Do any of you already know about welfare checks? This is one of the checks carried out by the police that can support public safety. Although it is beneficial for neighborhood safety, sometimes welfare checks do not always produce the expected results.
To find out more about welfare checks, check out this article.
About Police Welfare Check
Checking the condition of community is a very good thing because this action can guide those who have certain problems and need help. Police officers will check the welfare of the community as those who have the authority to enforce the law. Not only can they be law enforcers, but cops can also assist the community so that their lives remain prosperous.
So what is a welfare check? We can call it either a welfare or health check. This is one of the public services that uses the help of police officers and is used when you think that other people around you are in danger or need help. If a check request has been made, the cops visit the location of the object in question and make sure they are okay.
When an officer conducts a welfare check, the concept is more about helping the community so it may not be strictly focused on law enforcement. The cops will investigate the potential crime that was committed and then use their resources and analysis to help the community. While this is a beneficial public service, there are some bad cases surrounding welfare checks.
There are times when cops go a bit overboard during a welfare check session. You may already know that in the United States, there are quite a few cases of violence against the public committed by the police. Because there are quite a few instances of cops not taking wise steps during welfare checks, some people become hesitant and afraid.
If it is an intense case, then someone can suffer serious injuries to die even though this is not the exact realm of law enforcement. So, while welfare checks have the benefit of helping the surrounding community remain conducive, there are certain risks involved. But, we all certainly hope that welfare checks do not lead to the risk of violence by cops or other such risks.
Why Do People Ask Cops For Welfare Checks?
Welfare checks can be relied upon by people when they don’t have enough courage, resources, and ideas to help someone who is in a potentially bad situation. There are quite a few things that make a person need this public service. Welfare checks are needed when someone is worried or scared that someone around them might get into trouble.
You can see some of the following points which are reasons why someone needs to request a police welfare check:
1. Someone is Unreachable or Unresponsive as Usual
One of the cases why a welfare check is needed is when someone feels that the other person is not as responsive as usual. If someone you know is unreachable, then it could be a sign that they are at risk of crime or other bad problems.
However, there are a few steps that must be taken first before requesting help with a welfare check. Before you request or schedule a check, try to contact your other acquaintances to get more in-depth information about the object.
Other people may know information that you don’t and that relates to why the object in question cannot be contacted. We can tell when someone is unresponsive when they are not as active as usual on social media. Just make sure from several aspects first that the potential bad things about the object are serious enough before requesting an examination.
For example, you might talk to your best friend on the phone 3-4 times a week. But you don’t hear from her and she doesn’t even respond to messages for 2 weeks. If this is the case, then you may need to request a police welfare check.
2. Elderly Cases
Another reason why people need a welfare check is because they are worried about the lives of the elderly around them. You may have elderly relatives. Elderly people are common in human life but what if they live alone, let alone with limited resources?
Because of these or other factors that happen to the elderly, you may be afraid of what might happen to them. They may fall ill or have an accident and not be able to get enough help. If they are injured or ill and live alone, then the people around them may not realize it quickly enough and it may take days.
Welfare check requests can be done so that you can be sure that the other person is healthy enough or in a conducive situation. Since they are elderly, they may need more help and a welfare check can be a source of assistance when needed.
You may need to schedule a welfare check so that their health condition can be monitored with the help of local police officers. As a case in point, let’s say you know that one of your elderly neighbors hasn’t been picking up their mail. In that case, a welfare check might be necessary.
So that you don’t hesitate to call for help, you can check if your elderly neighbor hasn’t picked up the mail for a few days. You can check whether the mailbox has been emptied or not. Then you can also try knocking on the door of your elderly neighbor’s house.
If they don’t pick up their mail and don’t respond when you knock, consider a welfare check.
2. Unusual and Suspicious Activity
When you take a peek at your neighbor’s house and you notice unusual and suspicious activity, this also warrants a welfare check. If you see one of your neighbors’ houses being approached by people sneaking around or even broken into, then please contact the cops.
Welfare check requests are needed in situations like this so that law enforcement can prevent home robbery or something like that. Prevention is better than waiting for something to happen. Therefore, a welfare check is sometimes necessary to deal with potential bad things.
