Aren't cops the good guys?

So I get ready to leave today (and the Wild One's are on their own for an hour-the oldest in charge), but I notice that my mailbox is MIA...again!! Sure I know it's probably laying in the jungle that surrounds the post, but I'm pretty sure the mail lady won't get out, find it and deposit my fan mail...I mean bills...into the box down there. I decide to call the police as they have requested in the past to be notified when this happens. I'm not sure whether to call 911 (What if someone is being kidnapped and I am tying up the phone line with a missing mailbox?) or to call free411 and hope that I get the correct number for the local police and not Ivan the ambulance chasing lawyer. I decided to call 911 and with sweaty palms (I'm still not sure this is the right number to call) I almost hang up, but that would cause a whole new trauma--would they try to call back my cell phone and if I didn't answer would they try to track me down? I finally talk to the dispatcher ("This is a non-emergency" being the first words out of my mouth), tell her my story and as I am about to hang up she asks if she should send an officer to the house to take my statement or if he should just call. I guess I didn't mention that I was on my cell phone and therefore not at home (can't they tell that with their fancy schmancy equipment?). Anyway I clearly requested that he CALL me.

Fast forward 20 minutes: the Wild One's call me frantic because there is a police car in the driveway. I'm thinking ***not a big deal, but then they tell me that they are hiding in a bedroom. Yes I told them not to answer the door when I am not home, but this was the POLICE! I stayed on the phone with them until they saw the police car pull down the driveway, but they were convinced a cop was still in the house. They were scared and even thought he was trying to open the door (the bedroom door). Thinking fast (not always a good thing) I tell them to stay in there and I will call the police to see if they are in the house. What was I thinking?? OK...deep breath...I dial 911 again, explain my story again, and ask if the police are in my house (remember they are there to check on a missing mailbox). I ended up on a 3-way call with another dispatcher (I bet the first got busy with a kidnapping) and the officer that was at the house. I'm sure I don't have to tell you this, but he was never in the house. And to their credit they never laughed...at least while they had me on the phone.