How do you handle a threat?
 

I had my first threat tonight, after 6yrs doing this I dont know if thats good or bad. My question is how do I handle it, if at all? Backstory:

GV, close game til half time, home team comes out shoots some 3s and gets ahead by 20+. 4 Minutes to go in the 4th, home team girl is on the ground with the ball, visitor runs into her trying to get the ball, I call the foul. Another visiting player screams "How is that a foul" loudly enough for the entire gym to hear. I give her a T. All of a sudden some the crowd starts yelling. I dont listen to most of it, Im pretty good at that usually. Then I start hearing, "Do you want a speeding ticket in Taylor?" Which is a nearby city(not the city we were in). About 2 minutes to go, a man and woman are exiting the gym and walk along the endline where Im inbounding the ball and start telling me "You suck, worst ref I ever saw", etc. I gave eye contact but saw they were leaving so let the game continue. The woman stops at the door about 20ft away and continues to yell at me, asking me what Im going to do about it. I ignore again, game ends. She is still at the door yelling at me, I head to the door on the other side of the gym, ignoring her.

I tell game management while we are walking to the officials room that I had a woman threaten me, he just said "oh really". So we go to change and my partner wants to leave. I tell him the woman is probably waiting for me. He tells me its okay we will walk out together. So I agree and sure enough shes there. As Im walking by her I do not make eye contact, she asks me what my name is. My partner steps between us and Im not sure what he said, but I kept walking. She yells to me "Dont worry, Ill find out".

Im sure the coach will have no problem giving out my name, hes not a fan of me. Hes not a fan of any refs. My worry is they will somehow get my name and being a police officer he may be able to get my information on where I live. I am hoping cooler heads prevail, but Im wondering if I should be proactive on this?

Please do not flame me. I am coming here for help on what to do better next time and what my next steps should be. Thanks in advance~

I can tell you if a police officer uses their access to get information on you for this purpose, he or she is risking their job. That's not to say it won't happen, but the risk is a lot higher than any personal satisfaction they might gain.

If you're really concerned, I would file a complaint with the Taylor police department. Chances are, it was just a lot of bluster, but it was still unprofessional, and if it really was a local police officer from that town, it needs to be reported.

In the future, don't make eye contact.

I would also report this to their AD, your assigner, the state, and anyone else who might have jurisdiction.

Thank you. I also shouldve asked this question. I have a JV game at that school on Friday this week, should I officiate it? Or should I get a replacement for the sake of saving the possibilities of running into them again?~

Personally, I wouldn't think twice about going there. Chances are, the hot head fans won't remember you. Do you get these games from an assigner, or directly from the AD?

I'd definitely be filing a complaint.

When she yells, "Dont worry, Ill find out", I would have replied "How" and let her hang herself.

I get my games from an assignor. I emailed him already, tomorrow I will contact the AD at the school. Im one of the few female officials in our area, so Im sure they will recognize me. Im hoping since I will be officiating the JV game there will be nothing said.~

Chances are the fan won't be there, but you never know. Keep that email for future reference, especially if you get a ticket in town. :D
1. I'd file the complaint.
2. I wouldn't sweat it too much.
3. If you really feel uncomfortable, talk to your assigner about it. He/she may be able to move you to a different game.
4. Depending on your protocol, I would leave the AD contact to your assigner. Check with your assigner to find out how it should be done in your area. Each area is different on this.

I'd contact the assignor, tell him what happened, and let him handle it from there.

Then, I'd go back next Friday and work my game.

You're gonna run into idiots from time to time. 99.9% are just blow hards. I'm sure this hussy falls in that category. Don't let it shake you.

Thank you for the replies. I appreciate your time. Things like this make me wanna walk away from officiating, but I do love it 95% of the time!~

It's the 95% of the time you need to remember.

Hang in there. And smile out there.

Rita

We've all been at that point, had those types of games. But those are the times you don't want to make a long term decision. You made the right call, know that you did your job, and ignore stoopid people.

And be careful not to speed.

As others have said, contact your assigner and make a report. Go back Friday to call the game. If the lady (I use the word loosely) is there and she starts anything - inform the game administrator that you want it handled pronto - and suggest the solution is removal from the gym. Then have security walk out with you after the game.

Can't believe it took this long for this suggestion.

Go 5 mph UNDER any speedlimit and be extra alert for when it changes. At any stop sign, stop for a full 3-5 seconds. Over do every thing.

I'm serious, small town cops can and will pull some very unprofessional stuff on you. There was one around here that would ALWAYS harass referees leaving town after a game the home town folks didn't like. No one realized the pattern at first but one some happened to mention it to others and we all discovered the pattern. We informed the commissioner, he called the AD, and it stopped. Hmmm.

Officiate it. Never let the terrorists win.