Some of us were talking last week, and a question was posed: If a citizen is forced to commit a justifiable homicide. A purely justifiable case of self-defense. Is that citizen required in law to notify the police?
We all agreed that if you have to kill someone, calling the police is a good idea, but that wasn't the question. Are you required to call the police?
This question was posed to a retired state trooper with 20+ years of service, and to me, a guy who carried a badge for 37 years. The two of us were stymied.
Let me be clear, in any situation of self-defense, there are only two roles. The victim and the bad guy. You, as a good guy/victim want to call the police, if for no other reason than to have them come and remove the corpse. But, the question remains, are you required by law to call the police?
6 comments:
That is a good question.
Well, if I'm reading correctly, here in FL there is no general requirement to report a crime. However, there are mandated situations regarding child abuse (social worker, teacher, etc.).
Doggone interesting question!
Reminds me of a conversation a friend had with a Wildlife Officer out in California concerning killing a mountain lion.
"See that backhoe over there? You'd never know."
I am sure there are laws/rules about how you handle the sanitation (i.e. the disposal of the body) issues. I wonder if a coroner or a mortician could answer that question?
I think every state has requirements to report death at some level. Creating a public nuisance?
Just call 811 before you dig.
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