> Any time you call the cops on somebody, it should be done with the expectation that they may be arrested and taken to jail, regardless of your intentions when making the call.
Correct that to: any time you call the cops on somebody, it should be done with the expectation that someone may die, not necessarily the person you are calling the cops on. Maybe the situation is bad enough that that's already a possibility, in which case calling the cops might be better than the alternative. But when it's not? Please don't call the cops.
That seems incredibly paranoid. Let's say someone parks their car in front of my garage and blocks me in (and blocks the fire lane too), should I just wait it out and not call the police because somebody might die? This happened to a neighbor a few months ago. He called the police, and the only thing that happened was the car getting towed.
How about if you get into a car crash but nobody's dying immediately, don't call the police?
There are lots of situations not serious enough to merit getting someone killed where I'd call the police. I don't think that's crazy. I'm sure it some areas the police are terrible enough that this would be unwise, but those areas are the exception, not the rule.
If the driver is present when the cop arrives, the altercation can escalate to death. It takes two to argue, and you have no idea what the driver is going to be like, and what the cop is going to be like.
It's not likely to happen, but you're also not likely to be murdered in a traffic stop. Yet, it happens.
I believe you are legally obligated to contact the police in the event of a serious accident.
Turning on the stove or crossing the street can result in death. Should we perform those activities "with the expectation that someone may die"?
You're right that it's often a legal requirement to contact the police after a crash. But if "someone may die" then that seems like a good reason to break the law.
Correct that to: any time you call the cops on somebody, it should be done with the expectation that someone may die, not necessarily the person you are calling the cops on. Maybe the situation is bad enough that that's already a possibility, in which case calling the cops might be better than the alternative. But when it's not? Please don't call the cops.