Wondering if my nosey, suspicious neighbors called the cops on me...for no reason (jealous, male)

[Zelpha]

This is something that happened to me in the year 2000. Every once in awhile it echoes in my memory, and I'll never really know what happened or why.

I had my first apartment, fortunate to get a top-floor apt with a great view of open space & the Rocky Mountains in an affluent, crime-free area. I may have looked young to older people but I was about 25, and already completed an honorable Army enlistment.

When I first moved in, I met my downstairs neighbors, a retired couple. They looked at me suspiciously every time we met in passing. But I was a nice responsible girl, had a good solid job, kept to myself, a well-behaved quiet girl. In fact I kept to myself so much that all I ever did was go to work & come home.

One Saturday I was trying to get up the courage to go on a rafting trip with some other young single people from my church. But I kept having anxiety attacks just at the thought of meeting new people in a new situation, I shamefully never got up the courage to leave my apartment that day.

About an hour after my last anxiety attack there was a loud knock on the door. It freaked me out, I wasn't expecting anyone, so I didn't answer. A few minutes later they pounded again, and this time an authoritative male voice called through the door that it was the police(!) Well this additionally freaked me out.

I didn't answer the door. Heart beating wildly, still freaked out, and needing to take a shower to be presentable to anyone that day anyway, I got in the shower.

While I was in the shower, they started banging on the door again. So I got out of the shower, dried off real quick, put on a robe, and answered the damn door.

There were THREE police officers. One did the speaking. Something to the effect of, "Oh sorry Ma'am, didn't realize you were in the shower....Is there any trouble here today?" I assured them all was calm & quiet, no trouble, everything is fine. I asked them what was wrong. They said some noise/trouble was reported coming from my apartment(!?)

He asked if they could have a look around inside the apartment. I said sure go ahead, and let them in. (Older & wiser now I realize they had no legal right to enter & search without probable cause or warrant) but I had nothing to hide, hell I was young and had hardly anything at all but a hand-me-down sofa & an inflatable mattress.

They looked around through every room, saw absolutely nothing, and bid me good day.

And that was that.

Every once in a long while I remember that pathetic & weird day, and all I can figure is that my downstairs neighbors who were trying to enjoy their retirement, resented me because they assumed a young, single girl living alone = trouble. They're free to assume anything they want, but why would they call the police on me on such a quiet day of nothingness?

The only thing I may have ever done wrong as their upstairs neighbor was doing cartwheels & jumping around one day when I was a wee bit energetic, but it wasn't THAT day. And it only happened once, perhaps several weeks before that police thing happened.

It's all speculation anyway, I have no indication who sent the police that day, or why.

It would've made a good episode of the Twilight Zone, as if my inner demons (social anxiety) came to a head with the cops beating on my door. Maybe my anxiety attacks were so severe that they caused a metaphysical rumbling in my apartment. Maybe the police were sent to pull me out of my social anxiety shell! Haha

[carnivalday]

OMG...the police knock on your door, and you go take a shower?

hahahahha

[fleetiebelle]

This happened 15 years ago, and you're convinced that your downstairs neighbors just didn't like the idea of a young person, so they called the cops?

[Zelpha]

Originally Posted by fleetiebelle

This happened 15 years ago, and you're convinced that your downstairs neighbors just didn't like the idea of a young person, so they called the cops?

I gave all the information I have, and all the speculation I have. That's all I've got! I really have no idea why the police came to my door that day. All I have is speculation. SOMEONE called the police to my apt that day. The only neighbors I'd ever met up to that point were that grumpy couple under me. Perhaps resentful that a young lady could afford such high rent when all their years of working had culminated in living there? I really don't know. It will always remain a mystery to me.

[Zelpha]

Originally Posted by carnivalday

OMG...the police knock on your door, and you go take a shower?

hahahahha

Yup. Omg someone REALLY insists on seeing me right now, I should probably clean my greasy hair first rather than answer the door looking like the Saturday hermit that I am

[JustJulia]

Good thing they weren't banging on your door to tell you there was a fire or other emergency. Your refusal to answer the door and getting in the shower is probably why they asked to look inside.

[fleetiebelle]

Originally Posted by Zelpha

I gave all the information I have, and all the speculation I have. That's all I've got! I really have no idea why the police came to my door that day. All I have is speculation. SOMEONE called the police to my apt that day. The only neighbors I'd ever met up to that point were that grumpy couple under me. Perhaps resentful that a young lady could afford such high rent when all their years of working had culminated in living there? I really don't know. It will always remain a mystery to me.

Or maybe you were stomping around or your TV was too loud. There are many possibilities that don't involve them being jealous of you. Plus, you were acting suspiciously once the police got there, so...

[MountainHi]

Originally Posted by fleetiebelle

Or maybe you were stomping around or your TV was too loud. There are many possibilities that don't involve them being jealous of you. Plus, you were acting suspiciously once the police got there, so...

No. The police said specifically that "trouble" and "noise" had been reported. That's extremely odd. OP, was that the only incident in your time of living there? How did that downstairs couple react the next time they saw you, anything particularly strange (other than their usual)?

Police get called basically to a minimally furnished apartment inhabited by a quiet, young singleton, for reported "trouble". Assuming your anxiety attacks were silent and didn't involve crying, it's unfathomable. At least you didn't have to contend with some kind of chronic harassment by neighbors.

[tiredtired]

I lived in a downstairs apartment and was convinced that a herd of elephants lived above me. It was incredibly loud listening to them stomp around. It happened with a variety of people who lived up there, so I eventually figured that noise from the upstairs really resonated downstairs.

If that was true with your apartment, it is entirely possible that the folks under you called the cops because they thought you were being much noiser than you should, even if you weren't trying to be noisy.

It doesn't sound like a big deal.

[HokieFan]

It could be that during your anxiety attack, you were making noises that made your neighbors concerned for your well being. That's all that it sounds like to me. Simple.