When I was in high school, a friend of mine and I genuinely prevented a break-in at a local flooring business. We had been walking down a main street in town, when we noticed a couple of kids doing something along a side-alley. Curiousity piqued, we turned towards the kids and started walking...when we were within about 30 feet, the kids looked up, saw us, and took off.

We called the cops, waited for them to show up, and told them what we saw.

Over a week later, I got a call from one of the officers that had been there that night, and asked if I would come downtown and discuss again what had happened that night. I agreed, not thinking anything of it.

Once there, the officer and I went into a sideroom, and he asked me for the details of what happened that night. After once again explaining what we saw, he sat back for a moment, and then said that they were going to go back and dust for fingerprints. And that there was also a video camera that was trained on the alley, and they were going to review the tapes.

Now I don't know about you, but even though I was 17 at the time, I wasn't stupid enough to think that the cops would actually go back and dust for fingerprints A WEEK after a crime. And further, if there was actually a video camera, surely they would have looked at it that same night.

Instead of talking shit to the cop, I politely nodded my head, and said I hoped they caught the kids we saw.

He had no choice but to say thanks, and let me on my way. Never heard another thing after that.