I am really, really tired of people not stopping at crosswalks. And it is not the Italians! Am I the only one this is happening to? And of course, every time this happens I can never find a police car in the vicinity. Today the IDIOT who was speeding and didn't want to stop at the crosswalk even tried to argue with me that it was my fault. Ignorance and stupidity combined. How lovely.

I've had people honk at me because I stopped at a stop sign, too. When I ride my bike they pull right in front of me like I was wearing a cloaking device, too. I think the last time I saw a security car besides the ones guarding the crosswalk in front of the school was last Saturday morning. And it had a taillight out! They used to make rounds at least a few times a day, but they never do in my quad, not even the bike patrols, or they would see the kids out all weekend on bikes and scooters with no helmets and the two 3-4 year olds in their battery cars driving in the middle of the street.

I would recommend you get their tag, make, and model of the vehicle and a description of the driver (if possible) and file a police report with base security. You will have to do it in person, though, as they require you to file a written report w/your signature. They do follow up on it and take issues like these very seriously. Good luck!

-Chad

Chad ~ I did call the policce once to find out what to do about it. I was told that, even if I were to file a report, they would never be able to issue a ticket or do anything other than letting that person know that he/she was reported. It would be more of a hassle and a waste of time for me to do this than for the person who committed the offense, unfortunately. Now, if one of these days I get run over, that would be, HOPEFULLY, a different story! But I hope it won't come to that, lol! I'm still hoping that one of these days this will happen when the MAs are around to witness that. :)

I have got to the point where I just walk across the street and hope that they do hit me....I yelled at one guy at the crosswalk near the NEX/ Fire station. It makes no sense and I can definately see a child getting hurt one day all because thaws offenders just don't care.

The longer I am here, the more I see a prevalent theme...a lot of people here have no regard for life. The other day there was a guy on the SS7 going in the wrong direction! Everyone swerved out of the way to avoid having a head-on collision so that he could get to the exit he missed taking...probably b/c he was on his cell. People texting and making calls on their cell phones are easily detectable, as they drift all over the place when driving like drunkards after last call. "It's all about me" attitude abounds. (Many Italians that are not originally from the area even say these things!) "Treat others as you'd like to be treated" desperately needs to happen here!

Brian ~ It looks like several Americans have adapted VERY well to the way people drive over here. This area is indeed unique. No other area in Italy is like this when it comes to driving (and other things). However, the problem I am having right now is the fact that Americans seems to have so conveniently forgotten how to drive on base.

Marilyn ~ LOL @ hoping to get hit.

Serious M....is that the only way we can get these offenders to wake up?? Nothing will even be looked at until there is some type of accident. It's sad but true.

Since we are taking about the drivers on base I wish they would police the CDC, especially when school lets out as there are NO parking spots left for the paying customers to pick up their children from the center or for the folks who work there. There is a perfectly good parking lot at the back of the school for child pick up! I am guessing folks are just too lazy to walk from there to the front to pick up their child. It is very frustrating and then I hear people complaining when someone parks on the side to pick up from the center. They have no choice when all the spots have gone to parents picking up at the NES or NHS.

I would like to express my opinions and stand up for us MA's on this base working hard to protect the safety of NSA installation even if most disagree with what I may say. Now first off I will not account for all actions that MA’s do or do not do while on patrol. Yes your right, we can not always be there when the crime is committed but do yourself a favor get as much information as possible and come to the precinct and report this behavior. Complaining about how one does or does not do there job on Naples all hands is not going to do any justice. If you thought about how much effort and time your wasting sitting on the computer reading these posts and then posting your own replies to this kind of behavior you could spend less time doing that and out helping us take care of some of these issues. You see something like this happen not stopping at stop signs, dumping of animals, etc., collect as much information as possible and report it. It bothers me that people want to complain about how we do or don’t do our job here in NSA Naples but put yourself in our shoes for one 12 to 14 hour day and see what we as MA’s have to deal with on a daily basis receiving calls from everyone dealing with issues just like these. I won’t go on about the endless amount of disrespect we can receive at one time as well when we are here only to help. Of course when we do enforce the rules, then that is when people want to step up and complain. Remember as MA’s we did not make these rules we are here to enforce them. There are kids running around the base unattended, kids riding bikes and scooters/skateboards without wearing their helmets and you want to point the finger at us to enforce the rule that they should be wearing one? Well I put the blame on the households. You as adults/parents need to step up and police your own children and help by policing the community you live in.

Michael ~ I am the one who started this thread, but I actually was more focusing on the people who commit the offense rather than a lack of intervention by the MAs. I know these people would be immediately pulled over if this were to be witnessed. I just hope that one day I will turn around and see one of you guys nearby when that happens. :) I did get license plate numbers in the past, and I believe I even went to the Security Office up front to file a report. However, when I was told that nothing could really be done to the 'offender' because it was witnessed by a pedestrian and not by an MA, then I figured it would a complete waste of time to report it every time. This was purely a vent, that's all. Also, a friend of mine called Security to report that a rottweiler was living on base. There was an ad on naplesallhands advertising the sale of such a dog and showing a picture of the dog in a SS home. After verifying that this is, indeed, a breed which is not allowed on the SS, my friend asked Security if they could do something about it, as it was public knowledge on naplesallhands. The MA who answered the phone said that, most likely, without a complaint, nothing could be done. My friend's question, and also mine, is: why? The MA did pull up the ad on naplesallhands while on the phone and saw the animal. Wouldn't that have been enough to have the dog evicted and banned, with possible repercussions for the owner who violated policy? I have no particular complaints concerning the MAs' job on base, with the exception of those individuals at the gate who will literally not even say a word while checking IDs. I find that quite disrespectful and rude, but I have now learned how to be completely silent as well while showing my ID. :) Needless to say, it is always a pleasure to hear someone greeting you and wishing you a good da, which I enjoy returning of course. It really doesn't require that much effort to be pleasant while doing this, but it is obvious that many, unfortunately, find it extremely difficult to do.

