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Children Arrested, DNA Tested for Playing in a Tree?

skelator2821 wrote in with another account of a police action gone way overboard. From the article: "To the 12-year-old friends planning to build themselves a den, the cherry tree seemed an inviting source of material. But the afternoon adventure turned into a frightening ordeal for Sam Cannon, Amy Higgins and Katy Smith after they climbed into the 20ft tree - then found themselves hauled into a police station and locked into cells for up to two hours." skelator2821's basic question in all of this: "What is this World coming to? Do you think they went to far?" Well? Do you?

42 of 957 comments (clear)

  1. Only if.. by Mr0bvious · · Score: 4, Funny

    They only went too far, if the tree was less than 20ft..

    --
    Never happened. True story.
  2. treehouse of love by Polybius · · Score: 5, Funny

    Where else is he gonna make out with 2 chicks when his Mom is home?

    1. Re:treehouse of love by Frogbert · · Score: 4, Funny

      Two Chicks at the same time? You'd need a million dollars to hook that up. Chicks dig a dude with money.

  3. Thankfully, I live in the USA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    We shoot our children down from the trees.

    1. Re:Thankfully, I live in the USA by fbjon · · Score: 3, Funny

      So what do they do, suicide thunderstorms?

      --
      True confidence comes not from realising you are as good as your peers, but that your peers are as bad as you are.
    2. Re:Thankfully, I live in the USA by j4k3 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Hey they could have been trying to commit suicide you never know. Just shoot them so them so they don't hurt themselves, remember folks the government will take care of it.

  4. Welcome to the new police state. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    That should teach you to mess with a tree.

  5. Do I think they went to far? by AEton · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm not sure. I, myself, have never been to far.

    --
    We recently had heard in the office over one of the Yellow Machine that's made by Anthology Solutions.
    1. Re:Do I think they went to far? by The-Bus · · Score: 5, Funny

      Maybe the cops thought the song was,

        "Two young snipers in a tree,
          K-I-L-L-I-N-G..."

      I mean, it's a common mistake.

      --

      Small potatoes make the steak look bigger.

    2. Re:Do I think they went to far? by andrewman327 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Agreed. If I wanted "BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING!" scaremongering, I would read The Nation.

      --
      Information wants a fueled airplane waiting at the hangar and no one gets hurt.
    3. Re:Do I think they went to far? by dna_(c)(tm)(r) · · Score: 5, Funny

      I am wondering why askslashdot is being used to push agendas/post news stories, i know this isn't a new thing, but aren't there real questions to be answered? Why couldn't this story just be a normal news submission?

      Good question! You might submit it to askslashdot for some fine answers.

    4. Re:Do I think they went to far? by Roody+Blashes · · Score: 2, Funny
      What is this doing in ./?

      Apparently, exposing the fact that you like to comment on stories you didn't read....
      --
      If you haven't foed me yet, what are you waiting for?
  6. Start 'Em Young by Doc+Ruby · · Score: 5, Funny

    These children have nothing to hide. They should not be afraid of DNA tests, or being interviewed by police.

    Besides, what if they got hurt falling out of that tree? The police are here to help.

    --

    --
    make install -not war

  7. what's so bad about that? by macadamia_harold · · Score: 5, Funny

    I mean, if a police officer can't haul three twelve-year-olds to jail on spurious charges, take mugshots, and record DNA samples, how are we ever going to win the war on terror?

    1. Re:what's so bad about that? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      but... Won't somebody please think of the children?

  8. Brave New World by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    The environmentalist/brave new world crowd has reached a paradox

  9. too far by silentace · · Score: 2, Funny

    seems they went too far but if you ask me cops have been going a bit to far for at least 5 years+ now.

  10. Re:The parents agree by sunwukong · · Score: 4, Funny

    You're right -- my first response to my 12 year old after they've been sprung is, "Suck it up mister, or else someone's going to make you their bitch if you're not a hardcase yet!"

    Dammit, at their age I was carrying a gun and defending my land from railroad surveyers and rabid dogs.

