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.

+1 - if you don't go back for the JV game - they win and I HATE letting THEM win!

I am sure most of us have been there at one point in our careers, I have only been doing this 4 years and its happen atleast twice that I can remember.

What you need to do is develop a strong pimp hand (back hand) and next time someone gets out of place, just a quick strike or you can always say "Lets take this outside after the game".

Ok all seriousness just be aware of your surroundings and have site manager remove over the top fans, I know here in Texas we have uniformed police officers at every game for said instances.

I had a guy harass me between games at an AAU tournament. I spoke to the director, pointed the guy out in the stands, and said if he said anything else, to please escort him out. I don't think he even cheered during the next game, plus he had the embarrassment of the director giving him the stern warning in front of his friends AND he had to watch his favorite team get stomped again.

In a single game, I would just have had game management escort the fan out. Don't interact with the fans. You have been given a lot of great advice. Have fun Friday night.

Bye, Bye ...
 

I've been lucky. Only one police escort from the locker room to my car in thirty years.

Me too! My first varsity game - double OT. Great Game! Tiny town where nothing to do but go to the Friday night game. Turns out they really didn't like my partner that night at all. She was a ......... woman! :eek: And women don't know jack about basketball. Never mind that I was young and she was far better than I was. A great teacher, mentor. Personally, I think the state cops just wanted to driver her RX7 to the door for us.

I'm afraid I'm a little more vindictive on personal threats , although I'm a brand new ref who does actually stink sometimes (because of lack of experience) . Having said that I'll take all criticism and advice with a grain of salt. However ; in this situation I personnaly would be going straight to the police station if I were to recieve any further threats and clear the air at their own house ! Were I not to recieve assurances (and apologies) my next call would be to State police (depending on the threats),whom I've found to be very professional and helpful as well as having little tolerance of any abuse of authority. just my own 2 cents. I still wouldnt speed for sure though ! ;)

I always acknowledge and/or speak to the law enforcement officers and on-site security at my games. Kind of a sign to anybody paying attention that we are on the same team.

We need more officials with this attitude imo. There's one heckuva difference between verbal abuse and a threat. One is part of our job; the other one never is. An official should never put up with being threatened.

Do Police Officers Still Carry Whistles ???
 

Well, you both do have whistles.

http://ts2.mm.bing.net/images/thumbn...88f4&index=ch1

I've seen a few that have whistles on them.

All LEOs I see carry tazers as well, so no need to carry there :D

Is there a first rule of police work?

Fortunately here (Upward and I are in the same association) the LEO presense is very prominent at our public school games. Out in the counties, not so strong.

First Rule of Police Work
 

There is. And it is: "A good cop never gets cold, wet or hungry." Feel free to substitute "hot" for "cold" for those in the southern climes.

If you want to talk to the law enforcement in Taylor (and I would, their comments were beyond the being critical that comes from fans), talk to the chief or sheriff, depending on the dept.; if its a chief and isn't helpful (or the fan=chief)the mayor is the next, if its sheriff go to county comissioners or state level law enforcement agencies. (Chiefs are hired so respondsible to those hiring them which is the city and sheriffs are elected which means those that control their money or higher up agencies.) When I reread this, when the lady is at the door and says what are you going to do about it...that isn't unsportsmanlike, criticism, thats a threat of "how are you going to take care of me/make me be quiet?" And depending on other circumstances, could almost be another threat in and of itself. Once you've recieved two like that in nature, I'd def. do something beyond talking to your assignor. Theres no need for that behavior like that at all.

I like this point thats been made a few times, don't not go. That lets them win.

Here are a few personal/legal safety measures I've had to do myself for various reasons, these are all just suggestions. Carry some sort of recording device i.e. voice, video. (When I showed it, for my reasons I was carrying one, it made the person not say a word and think twice about doing so....) And if this, sadly, is a recurring thing with this school's fan(s), write it down so you don't forget if the time comes you need to remember any of it. Be aware and observant, walk out with your crew and/or game admin.

But really, don't let them win. You show that in going, calling the game like any others you have and will call, and not showing that the past incident got to you, and having fun!.

Isn't that the 2nd rule?;)

You've gotten some great advice on your situation, IMO. I'm curious why you ended your OP with the "Flame" comment.

Because she was hurting. And scared. And didn't need for someone to tell her she was wrong in hurtful terms.

You know it happens here. I'm surprised you even had to ask.

Rita

That was my impression, too, Rita. I don't know that we've ever flamed anyone for this sort of a post, but I can understand the fear given her experience that night.

To add to my earlier post, my POST-certified (the test they take before being hireable as a cop) friend said in reality it should cost him his badge. (Whether or not that happens...well....) And that you need to let his superiors know of this behavior.

I wish you luck.

If I'm reading your location correctly, he was referring to Taylor Michigan. Taylor's PD chief is Dale Tamsen.

Update
 

Thank you again for the responses, love reading this board, some of you are hilarious!

I talked to my assignor and he let both AD's and the League Admin know about the situation. The AD for the Taylor School said none of the fans that were there are associated with the police dept. Im not sure how he would know because he wasnt at the game, but I have to take him at his word, I guess?!

I had a different assignor for my Friday game, I informed him of the situation and he decided to put me somewhere else. I was okay with it. Half of me wanted to go, and the other half didnt want to deal with any BS. Ended up having a decent boys game Fri night instead, so I was happy!

As for the flame comment in my original post, Ive been coming to these boards for 5+yrs,lol. Thank you all again!~

From the description you provided us, it wouldn't be difficult for the AD to identify the woman with a quick investigation. "Hey, Bob, who left early and loudly during the girls' game?"

My initial thought was it was likely just bluster from a fan who is not in a position to follow through. Mainly because a cop could conceivably lose his badge just for making that kind of threat. That's even more true for a suburban police force than it would be for a small town cop shop in Radiator Springs.