Library Sends Police to Collect Overdue Book from 5-Year Old

A Massachusetts library has called on police to assist in the collection of overdue books — including sending officers to collect from patrons as young as 5.

A library in Charlton, MA has taken the extraordinary measure to collect overdue books from children – by bringing in the police, reports CBS Boston.

Many local parents believe that the library has crossed a line.

One Charlton mother recalled the moment when police were sent to collect her daughter’s overdue library books, with her 5-year-old girl so afraid that she burst into tears.

Shannon Benoit received the visit to be informed that her daughter had two books several months overdue which needed to be returned or paid for.

“I thought it was way overboard,” says Benoit.

“I closed my door, I looked at my daughter and she started crying.”

Her daughter, Hailey was upset and confused, thinking that the police had come to arrest her.

“I was scared,” she said.

Shannon subsequently found the books and returned them to the library, but she believes that sending a police officer to their house was like “pounding a ten penny nail with a sledge hammer”.

Even the officer that made the house call, Charlton Police Sergeant Dan Dowd, admits that he wasn’t particularly keen on the procedure.

“Nobody wanted to, on this end, to get involved in it,” says Sgt. Dowd.

“But the library contacted us, and the chief delegated, and apparently I was one of the low men on the totem pole.”

It seems extraordinary, but the police decided to make the call, as state law does in fact outline a misdemeanor for such things, and a “friendly reminder might make a better impression and get better results than a cold summons to court,” writes CBS Boston.

However, Shannon and her daughter are adamant that they still haven’t received any written warnings.

Comments

Linda Brees

January 6, 2012 at 12:06 pm

I went to the original article, just to make sure, but nope, not anywhere did Ms. Benoit or her daughter express any kind of remorse for holding on to library books for several months after they were supposed to be returned. Plenty of complaining about the excessive reaction, but not apology for the stealing.

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Kevin

January 6, 2012 at 12:08 pm

That struck me too. If keeping track of the due dates is so difficult for this family that they need warnings from the library in order to remind them to return books on time, maybe they should not use the library.

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- trumpsahead
  
  January 8, 2012 at 10:08 am
  
  How arrogant of you and Linda.
  Who pays for the police to service the library? We do, the taxpayers. Two cops for one hour must have cost $50.00 or more, not to mention all the letters of apology and explanations meted out in defense of their stupid call to arms.
  Maybe the library should close its doors if they can’t handle writing a simple “form letter” for late returns.
  I suppose you’ll be voting for Obama in 2012 so you can have police come to your door to enforce the NDAA. They’ll be searching/ransacking your home for hidden guns, stored food, gold and silver, and whatever else Obama considers terrorism, like non-mercury lightbulbs, or three-gallon water flush in your bathroom.
  You’re going to jail pal. You got books by Ron Paul? They’ll hang you for sure.
  
  Reply
Joe

January 6, 2012 at 12:09 pm

Wouldn’t it have cost less to send a letter than to dispatch an officer? If the idea was to get the books back, it probably would have been more effective, dollar-for-dollar, to try other approaches first, like a letter or a phone call.

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