Dial 911 ... and Die

Do the police owe a duty to protect citizens from criminal attack? This book explains why, in most of the United States, the answer is "no." In most cases the law does not even require the police to respond to emergency 911 calls. This compact paperback devotes one short chapter to each of the 50 states, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the District of Columbia and Canada, to show how statutes and court decisions consistently hold that the police generally have "no duty" to protect individual citizens. Most chapters reveal the true stories, taken from published court opinions, that describe the plight of citizens who relied solely upon their telephone and police response for emergency help against a violent criminal. Not only did those crime victims not get help, the local government and police escaped legal responsibility for failing to help those victims. Highlighting the importance of personal and family defense, the book also retells 45 stories about people who successfully defended themselves long before any police could help. Footnotes provide full citations to primary and secondary legal sources for all laws and case decisions. 271 pages; footnotes.