Sounds like a "better safe than sorry" approach. If you ignore the alert on the basis that it's a false positive, then it turns out it really was a gun and the person shoots somebody, you're going to get sued into the ground, fired, name plastered all over the media, etc. On the other hand, if you call in the cops and there wasn't a gun, you're fine.
> "On the other hand, if you call in the cops and there wasn't a gun, you're fine."
Yeah, cause cops have never shot somebody unarmed. And you can bet your ass that the possible follow-up lawsuit to such a debacle's got "your" name on it.
Good luck suing somebody for calling the police.
In Texas filing a false report is a crime and can result in fines and/or imprisonment. Details:
https://legalclarity.org/false-report-under-the-texas-penal-...
Furthermore, anyone who files a false report can be sued in civil court.
“The system flagged a gun, please check it out” is not a false report.
It might be, depending on the integrity of "the system".
I can make a system that flags stuff, too. That doesn't mean it's any good. If they can show there was no reasonable cause then they've got a leg to stand on.
It’s the literal truth. How can that be a false report? A false report means you reported something you know to be untrue, not that you relayed bad information.
relay bad information, that suggests negligence, rather than willful omission or deception
It would only be negligence if the police were considered like some sort of dangerous wild animal that people need to avoid provoking, and can't be held responsible on its own.
Which may very well be accurate, but I can't imagine the law ever punishing someone on that basis.
Reports on child welfare, it is often illegal to release the name of the tipster. Commonly taken advantage of by disgruntled exes or in custody dusputes.
Ask a black teenager about being fine.
Well, you could ask this kid, he is black and wasn't harmed. It's not the cops' fault someone told them he had a gun.
You and I define "harm" differently.