disrespectful
"There are debt collectors who call relatives of the deceased to pay off their debts when they are not legally obligated to."
Top_Gun_2021
Shady. Shady.
"Australian Real Estate Agents. Laws don't seem to apply to them. Just as dodgy in sales and rentals alike. Never seen anything like it overseas."
snave_
"I'm in the US, it can vary state by state but my state is pretty strict on realtor laws. Some states require attorney review and there are definitely penalties for being reported for shady sh*t. It does require consumer reporting though."
ilostmytaco
Etransfer
"Where I live, tax info was leaked and now scammers are targeting low income individuals/families (people earning under 30,000 per year) with etransfer scams. I got one the other day that was an etransfer warning that 240$ 'a family member sent me' was about to expire."
SnowyInuk
"That’s disgusting. The scammers know what they’re doing, they know the harm they cause people and yet they don’t care."
surelysandwitch
Should be illegal...
"MLM managers. Not the low level idiots that get suckered into it, they suck too for trying to bring new people into that sh*tshow, but the people who create them know exactly what they are doing and are pretty much the only ones who profit off of it. Should be illegal. Pyramid schemes are illegal. None of them ever get the just desserts except occasionally by vigilantes I assume."
Wereno
I hate debt collectors. Yeah, you calling me one hundred times a week is going to miraculously make money appear.
Animals
"Paparazzi."
VictorBlimpmuscle
"I met Jack Gleeson (King Joffrey from Game of Thrones) at a bus stop in Dublin. Really nice guy but he said he quit acting due to people being nasty online and constant hounding from paparrazi. He's happier now but it sucks that he was pushed away from a career he was quite good at."
goobi94
Scumbags
"The pastors at mega churches whom ask their followers for money for private jets. Absolute scum to abuse others faith for your own greed."
ichancho
"Brian Tamaki is a greedy freaking pig, he takes advantage of so many people who are already struggling. Every time he’s in the local news (which btw is often) I get more and more pissed off at him and his wife. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Tamaki "
surelysandwitch
it’s a thing???
“'Dating Expert.' Sadly it’s a thing. It’s basically a self appointed title that requires no training or qualifications. What’s worse, is that I have a female friend who uses one. It’s very much a blind leading the blind situation."
Mean_Manufacturer_61
"Most of the self proclaimed “dating coaches” I know are women in their late 30s or early 40s who have never been married or had a longer relationship."
ipozgaj
EVIL
"Poachers. Especially big game poachers who purposefully hunt nearly extinct animals from species they know they are on the brink."
"I know there are poachers that come from rural villages who are trying to just put food on the table, which has my sympathy but poachers who come from money and hunt down animals minding their business in most shelters or restricted areas just to put a head on their wall as a trophy are absolutely heinous."
GetterdoneObiwan
I See It All
"Psychic Mediums. Specifically those who prey on the grieving."
JamesDeadite
"I've always found it interesting how many magicians go after people like this. I think it's because they know what it takes to trick people for the art. The slight of hand and mentalism. And they abhor people who use these tactics for such sh*tty purposes."
34HoldOn
I want so bad to believe in psychics and mediums. What say we on that topic?
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The nose is constantly being attacked by odors of the world.
Going through one day without having to hold my breath during a certain point, is a miracle.
Of course, I'm a New Yorker, so I maybe exaggerating for people in the countryside.
What's funnier is odors that are pleasant, that shouldn't be.
Have you ever looked and something and thought... "yuck."
But then you smelled it and it was like... "oh lovely,"
Redditor HappQueue wanted to know what aromas are arousing to the senses that may come as a surprise to many. They asked:
"What smells good but shouldn't?"
For some odd reason I love the things burning. Anything, food, pots, pans. You name it. Weird.
Blow
"Matches/candles on a birthday cake. I remember lighting matches as a kid purely to blow them out and inhale that sweet match-y smell."
semispooked
"guilty good"
"I work at a Chemical plant. We make a highly acidic product that is dark blue, viscus, highly corrosive, and smells exactly like Fruit Loops. It is incredibly disturbing."
