When is reporting a person to the police required?

[RZehr]

Answer the poll assuming these are not allegations, but undisputed simple facts. Are these bare facts alone enough to warrant police action. Or will your actions change if the law breaker is your son or father? Or what circumstances affect your decision?

[Ken]

Required by law or "required" by the Church?

And what is "molest?" Is it running fingers through someone's hair? Pinching them on the butt? Kissing them on the lips? Or sexually violating them in an act of rape?

[Josh]

Required by law or "required" by the Church?

I think he’s asking what we think is ethically / morally / spiritually required by our values.

Legally, not that much reporting is actually mandated to be required.

[RZehr]

Required by law or "required" by the Church?

I think he’s asking what we think is ethically / morally / spiritually required by our values.

Legally, not that much reporting is actually mandated to be required.

Correct. Should be pretty easy to check if it is required by law. That's not the question. Think of situations that break the law, but we are not required by law to report.

And what is "molest?" Is it running fingers through someone's hair? Pinching them on the butt? Kissing them on the lips? Or sexually violating them in an act of rape?

Those are up to you to clarify with your answer. These are the details that each person considers in addition to context and circumstances. And yet we find them often encapsulated in the same word: molest. So-and-so molested so-and-so.

For example, #3. So if your 8 year old daughter runs her fingers through your 5 year old sons hair, did she "molest" him? Technically she did. She may have "pestered" him. But she hardly abused him.

But I did have the meaning of sexual molestation in mind for the poll, not pester. I'm curious what people consider to be the threshold for reportable "sexual molestation".

[Ken]

None of the above for me, but the poll won't let me select that option.

That doesn't mean you don't take action in some of these cases.

When I was about 5 and got caught stealing a pack of gum from the grocery my parents drug me back inside the store to talk to the store manager and make restitution. But they didn't call the police. That seems the appropriate course of action.

If I have a 17 year old co-worker who is submitting fraudulent time cards I would tell them they need to stop doing it because I'm not going to cover up for them. And then maybe report it to the employer if I thought it was continuing to be a problem. But that is an issue to take up with the employer, not the police.

If a 15 year old who I knew was smoking, drinking, or doing drugs, I'd tell the parents but not call the police.

As for the kids "molesting" kids. That really really depends on the circumstances and what you are calling "molestation" A 17 year old boy raping his 6 year old sister or neighbor kid. Yes you involve the authorities. An 8 year old boy planting an unwanted kiss on his 6 year old sister? not so much.

[Ken]

But I did have the meaning of sexual molestation in mind for the poll, not pester. I'm curious what people consider to be the threshold for reportable "sexual molestation".

Without actually looking up what the law says here.

For adults interacting with children, I would consider it any sexual attention of any kind. Physical, verbal, or visual such as flashing. There are no circumstance where anything of this sort is ever appropriate or legal. I'd report any of it.

For children interacting with other children it really depends on the circumstances, age of the children involved, and what they were actually doing.

For adults interacting with adults I think you are getting into #me_to territory. But basically I think you are talking about any unwanted sexual attention AFTER it has been made clear that the attention is unwanted. In other words, "no" means "no" and consent is required. In these cases it is usually up to the person involved to report. But you might encourage them to do so.

[RZehr]

Not reportable threshold as far as the law is concerned. Reportable threshold by some other deciding factor.

[RZehr]

Looks like 2/10 of the people believe that if an 8 year old molests a 5 year old, they will call the police regardless of any other circumstances.

[Josh]

Looks like 2/10 of the people believe that if an 8 year old molests a 5 year old, they will call the police regardless of any other circumstances.

I’m a little shocked by this along with the 10/6 question. Is there a problem in choosing multiple choices in the poll?

[Ken]

I'm also surprised that 3 people said they would report immigration offenses to ICE. Is that REALLY what some people here are doing? Calling ICE on their neighbors and co-workers and such? Because a lot of people in farm country had better have ICE on their speed dial if that is the case.

Also the 2 people who would call the police to report a 5 year old who stole candy from a store. Really? The police? Talk to the store manager and make restitution. Yes. That is the correct thing to do. But the police do not need to be involved with every human interaction. Nor do they want to be. And I'm sure they have more important things to do than show up and take a police report on a 5 year old who stole a pack of gum.