#1
A total of about 10 officers cordoned off the area and set up a perimeter. Cops went into the house looking for the burglar.
They found that the noise was caused by a ROOMBA that got trapped in a closet. The vacuum was banging against the walls and the closet door trying to escape.
No arrests were made that day. Fortunately, no one was injured, either.
#2
#3
Looking to delve deeper into how much of a problem foolish 911 calls are, Bored Panda turned to an expert when it comes to 911 emergency calls, Ben Levitan, who was kind enough to share his knowledge on the topic.
“This is a big problem,” he said. “About 50% (according to the US government and the 911 Association) of calls received are not emergencies, they are not life or death issues. Moreover, 25 percent to 75 percent of all 911 calls are accidental dials.
“‘Butt dials’ are more and more common due to touch screens and the fact that phones often have a pre-set for 911. The phone companies also have a ‘permissive dialing plan for 911.’ Permissive dialing are rules like, if you only dial seven numbers the phone company assumes you are making a local call and fills in the area code for you. Or if you dial more than 10 digits on your phone, the phone company only accepts the first 10 digits. For 911, if you dial 991, 191, or even 919 (the area code of North Carolina), you likely will be directed to 911 automatically,” the expert explained.
#4
There’s a deer in my yard. (A weekly occurrence here)
What is it doing?
*It’s looking at me.*.
#5
She was fine, at least until she got word from her insurance company that they weren't going to pay for her "frivolous and unnecessary" ambulance ride.
Discussing why foolish calls or so-called ‘butt dials’ are a problem, Levitan noted that 911 operators have a set of standards they must follow—rules that are set by the National Emergency Number Association. “When someone calls you first ask ‘What is your location?’ then ‘Do you need police, fire or ambulance?’ Every call must be answered, and if it's a butt dial, action still has to be taken per the rules.
“Today, your location is usually known, but not 100% of the time. (This will get better in the next few years.) If you call 911 by accident and don't respond, or call with a non-emergency issue, the operator must dispatch police to your location,” the expert continued.
“This is done for legitimate reasons. People call 911 when they get in a wreck, but can't talk. A person who has been kidnapped and is in the trunk of a car can call 911 and not be detected. A woman in a house who's having a problem (domestic situation) or kidnapped kid can call and be guaranteed that someone will show up with help without them having to say a word, or when giving a nonsense story. A common problem that occurs is that the person simply doesn't speak English and needs help. If there is no response, there is a call back and then a dispatch. For nonsense calls, the operator has to make the decision. This all takes a lot of resources and with a shortage of 911 operators is dangerous to those who truly need help.
“So the harm is that according to 911 procedures they have to try to call you back and have to send help. Of course with 25-75 percent of calls being accidental that's a problem. With 50% of calls being nonsense, it ties up operators,” Levitan summed up.
#6
#7
As a newbie, I remember thinking that must be a one in a million call. 20+ years in, I've learned that it's not. In fact "things stuck in the butt" calls are fairly common.
#8
That did not dissuade some dude from turning up and demanding that we stop his neighbour’s cat from ‘trespassing’ on his land though. He ended up being fined later for repeatedly calling 999 over it.
“One more well-meaning, but foolish reason that people call 911 is that they pass an accident on the highway but don't see first responders at the scene,” Levitan continued. “What do they do? What do you do? You call 911 and say ‘I don't know if anyone has reported this but there's a big wreck out here’. The fact is that the first 911 call comes in about 30 seconds after the wreck and they keep calling in until passersby see the first responders on the scene. This is about 10 minutes after the wreck.
“Operators must answer every call, even if they see, the call is coming from the same location. The emergency could be unrelated to the crash or be coming from a neighborhood next to the highway. Operators ask, ‘Were you involved in the crash?’ If not, they are politely and quickly dismissed. Otherwise they are held for more information.
“So as a first responder, 50% of the time you are answering false alarms, and first responders are wasting their time, when there may be real emergencies.”
#9
#10
I received a call from a man saying he needed police out to his house, but he wouldn’t tell me where he was. He said he needed to be restrained, but would not tell me a reason why other than he was a bad man. He kept telling me he needed wrist and leg restraints and a hood over his face. In my mind, I thought he was going to hurt someone or already had, so I stayed on the line to figure out what was going on with him. He then told me to tell him he was a bad man and deserved to be restrained. He would say “tell me I’m a bad man. Tell me I’m a terrible person, who needs to be punished.” Then...it hit me. I spent 30 minutes on the line with a dude trying to live out his BDSM fantasy. I couldn’t believe I didn’t see it sooner.
#11
Talking to the expert, we also wanted to learn how difficult a job being a dispatcher is, and according to him, it's a hard job to get, and a hard job to do.
“Becoming a 911 dispatch operator is tough. There is a lot of training, and then a lot of supervised training until you are on your own. The job is emotionally and mentally taxing. In the end it can be tremendously satisfying, but too many people—good people—don't stay long in the job. There is a tremendous turn-over in the industry.”
#12
#13
#14
Levitan pointed out that, according to statements made by ex-dispatchers, the main reasons they quit include being overworked and lack of recognition or funding.
“There is a shortage of people who qualify, are willing to do the training, and do the job. 911 centers have to run 24 hours a day so centers have to assign longer shifts and shorten time off for those who are working,” he explained.
Discussing lack of recognition, the expert noted that “a lot of dispatchers understand they are working with life or death situations and realize that they are the ones who helped save a life. But what they don't get is recognition or thank yous. Rarely is someone you are helping in a position to say thank you when the call is done. It's tough on people.”
#15
To this day I think that he was so proud of himself for catching that fox that he called the police department to brag about it since there was no one else that saw it.
#16
I've had people call because their neighbors blew leaves or grass clippings onto their lawn and want them arrested. I had another call because it was raining and their yard was flooding and they were pissed off. Ma'am we can't control the weather. The list goes on and on.
#17
Last but not least, “lack of funds or cheapskate city budgets,” as Levitan puts it, doesn’t make the situation much better, either. “When cities cut budgets or try to balance their budgets, 911 is always one of the first victims. Every telephone line in the US pays a monthly fee of about 50 cents to $1.25 to support 911. That's supposed to pay for equipment, training, and other needs of the 911 center. So why is 911 strapped? The money isn't all going to the 911 centers. There are famous stories of the money being used for Christmas parties for the Fire Department. The city often sees the funds as ‘their money.’”
#18
#19
Thinking back, I feel soo bad for doing that. According to my mom, the cops did show up at our house just to check what was up.
#20
Discussing foolish calls, Ben Levitan said that they are usually the exceptions. “Most people know when they need to call 911. We hear a lot of ‘stupid 911 calls,’ but these are the exceptions. If you think you need to call 911, you probably do.
“The problem is that when people know they have a problem but it's not life threatening, they don't know who to call. There really should be a short number for 911 non-emergencies. If you get into a minor crash, are both off the road in a safe location and need police to respond, it's easier to call 911 than trying to find the ‘non-emergency number’ for whatever town you are in. 90% of the time, when people get in a crash, they don't know their own location.”