Reconnaissance

Our neighborhood may be known for having an active - uh - social reputation. But we're also known for our vigilance in protecting one another from delinquents and criminals.

We like to have our fun, but we're serious about safety.

Did anyone see that episode of Law and Order (you know, "Ripped from the headlines!") a few years ago, in which the detectives referenced an Ohio neighborhood that paid a sex offender to move?

That sex offender lived directly across the street from me. My kids were just hitting the age at which I could let them play outside without my watching over them every minute. They'd ride their bikes or play on the driveway, and I'd be just inside the door, washing dishes or getting dinner started. I'd pop outside to check on them every 5-10 minutes. It was age-appropriate independence, a loosening of the apron strings.

Once we found out that our new neighbor was a sex offender, I had to rescind the kids' new freedom and step up the parental oversight when they were outdoors. We were all frustrated, but these precautions seemed prudent. The sex offender literally lived just steps away.

But his wife and child seemed nice enough, and certainly the child was completely innocent in the situation. On the one hand, we wanted to give our legal system, and the sex offender and his family, the benefit of the doubt and let them live their lives. (The crime for which he was labeled a sex offender had occurred about a decade previously.) On the other hand, the recidivism rate for sex offenders is particularly high. Had anything happened to one of my children due to my insufficient parental controls, I would never have forgiven myself.

In the end, the neighborhood, collectively as the homeowners association, offered the new family a sum of money in exchange for their selling the house and moving away. Turns out he was expected in another state for another, more recent charge. So he hadn't really overcome his "problem" after all.

On a day-to-day basis, we simply keep our eyes out for suspicious behavior. Our neighborhood is closed, with no throughstreets. There should be no one "just passing through." Therefore, a van driving slowly through our neighborhood - particularly if it's during the after-school hours and the driver is taking pictures or writing down notes, raises a red flag. Sure, it could be someone not meaning any harm at all. But it could be a predator. These days, we just don't know.

Today, someone driving a van with out-of-state license plates drove slowly through our neighborhood, stopping at various locations and making notes. Another mother and I were curious about this man's behavior. Since she was walking, with no cell phone and two young children in a stroller, and I was in my car with phone in hand, we decided that it would be safer for me to approach the van instead of her. We simply wanted to ascertain (1) whether he needed directions to someplace, or (2) whether he had no viable reason for loitering in our neighborhood. As I pulled up close to him, he stuck his head out the window to look back at me, a concerned look on his face, and immediately drove off.

To be sure, I do not have a threatening physical presence. There I was, a woman alone, in her workout clothes, during daylight hours, in suburbia. I hadn't said a word. I was not driving aggressively. Had the man simply been in need of directions, I would expect that he would have felt comfortable talking with me, and would have waited for me to approach.

But he drove off. And he kept looking back at me to see if I was following.

Which I was.

And as I was following, I felt apprehensive. On the one hand, I felt justified in letting this stranger know that residents of our community are attentive and will not let suspicious behavior slide. On the other hand, I didn't know what I should actually do. He hadn't committed a crime, so there was nothing to report to the police. What would I have done had he stopped and gotten out of his car? (You can bet I wouldn't have gotten out of mine.) And how far was I willing to drive to follow this man? To another state? (No. I have painting to do back in my kitchen.)

So I followed him as far as the interstate. When he pulled onto the entrance ramp, I turned around for home, pulled into the garage, and put the door down.

My neighbor decided to call the police station to report a suspicious vehicle. They'll know if this man has been loitering in other neighborhoods nearby.

I would never want to be an actual police detective. But I didn't mind playing one, for a moment. And I wouldn't hesitate to do it again if a stranger acts - well - strange around my friends and family.

Just call me Detective Kim.