If I was in a "bad" area and couldn't find my way and became desperate I would probably call or ask for non-emergency. As we learned with the case in Michigan, the call still needs to be investigated.
"can't get their baby to stop crying"
Um, maybe it needs medical attention.
I know they're describing the extreme cases or just calling right away but there has to be some calls under these quotes catergory that are legit.
-------------------- "Fate is like a strange, unpopular resturant, filled with odd waiters who bring you things you never ask for and don't always like."-Lemony Snicket Posts: 1119 | From: Bronx, NY | Registered: Dec 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Squishy0405: "People call because they're lost."
If I was in a "bad" area and couldn't find my way and became desperate I would probably call or ask for non-emergency. As we learned with the case in Michigan, the call still needs to be investigated.
Who suggested it not be? That's exactly the problem with making frivolous calls to 911: they all have to be investigated, which diverts valuable resources.
I'll trust most dispatchers and cops to distinguish between "I need directions," and "Help, I'm lost, and I think I'm in danger."
quote:"can't get their baby to stop crying"
Um, maybe it needs medical attention.
I know they're describing the extreme cases or just calling right away but there has to be some calls under these quotes catergory that are legit.
Why? The article is specifically about non-legitimate calls. Do you really think the dispatchers and cops can't distinguish between "My baby is crying" and "My baby needs an ambulance?"
-------------------- How homophobic do you have to be to have penguin gaydar? - Lewis Black Posts: 8322 | From: Columbus, OH | Registered: Aug 2005
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posted
Sometimes/possibly. I hope they ARE sending people out (again the MI case) and not thinking it's a joke. Now when people start talking about vampires, yes I see the point. I think they could have given better examples.
-------------------- "Fate is like a strange, unpopular resturant, filled with odd waiters who bring you things you never ask for and don't always like."-Lemony Snicket Posts: 1119 | From: Bronx, NY | Registered: Dec 2005
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posted
Here in Columbus, we have a new service for such non-emergency calls. People, instead of dialing 911, can dial 311, and a number of them do.
That said, I would be relieved to get non-emergency dispatch calls to even out my day as a 911 dispatcher (I'm not a 911 dispatcher, but if I was...) People doing all that emergency work would go insane after a while, I would think...
Posts: 105 | From: Columbus, OH | Registered: May 2006
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posted
I think the callers probably fit into roughly three catagories.
1) They legitimately think they have an emergency. New parents can be a tad paranoid at times. Baby won't stop crying may lead some of them to think that they are facing some sort of medical crisis. Though not an emergecy, a tumbleweed is a road hazzard which can lead to punctured tires.
2) They are mentally ill and/or vampires are after them.
3) They are hopelessly arogant and self-absorbed. (you need to send a police cruser to make them put extra pickles on my burger).
-------------------- The best measure of a man's honesty isn't his income tax return. It's the zero adjust on his bathroom scale. Arthur C. Clarke (1917 - ) Posts: 244 | From: Ventura, CA | Registered: Sep 2005
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