In Kissimmee, Florida, outside Orlando, the police department has tried to improve citizen alertness and reporting crimes. They dressed officers as burglars and tried to create obvious burglaries to see if citizens would call the police under a program called “If you SEE something SAY something.”
They have entered houses through the side window and tried to forcibly open car doors in a Walmart parking lot. In the burglary incident, a neighbor called the police when he saw the burglar/officer moving electronic equipment from the house to an SUV in the driveway, but no one called police about forcibly entering a car, even after it was attempted several times. The officer was instructed to run for safety if an uncontrolled situation erupted or a citizen overreacted.
Evaluate the moral permissibility of the actions of the police in this effort to raise citizen awareness.
Do you believe there are other ways to accomplish this goal that pose fewer risks?