I totally agree on the responsibility of the parents and families to enforce rules such as the wearing of the helmet, as well as controlling the behavior of some kids while in the playground. This past weekend some kids literally trashed one of the playground near Bldg. 2040. By the end of the weekend, it was literally covered in trash. What did the parents teach these kids? Sad, very sad. Also, I often see dogs in the playground area. We recently confronted a woman who had her dog INSIDE a playground and informed her that dogs are not allowed. She replied by giving us an attitude and telling us that dogs are allowed as long as they are on a leash. And, of course, she did not leave. Now, I can guarantee you that if one of you guys had told her that, she would have left immediately. In certain instances, there is only so much that we, as private citizens, can do. We try our best with things like this, but, unfortunately, we cannot force another person to do or not do certain things. Our kids, of course, we can (or should be able to!) control, and you are definitely right on that. But for the rest, you guys have definitely more power.

Thank you for your input.

M,

I would like to reply to the part where you say something of arriving to the gate and being greeted with a hello. Your right, there is very little that still conduct business in that manner. We are instructed to do so but the problem we face is we do not receive the same respect in return. The respect for others wears thin when you do not receive the same in return. Many times even myself while standing gate, I have been approached by individuals and even after saying good morning or good evening not once, not twice, but even as far as three times almost right in a row with still no response get's frustrating. You start to loose composure and give up. This is where confusion happens and then the MA waits till he is greeted with a hello first or I suppose in your experience do not receive a reply at all. Sorry you had to deal with this and it’s a shame that it is this way. I suppose its nature of our job; we do deal with a lot of disrespect from an individual which makes it hard for some to remain professional no matter the circumstance. Which I present is no excuse for their actions.

This topic is a reply to the Rottweiler on base. The information provided does however cross a grey line. Now as MA's however, we could do our job to investigate the situation and go to the member’s house possibly to witness the dog present in the home. At this time we could advise the owner that this particular breed of animal is not allowed in base housing and issue them a copy of the base policy. Then we would also advise them they need to follow the guidelines and remove the dog immediately. I'm sure there would be many questions and answers’ asked and received before we could just walk on over and remove this dog from base housing area.

When I first responded to the blog I never really meant to single out your concern of the cross walk situation. What I really intended to get at was the idea that other’s wanted to mock Security/MA’s for not doing our job correctly. I personally take offense to this not only because I do carry out this job profession but also because we as MA’s are not limited to just one job function. Some do not realize but there is more to our job then just driving around in a patrol unit catching individuals doing wrong or checking ID’s at the main gate while entering the base. We are involved in not just Law Enforcement, Anti-Terrorism Force Protection but also Emergency Management missions. Are job is not labeled as just Police Officers any more. We are busy at what we do and I think we are doing great with the limited staff we have on board due to “IA’s some have sacrificed to carry out.”

M again thanks for your concerns and hope that maybe one day people will treat others as if they would want to be treated as well.

Michael ~ Fortunately the MAs who do not seem to show much courtesy at the gate are just a minority. I am especially happy when a person at the gate shows a nice smile and enthusiasm. I have noticed MAs who are able to display such an outstanding behavior in the middle of the night, when I'm sure it is not fun to be out in the cold. The individuals I was referring to in the previous message, in my opinion, do not seem to act they way they do because they have been disrespected in the past. It is just my impression, but to me it looks like they just resent being there. Of course I could be wrong, but this is how I feel. As I said, fortunately, it is just a minority. :)

Thanks again, Michael.

We could get together at several of the corners and wave "slow down, your kids play here" signs. Pick a couple days during the week, just an hour after work. I"m busy too, but hey it's the kids. How about hand out flyers in front of the NEX and commissary? Ideas folks? BTW we have had many dealings with the MA's, always professional and helpful. Thanks for standing a crappy , watch. I've done it, it's not as much fun as it seems.

I doubt a day promoting awareness would change anything. seems like a waste of time. That's not going to stop the nuts from driving crazy.

Complaining and posting online won't do it for sure.

The MA's can't be everywhere, there only so many of them.

The MA's already have a citizen reporting process.

Some posts said it's not worth reporting it to the MA's ( M. :: May 21, 2010). So, what we have is complaints and no desire to follow through with suggestions.

I fully agree about the cars and the need for drivers to slow down on base but as for as putting up signs about children at play, we should all be fully aware that kids are at play with it just being a base and all living in quads. What is needed with the kids at play are the parents to stay outside with the younger ones supervising them, especially now the summer holidays are upon us. Also for them to teach their kids on how to ride their bikes safely and NOT just ride out OR run out into the road without stopping or looking. Childs safety does not begin just with the drivers slowing down but also with the parents teaching their kids the proper safety rules when outside and knowing where their kids are!