  11. Law and Order by theRhinoceros · · Score: 5, Funny

    In the criminal justice system, arboreal trespassing offenses are considered especially heinous. In the West Midlands, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Halesowen police. These are their stories.

    1. Re:Law and Order by Alsee · · Score: 2, Funny
      --
      - - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.
  12. CCTV by Unknown_monkey · · Score: 2, Funny

    I'm surprised that this valuable forest was not guarded by CCTV, then the police wouldn't have had to wait for neighbors to call them.
    "Bob, forget screen 3, it's just a bank robbery. Look at screen 9, those kids! They're molesting nature! Call out the Worcestershire & Sherwood Foresters Regiment!"

    Carp man, Brits need some real problems if forest molestation is a major police issue.

  13. Re:speaking of starting 'em young... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I wonder how the /. population will react when the news breaks that Sam was actually attempting to induct poor little Amy and Katy into the "20 foot high club." :-)

    I can hear the comments now: "Stone the bastard!!! I've never even gotten any at ground level, so why should a 12 yr old punk get two at 20 feet high???"

    Ok ok. Just kidding. The real story is that Amy and Katy were trying to induct Sam. :P I kid. I kid. :)

  14. Re:If they'd only chopped down the tree instead... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny
    Maybe they popped its cherry?

    Gotta protect the underage cherries.

  15. Re:This just in. . . by kfg · · Score: 2, Funny

    Cops are dicks.

    I think that cop had every right to run me off for playing violin on public property.

    Oh, sure, it looks like a relatively minor bit of antisocial behavior on the face of it, but it was a school zone, think of the children. I might have come back and done it on a weekday when school was actually in session. Or I might have played on the swings or something.

    And violin is a gateway crime. Best to stop that sort of thing early before it leads to . . .viola.

    KFG - A fiddler and therefore a rogue.

  16. Coming up next on "Ask Slashdot": by Riktov · · Score: 2, Funny

    -OSCON just wrapped up. What do you think of it?
    -Just in general, not specifically related to the treehouse story, are cops fascist thugs sometimes?
    -Bill Gates has a bazillion dollars. Isn't that too much?
    -Does this dress make me look fat?

  17. I have. by Jafafa+Hots · · Score: 1, Funny

    its a long trip.

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    This space available.
  18. Re:This just in. . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    > Cops are dicks.

    "Pussies may not like Dicks sometimes, because Dicks fuck Pussies. However, Dicks can fuck Assholes, and Pussies can't, so Pussies need Dicks or else the Assholes out there would just end up shitting all over everything."

  19. Re:The parents agree, "Ni"! by patrixmyth · · Score: 2, Funny

    A shrubbery, you say?

    I have just one question, were these "children" in possession of a Herring? Ah yes, just as I thought. Indeed, plainly this caper was part of that infamous criminal cohort the Knights who 'til recently said "Ni", now commonly referred to as the Knights who say "Ekky-ekky-ekky-ekky-z'Bang, zoom-Boing, z'nourrrwringmm".

    http://lorien.sdsu.edu/~carroll/shrub.html

    --
    "Don't you know you're going to shock the monkey?"- Peter Gabriel
  20. Re:Anti-social behavior... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    kek

  21. Re:Anti-Social? by HaloZero · · Score: 2, Funny

    I do believe I would have to put down the psychotropic drugs at that point.

    --
    Informatus Technologicus
  22. Re:This just in. . . by AndreiK · · Score: 4, Funny
    And violin is a gateway crime. Best to stop that sort of thing early before it leads to . . .viola.

    Surely you mean, Graphical Violins leads to Explicit Sax?

  23. Re:anyone else... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Those kids should have been inside, eating junk food, sitting infront of the TV, playing PlayStation where they belong!

  24. I have the justification by Atario · · Score: 4, Funny

    Nerds everywhere should be deeply concerned about tree traversal being made illegal.

    --
    "A great democracy must be progressive or it will soon cease to be a great democracy." --Theodore Roosevelt
    1. Re:I have the justification by Lars+T. · · Score: 4, Funny

      But they were pruning the tree, leaving it unballanced! Tree traversal that damages the data is not good.

