"Why Don't They Call The Cops?" A Question You Always Need to Answer

We've all had those moments when we're reading a book or watching a movie where we ask ourselves, "Why are you doing this? Why aren't you calling the cops?" Whether it's a teenage avenger going out to save a kidnapped family member, or someone who has a stalker in a strange mask outside their house, there's always that knee-jerk reaction where we ask why aren't they going to the authorities for help?

If you ascribe to the Hitchcock school of storytelling, the answer is simple. That's boring.

Seriously, screw the police.

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Alfred Knows Storytelling

For all his flaws, Hitchcock knew how to tell a story that compelled people. And when it comes to this particular aspect his opinion was as plain as it was simple. When you're telling a story, you want to follow these characters. You don't have them immediately solve a plot by going to the police because that can suck the suspense out of the story. It's a mundane solution, and it's not interesting.

However, we still need to provide some kind of out for our readers' suspension of disbelief. This is why you should either have an explanation as to why your characters don't contact the police, or that the presence of the police doesn't actually solve the plot, or fix the problem of the story.

Corrupt? Incompetent? Not worth the time? All sorts of reasons.

The most obvious solution to this problem is that there is either no law enforcement presence in the story's setting, or they're impossible to contact. The former is common in fantasy and historical stories where the very concept of modern policing doesn't exist. The latter is more common among horror stories that focus on isolation (there's no cell signal up at the cabin, and there's monsters outside), but it also shows up quite a lot in Westerns (where you could ride for help, but it will be two days before the sheriff can make it back here... if he comes at all).

If you're telling a story in a setting that has "call the cops" as an option, though, it's important to still provide some kind of reason for why your protagonists don't do that.

For instance, is your protagonist a wanted criminal? Or have they committed a major crime that, if it's discovered, they'll still go to prison for even if the police save them from the giant mutant alligator? Does your protagonist believe that the cops will just mess things up, and create more problems than they'll solve? Or do they believe that the individuals they're up against are untouchable, and that the cops won't go after them? In some cases it might even be that if you called 911 and told them what's actually happening (there's an alien sport hunter in my back yard and he's trying to take my head as a trophy) they'll write you off as a nut case and ignore your calls.

There's a lot of potential reasons. You just need to give your audience one of them.

Police as Complication

There is another option to consider, however, and that's turning the police into a story complication instead of a plot solution. A strategy most commonly used in thrillers, calling the cops in this circumstance is not a guaranteed path to safety. In fact, it might make things worse.

As an example, say that someone who is under threat from the mob calls the police. The police, naturally, offer to protect this person... or do they? Maybe the gangsters arrange to have a cop on their payroll take up guard duty so their boys can get into the house and try to kill the protagonist. Or perhaps the cop tries to do the job himself, completely shattering our protagonist's ability to trust the police at all. This, conveniently, makes it impossible for the reader to trust the police going forward, as well. Maybe the protagonist is being stalked by a serial killer, but a detective eager to close the case and get a promotion starts trying to twist the evidence to say that it's the story lead that is the killer, so now they have to contend with the actual killer, as well as being dogged by the police everywhere they go.

What? Is buying an ax illegal just because someone is killing people with one?

If you can't think of a reason for your protagonist not to contact the police when your story starts, this is a good way to show it's not a guaranteed solution to the issue. Cops who are corrupt, inexperienced, outmanned, or who simply aren't inclined to believe what's happening will just pass the baton right back to your protagonist to actually deal with the situation as it's unfolding.

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