Turin082
"Organic chemistry has many 'guilty good' smells. Thiophosgene (sulfur derivative of a chemical weapon used extensively in WW1) apparently smells like meat. Phosgene is used to make polycarbonate, thiophosgene is used to make some sulfur-containing molecules which eventually end up in therapeutic drugs."
HammerTh_1701
I can't huff it...
"Paint, specifically house paint. I love the smell. But anytime I hear that anyone is painting a room or their house, I volunteer. I just love sitting on the floor in a room that's been freshly painted, closing my eyes and just inhaling that slightly chemically, slightly creamy aroma."
Neowza
A Hint of French...
"A fish and chips shop burnt down as couple blocks from work a few years ago. The whole neighborhood smelled amazing for days. Just the slight hint of French fries. Nothing overpowering. It was so awesome. Until I found out someone was trapped in the fire and died."
stevey_frac
Drag
"Race fuel. Instantly puts me in a good mood as it reminds me of going to the drag races with my dad when I was young."
garfnodie
Fuel and matches get me too. And they sort of go together. Interesting.
Just like the Movie...
"The water from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Mmm, bromine."
Stalkerslovemy
"This is one of my favorite scents of all time, and Disney is very aware that people enjoy it. Evidently it’s a lot harder to recreate than just adding bromine to water."
cash4panties
"black widow".
"There's a chicken wing restaurant near my house that has a challenge sauce called "black widow." The owner claims it to be around 500,000 scovilles. A few years back some buddies and I decided to try them, the sauce was a dark molasses color and smelled almost like a BBQ sauce, no hint of the danger that lurked at all. We each grabbed one wing and it went terribly. I don't know how something so spicy could smell so innocent."
Final-Chapter
Endless Weekend
"Hotel/rented rooms whenever you go on vacation. There's this particular smell that just says 'you are on vacation,' especially on a beach/swimming trips/out-of-the-town vacays."
Yummy_Llama
"Bath and Body Works has a plug-in scent called Endless Weekend that replicates that scent (to my humble nose)."
Exxcentrica
"oh no..."
"Someone you are attracted to's body odors. Anyone else who is slightly unhygienic smells repulsive."
Mini_gunslinger
"I remember back in high school a girl leaned over, sniffed me, told me that I smelled really good, and asked me what cologne I was wearing. I asked if she was joking, and she's like, no, you smell really good. When I told her I had just gotten done with gym class, she gets a small 'oh no...' look on her face and turns away. I think we both had a revelation that day."
user deleted
That Smell
"The smell inflatable things give off. I have no idea how to describe it, but it’s… nostalgic? to me."
crestfxllen
I do love the smell of plastics and inflatables. Ahh....
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At one point in time, we've misplaced things that we've considered priceless possessions.
It's hard to imagine how to go on without the lost object–whatever it may be–but over time, it becomes a distant memory and we move on.
That is until we magically find ourselves presented with this opportunity proposed by Redditor mikehotel288, who asked:
"You find yourself in a room with everything you’ve ever lost in your life. What do you look for first?"
There are necessities people cannot do without.
No More Dry Lips Ever Again
"Gonna be a lot of chapstick in that room."
– camefromxbox
There are things that bring us comfort and are irreplaceable.
Safety Blanket
"My baby blanket. It became tattered over the years—to the point where I couldn’t reasonably wash it anymore—so I had to throw it away a little while back."
"I have heavily regretted that decision. I was really attached to it (hence it being in tatters), but I really wish that I kept what was left of it instead of throwing it away. Just knowing that I’d still have it would be a huge comfort to me."
– Uearie
Sentimental Heirloom
"The pendant my dad had made for me with my grandmother’s engagement diamond. It was 2 carats. It disappeared from a Las Vegas hotel room 20 years ago. It was hidden deep in a suitcase where it would not have been easy to find. It was just GONE. Cops didn’t do anything. Didn’t even come to take my statement. Cleaning lady said she thought she saw an elderly man enter my room. The guy I was with was not sympathetic in the least. Entire situation was f**ked. I’m still so upset about it."