      --

      Lars T.

      To the guy who modded me down from perfect to terrible Karma - Apple haters still suck

    2. Re:I have the justification by mrogers · · Score: 2, Funny

      Next thing you know they'll be smoking hashtables behind the bike sheds.

  25. Re:FP by Walt+Dismal · · Score: 5, Funny
    FOX News: "This just in. Young terrorists plan tree attack. Country placed on orange alert. CIA notes Osama Bin Laden likes to eat cherries. Coincidence? We think not! We turn now to commentary by Ann Coulter."

    Coulter: "I'm sure the mothers of these brats are only trying to cash in on the publicity generated when these terrorists-in-training assassinate god-fearing citizens from their lofty perch using liberal weapons of mass destruction."

    FOX: "Such as?"

    Coulter: "Lethal b-b guns. Poison darts."

    FOX: "And what about Bin Laden?"

    Coulter: "Hates American trees. Wants to crash planes into them all."

    > FOX: "What would you do to protect us?"

    Coulter: "Cut down all the trees. Keep the terrorists out of them. Castrate all liberals."

    FOX: "God bless America."

    Coulter: "It's all Clinton's fault. Oh, and buy all my books."

    FOX: "Did you really have your Adam's Apple surgically removed so you could pass as female?"

    Coulter: withering sneer.

  26. Re:Some ambiguity in the readers' comments too by Opportunist · · Score: 2, Funny

    Tony's isn't even there yet, he's in Georgy's pocket.

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    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  27. It starts with cutting down one cherry tree by dbIII · · Score: 4, Funny
    Of course the British police are worried.

    It starts off with just cutting down one cherry tree as a kid. Then - I shall not tell a lie - it can lead to organising the overthrow of the British rulers in a revloution lasting years, assisted by the (gasp) French and the establishment of another country where people even drive on the other side of the road out of spite.

  28. My own experence by zakezuke · · Score: 3, Funny

    I lived in a small town back east for a time, and I spent alot of time climbing trees. In these small towns there is "always" that one person who's purpose in life is to make everyone else's life miserable. One day the building inspector arivies... in regards to my treehouse. It seems even in small towns in order to build a treehouse you need a building permit. Extreme but fair enough. But the thing is, there was no tree house, there was no building or construction on ANY level. It was a cushion in a tree. It didn't even stay in the tree, it wasn't tied down. And the electrical inspector arived as well, which in "all" fairness I did own a radio but used batteries, so I *imagine* someone "could" have thought I was using house current. And then the fire department, the fire department arived, two trucks full sirens... I have NO idea why, by this point building and electrical went off to discuss the matter with the fire department. A police car drive by but didn't stop. While they wouldn't "say" who issued the complaint, it was rather clear who did as all three took a visit to that house down the street and gave someone a firm talking to about issuing false complaints. No treehouse, no electricity, no fire.

    This being said, there will "always" be some bozo who complains. Perhaps the reason is justified, perhaps they are totally off their rocker. In this case, perhaps the kids needed a firm talking at worst, a friendly talking to at best. I lack any clear information at to the ownership of this tree.

    --
    There is no sanctuary. There is no sanctuary. SHUT UP! There is no shut up. There is no shut up.
  29. Re:The parents agree by Ohreally_factor · · Score: 2, Funny

    Maybe they were crying because they had been "sucking it up".

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    It's not offtopic, dumbass. It's orthogonal.
  30. Re:The parents agree, "Ni"! by Ohreally_factor · · Score: 2, Funny

    Oh, what sad times are these when parents can say Ni at will to policemen. There is a pestilence upon this land, nothing is sacred. Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress in this period in history.

    --
    It's not offtopic, dumbass. It's orthogonal.
  31. I can see the commercial now... by XJHardware · · Score: 5, Funny

    Unbeknownst to these children we've secretly switched their country with new freeze-dried Third Reich. Let's watch and see their reaction.

    --
    The more I get to know people the more I like my dogs.