BMPD's Lt. Cotton has something to say about white vans (Facebook link, sorry!)
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Here, did it for you!
Hope it gets posted all over the place in the hopes that people will quit picking on white vans...
Bangor Maine Police Department
The widely shared, and completely incorrect, post which was shared over the weekend in the Bangor region regarding a white (some say tan but we don't want to get into a blue dress argument here) van and an attempted abduction was yet another reason why we should count to twelve million by one-thousands before we assume each white van we see is filled with abductors.
Abductors don't even operate white vans since the advent of Facebook- it's very 90s.
If I had a white van in my possession I would buy a case of Krylon or even Rustoleum in a red or a blue. I mean, just as a precaution against being pegged as a kidnapper when I only wanted to ask for directions.
Here is the story- someone in our region was concerned about an interaction they observed in which the driver of a van stopped to ask a person where the closest gas station was.
This is a common question and it seems plausible that a white van from "away" might need gas. Additionally, the driver in a white van from "away" might not know where the closest gas station is.
The driver of the van then approached a person holding a small child.
A bystander observed this activity and made a post, but also called the police *(which we are very happy about)* and shared with us what they had perceived as a possible kidnapping situation.
Police were able to find the van, and the driver. The driver was a 77-year-old woman who both needed gas, and- oddly- loved babies. She had just used the short interlude to take a quick gander at the child as she is KOABF (kind of a baby fan).
While the post was shared 1305 times in our area (incidentally, about 49 times with me) and caused terror in the hearts of all people who have children or white vans- no one was kidnapped, touched, or harmed during the friendly colloquy.
Of course, the registration plate was quite clear and in this case it helped police located the correct van.
The 77-year-old female operator of the van was horrified that anyone might consider that she was out kidnapping babies.
BTW- she has no history of such things and has a fairly clean driving record.
She is 100% guilty of driving a van that is not very economical when it comes to fuel usage.
While it might seem we have been under a full-scale attack of kidnappers nationwide (according to the volume of posts about it on "the Facebook)- we are not
.
When you see a post about repeated abduction attempts, go ahead and hit the Google machine and find out how many abductions have been reported in the news. Before you waste your time- the number is very low in relation the the Facebook posts.
Here in Bangor- 0 (FYI).
If the number of Facebook posts about abductions equaled the number of abductions at the Walmart parking lot in Anywhere, USA- all Walmart stores would be completely devoid of humans.
We know that is not the case, and while we all hope for shorter lines, we are happy about that.
"If you have a white van, paint it red"- TC 10-08-18
Keep your hands to yourself, leave other people's things alone, and be kind to one another.
We will be here.
TC
Hope it gets posted all over the place in the hopes that people will quit picking on white vans...
Bangor Maine Police Department
The widely shared, and completely incorrect, post which was shared over the weekend in the Bangor region regarding a white (some say tan but we don't want to get into a blue dress argument here) van and an attempted abduction was yet another reason why we should count to twelve million by one-thousands before we assume each white van we see is filled with abductors.
Abductors don't even operate white vans since the advent of Facebook- it's very 90s.
If I had a white van in my possession I would buy a case of Krylon or even Rustoleum in a red or a blue. I mean, just as a precaution against being pegged as a kidnapper when I only wanted to ask for directions.
Here is the story- someone in our region was concerned about an interaction they observed in which the driver of a van stopped to ask a person where the closest gas station was.
This is a common question and it seems plausible that a white van from "away" might need gas. Additionally, the driver in a white van from "away" might not know where the closest gas station is.
The driver of the van then approached a person holding a small child.
A bystander observed this activity and made a post, but also called the police *(which we are very happy about)* and shared with us what they had perceived as a possible kidnapping situation.
Police were able to find the van, and the driver. The driver was a 77-year-old woman who both needed gas, and- oddly- loved babies. She had just used the short interlude to take a quick gander at the child as she is KOABF (kind of a baby fan).
While the post was shared 1305 times in our area (incidentally, about 49 times with me) and caused terror in the hearts of all people who have children or white vans- no one was kidnapped, touched, or harmed during the friendly colloquy.
Of course, the registration plate was quite clear and in this case it helped police located the correct van.
The 77-year-old female operator of the van was horrified that anyone might consider that she was out kidnapping babies.
BTW- she has no history of such things and has a fairly clean driving record.
She is 100% guilty of driving a van that is not very economical when it comes to fuel usage.
While it might seem we have been under a full-scale attack of kidnappers nationwide (according to the volume of posts about it on "the Facebook)- we are not
.
When you see a post about repeated abduction attempts, go ahead and hit the Google machine and find out how many abductions have been reported in the news. Before you waste your time- the number is very low in relation the the Facebook posts.
Here in Bangor- 0 (FYI).
If the number of Facebook posts about abductions equaled the number of abductions at the Walmart parking lot in Anywhere, USA- all Walmart stores would be completely devoid of humans.
We know that is not the case, and while we all hope for shorter lines, we are happy about that.
"If you have a white van, paint it red"- TC 10-08-18
Keep your hands to yourself, leave other people's things alone, and be kind to one another.
We will be here.
TC
True story. When I was down in Las Cruces in March, I pulled into a shopping mall parking lot next to a burger joint, and got out of the van. Immediately, about 4 aisles over, this woman started screaming in my direction at the top of her lungs. I won't repeat what she said, but you can imagine, words starting with 'm' and ending with 'ter'.
So, I just walked over to the burger place 100' feet away. A minute later, I looked out the window, and there she was right outside the burger joint still screaming, and shaking her fists. I started to go outside to find out what the problem was, but just as her former boy friend or husband was exiting his pickup truck (apparently he had driven over from the other parking lot in the meantime). Turns out, she was yelling horrible things at him, and not me, and chasing him around.
Good thing I didn't run earlier, because some good samaritan might have shot me. Never panic, especially if you're just a big marshmallow.
So, I just walked over to the burger place 100' feet away. A minute later, I looked out the window, and there she was right outside the burger joint still screaming, and shaking her fists. I started to go outside to find out what the problem was, but just as her former boy friend or husband was exiting his pickup truck (apparently he had driven over from the other parking lot in the meantime). Turns out, she was yelling horrible things at him, and not me, and chasing him around.
Good thing I didn't run earlier, because some good samaritan might have shot me. Never panic, especially if you're just a big marshmallow.
Same thing happened to me in Bangor just a few weeks ago, and I drive a big silver Transit van. I asked a woman for directions and her response was "Don't f#@k with me; I'm a cop's wife and I'm calling 911 right now".
I stuck around and waited for the police and it turned out to be a fun encounter, as one of the officers is an aspiring van dweller.
The lady who called the cops was probably satisfied i was getting a shakedown on the side of the road with all the doors open, cops peering under the bed. Actually it was just a van tour. ?
I do feel sorry for the woman. If she's even afraid of old ladies in camper vans then she must see monsters all day, every day. I can't imagine living with so much fear.
I stuck around and waited for the police and it turned out to be a fun encounter, as one of the officers is an aspiring van dweller.
The lady who called the cops was probably satisfied i was getting a shakedown on the side of the road with all the doors open, cops peering under the bed. Actually it was just a van tour. ?
I do feel sorry for the woman. If she's even afraid of old ladies in camper vans then she must see monsters all day, every day. I can't imagine living with so much fear.
Ms Linda
Well-known member
Many moons ago, one of my criminal justice college professor (a retired cop) told us that clowns and white vans freaked him out. Especially white vans without door handles on the barn doors.