– MaritimeDisaster
Lone Shark
"My plastic shark toy I lost when I was 10. Ain't no f'king way it just VANISHED."
– Guilty_As_Charged__
Not everything lost is tangible.
Tick Tock
"The time I wasted."
– shinyfennec
It Holds Value
"My private key with 6 BTC in it."
– Significant_Mirror19
"I didn't lose one, but I'll check my room for yours just in case."
– Smodphan
Finding Purpose
"The reason I walked into the room."
– Lloyd_lyle
Lost Opportunity
"That one girl i spoke to on omegle lol"
– h-amishh
If only we get to reunite with those we've lost.
The Loved Family Member
"My grandpa."
– Splatty_boi_420
Grieving Parent
"My daughter. She’ll be in my brother’s arms. So I’ll find both things I care to look for."
– SeeTheFence
Missing Mom
"My mom. She died of cancer in 2017. She never got to meet my daughter. I miss the hell out of her and wish she was still part of my family’s life."
– X-Arkturis-X
The Animals That Come Into Our Lives
"My pets that have passed: especially my horse, Blue. It's been 4 years, but it feels like just yesterday."
– Baciandrio
While many of these scenarios are unlikely, the thread gave people an opportunity to reflect on the things that made a strong impression on their lives.
Sometimes, the memories of the things we've lost–whether they are random objects or sources of love–is all we have.
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What's worse than returning home from a night out or a workday and discovering your home was broken into? Being home when the break-in happens.
Home invasions are a common trope portrayed in horror films like The Strangers and Funny Games, and they're absolutely terrifying because they are based on real-life incidents.
Redditor silentagent47 asked strangers to consider this horrifying hypothetical.
"You have 5 minutes to prepare before a guy breaks into your house with the intention to kill you. You can not exit your house. What is your strategy to survive?"
The hunter becomes the hunted, inspired by TV and movies.
Duplicating A Scene
"There was an episode of Burn Notice where Michael puts aerosol cans in the microwave with kitchen utensils and hits popcorn button. I really want to know if this works or not."
– JohnSterlingSanchez
Epic Burglar Trap
"Speed-watch Home Alone."
– pluribusduim
It's about the choice of weapon.
Jump Scare
"I get the vacuum cleaner ready in a certain room, I turn it on as hes about to enter to create a distraction, then I jump out when he's inspecting the noise and bonk the f'ker on the head with the piece of 2 inch steel tube I keep as a weapon."
– BustedBastard
Beware of Dog
"Unleash the Hounds"
– myassonreddit
Make A Weapon
"Duct tape a bunch of knives to the end of one of those tall lamps to make a spear of blinding and then proceed to go sicko mode."
– DubTheeBustocles
Preparing For A Thwack
"Turn shower on, for some reason I have a shovel behind my wardrobe?? So grab that. Wait for him to check shower, whack with shovel. Boom."
– hypersp00p
It's Just A Game
"Corner camp with a shotgun."
– Arrow3619
A Warm Welcome
"Hairspray and a lighter to his face."
– WorkingClassSheep
The effectiveness of these tactics are questionable, but points for creativity are warranted.
Stand Still
"Put a lamp shade on my head and stand in the corner of the room."
– Cannabis_Sir
Make It Erotic
"I turn on all the lights, take off all my clothes, rub butter all over myself, and start a fake conversation on the phone. As soon as he breaks in I say into the phone: 'I’ve gotta go, my next appointment is finally here…”
– FrankieTheAlchemist
Forget The Stairs
"Go to the LIVING ROOM."
– on-oath-never-again
Removing The Element Of Fun
"Draw an X on my forehead and grab a beer."
– Candycoatedmuffin3
And that's why I would opt for living in a commune or apartment complex.
People who own houses are just asking for forced entry.
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