Unusual activities to be aware of are not just about home break-ins. If you somehow hear unusual noises from your next-door neighbor’s house or apartment, that’s also something to be aware of. You may hear loud noises over and over again like objects banging.
It would be worse if there were painful cries or screams that you wouldn’t normally hear there. If you hear such noises, you might be brave enough to knock on your neighbor’s door. But if no one comes to see you despite your knocking, then a welfare check might be just what you need.
3. Suicide Potential
Another area where welfare checks are used is around potential suicide. If you feel and think that someone else has a strong motive to commit suicide, do a welfare check request. Preventing suicide is quite complex but a welfare check can be a wise decision.
As we all know, mental illness needs to be taken seriously and can affect anyone including ourselves. It is important to act quickly on potential suicides around us. Therefore, if you know the high suicide potential of someone you know, then get help through a welfare check.
If the check is done in time, then their life can be saved and it is also possible for them to get life solutions and mental support. A person’s suicidal tendencies can be recognized by many things.
One of them is messages with alarming writing and referring to the desire to end life. You can also find out from what someone posts on their social media or even get clues from phone calls.
If you think it is an emergency, then an examination must be carried out immediately so that the person’s life can be saved. A more obvious case is when you get a direct breakup letter. But in this case, instead of a non-emergency welfare check, it’s more like calling 911.
4. Cases of Child Welfare in The Family
Welfare checks are also about the welfare of children’s lives. You may be worried about the condition of children in a household that is not conducive. It could be that the child’s parents are alcoholics and you suspect physical abuse of the child. If this is the case, then a welfare check is worth doing.
Some of the things we discussed above may not be exhaustive as other specific situations also require a welfare check. Many times we are unsure about a case we are dealing with and are not brave enough to jump into it. If that is the case, then please just contact the police.
Anticipatory measures need to be put in place to prevent anything bad from happening later.
Police Welfare Check Procedure
So what happens during a welfare check? Every welfare check should be conducted with reassurance and vigilance. The exact procedures of a welfare check may vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction but they are all aimed at keeping the public safe.
Here are some common procedures for a welfare check:
- Call the local police non-emergency number for a welfare check.
- Tell them the details of the situation you are facing, it helps if you know the reason why a welfare check is necessary. A few facts might convince the officer of the procedure they need to follow.
- Cops officer will come to the relevant location to start checking
- Initially, every officer conducting a welfare check will make contact with the concerned party first. But if the contact is unsuccessful, they can ask people around for clues and reassurance.
- If the concerned party is not cooperating or responding to the contact, then it is reasonable for the officer to enter the location. So, they can enter the house even without preparing a warrant in advance with a strong enough basis. This is very likely to happen if the officers and people around believe that someone needs help in that location.
- If after investigation, the person is still in good health with no serious problems, then the officer will give you the latest information. But if further help is needed, then the officer will seek assistance such as medical transportation. You will also usually be contacted to come to the location.
- The police officer will conduct a more thorough check if a potential crime is suspected and will proceed with the criminal investigation procedure.
This is more or less the general welfare check procedure, and each law enforcement agency or police force may have quite different procedures. The officer conducting the welfare check will conduct certain analyses to understand the situation better. There are times when police officers will request additional resources to deal with the problem they are facing.
On the other hand, when a police officer is required to check the welfare of a child, they will first look at the child’s life. Factors are taken into account by the police officer and if the living conditions are bad enough or even unsafe for their safety, then the child protection agency can take on the next role.
They can decide on the best course of action to ensure the child’s welfare is restored. The police may request the assistance of a child protection officer so that the child can be checked for physical and mental health. However, it is also possible that the child is a victim of a crime and police officers will conduct further investigations.
Welfare check requests have received a variety of responses, some of which have been favorable. But there are times when there are false requests, and if it’s serious enough, the police may investigate. One of the important things to remember is that a welfare check can allow cops to force their way into the home of the case.
But it can happen when they have enough reason and careful consideration about someone there who is in danger and needs help. That’s all about welfare checks, it’s a public service that people can rely on when they find potentially bad conditions in someone.