Calling 911 for non-emergencies

[Alex Franke]

It seems like there have been several times lately that a story has hit the news where someone calls 911 for something that's clearly not an emergency. They play the tape of someone complaining about not getting the right order of chicken nuggets or something, and then the anchors all laugh and complain about how stupid the caller was to abuse emergency services like that.

Well, on our neighborhood email list someone asked about solicitors. A councilman and told us that we should notify the police if a solicitor comes to the door who does not have a permit -- even if it's after the fact. One came to the door recently so I looked up the non-emergency number for the police department. The conversation went something like this:

PD: (recording) If this is an emergency, hang up and dial 911. (real person) Police department.
Me: This is not an emergency, but I was advised by a town council member to let you all know if someone came to my door without a solicitor's permit.
PD: You need to hang up and dial 911.
Me: But it's not an emergency -- it was several hours ago.
PD: Do you need to reach the police?
Me: Yes -- isn't that the number I called?
PD: This is the police department. If you need to report something like that, you need to dial 911.
Me. Even if it's not an emergency?
PD: Yes. That's how you reach the police.
Me: Um... Okay.

So I dutifully called 911.

911: What's your emergency?
Me: I don't have one. I called the Police Department and they told me to call 911 to report a solicitor without a permit earlier in the day.
911: Do you need a police officer?
Me: No, I just need them to know that there was an unauthorized solicitor in the area earlier today.
911: Did you say you called the police department?
Me: Yes. They told me to call you.
911: Okay, I'll let them know.

Now I wouldn't request a police officer if someone fulfilled my fast food order wrong, but I can see now how some 911 recordings can seem like an abuse of the system when they're really not.

[Ed62]

It sounds like you wanted to get ahold of someone who told you to contact someone else, so they could pass on the information.

Ed

[LCHIEN]

last week there was a news article about a woman at a chinese restaurant who called 911 to report her fried rice did not have enough shrimp.

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpp/news/wei..._over_Shrimp_O

[cabinetman]

A little boy goes to his mother to borrow money.

She says: "Do I look like a bank?"

He goes to the bank.

The teller says: "Do I look like your mother?"
.

[radhak]

Call 311

If your community is with the times, it should have set up a 311 number. But not many have, as it is not mandatory. Maybe it's time it was.

But even otherwise, you should have a local non-emergency number to call for such occasions. This is one of the few occasions the internet works better : I checked the website for our PD and found a local, 10-digit number to call for non-emergencies. (as an aside, I am surprised to see a very nice, informative website there!).

I am not surprised the phone operators don't know where to direct you. The emergency operator has only been trained to get rid of the 'non critical' callers asap, so s/he could patch up the real emergency caller to a first-responder. As for the other operator, well, I'd surprised if s/he was trained at all !

[LinuxRandal]

I heard more and more stories like this. I know, from experience, to call 911 and request to be transfered off the emergency line. I have had funny looks before, because I asked a few officers I know, about the phone number for 911 (hoping to get the ones that employee's would be calling). I did at one time, dial (wish I still had it memorized), my local dispatches number, for a call that couldn't go over the radio (something close to work).

[Wood_workur]

There are many times I've wanted to contact the police to have a car ticketed/towed, but I don't know how to contact the police without calling 911.

Its a pain, especially when people park too far forward on a daily basis, and occasionally put the front bumper flush with the edge of the apron (you couldn't even fit two smart cars in front of my house, what is the point) or being two feet from the driveway.

The best is on the 4th of July when we are hauling a good bit of stuff around with out truck and people decide to park in front of our driveway either blocking us in or out. That's always interesting.

[BigguyZ]

I called out 311 number to ask for the non-emergency polic number, for things like noise complaints or people parked in/ blocking the alley. They told me that there is no non-emergency number and all calls should go to 911. So, I call 911 when my neighbors are being a bit too loud...

[Kristofor]

I called out 311 number to ask for the non-emergency polic number, for things like noise complaints or people parked in/ blocking the alley. They told me that there is no non-emergency number and all calls should go to 911. So, I call 911 when my neighbors are being a bit too loud...

I moved to the burbs (where there is a non-emergency number) so I can be a bit too loud .

When I rented in St. Paul, the cop shop was my next door neighbor, and they were the worst neighbors I've ever had when it comes to noise (on duty sirens, etc. is one thing, off duty carousing another), disregarded laws (well if it's a cop car it's probably fine to park in front of the hydrant)...

[Wood_workur]

(well if it's a cop car it's probably fine to park in front of the hydrant)...

easy fix...




Although I fail to see why the fire truck didn't just push the second one out of the way.

[OpaDC]

Although I fail to see why the fire truck didn't just push the second one out of the way.

To teach someone a lesson!

[Wood_workur]

To teach someone a lesson!

Pushing would teach them a bigger lesson. They'd need new tiers, and a lot of body work. And then the bill for t he truck that had to push them. Note I said firetruck push them, not tow truck tow them.

[BobSch]

easy fix...

Although I fail to see why the fire truck didn't just push the second one out of the way.

Hopefully a couple hundred gallons of H2O ended up in both vehicles. And you've just got to know that if it was THEIR house on fire, they'd be screaming to get that car out of there — especially the Beemer pilot.

[cabinetman]

I remember a story about a 42 yr old single woman that was visited by the cops for her music being too loud. The cops warned her, and left. Ten minutes later, she dialed 911 to ask the operator to have one of the cops come back to her house. The operator asked why. The woman said she was single and thought one of the cops was cute and wanted his phone number.

The cops did come back...and arrested her for misusing the 911 system.
.

[Mrs. Wallnut]

Around our area we have a non-emergency number that is called KitCom which puts you through to the dispatch center in our area. I have the number memorized and in my head because I have used it quite a few times in the past when I worked graveyard. I have also called 911. But the KitCom number gets a dispatcher and if I just need an officer to respond, to check something out I always tell them that its not a big hurry. Back in September when I had the huge fight at my store it was 911.