Wouldn’t it have been easier…and cheaper…just to ask for mayo?
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/crime/2008/08/05/spivey.911.call.sandwich.wtlv
Redwolf
I have heard that many areas in the US actually charge for 911 calls. I guess this makes people think they have a right to waste the operators’ time.
djm
They don’t charge for individual 911 calls, no. We do pay a surcharge on our phone bill to help finance 911…that may be what they’re thinking of. But anyone can call 911 from any phone (even a cell phone that’s not connected to a service) without charge.
Redwolf
here’s a weblink for those few who don’t like watching online videos…(myself included)
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D92BL5FO0&show_article=1
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - Jacksonville police say Reginald Peterson needs to learn that 911 is not the appropriate place to complain that Subway left the sauce off a spicy Italian sandwich.
Police said the 42-year-old man dialed 911 twice last week so he could have his sub made correctly. The second call was to complain that officers weren’t arriving fast enough.
Subway workers told police Peterson became belligerent and yelled when they were fixing his order. They locked him out of the store after he left to call police.
When officers arrived, they tried to calm Peterson and explain the proper use of 911. Those efforts failed, and he was arrested on a charge of making false 911 calls.
Peterson did not have a listed phone number.
Reminds me of the Burger King 911 call.
My wife writes police reports from those who actually come to the police station and those that call in. Every day she has something interesting to say when she comes home. One woman who came in in-person started her request with, “I want to speak to an honest officer”. She is a frequent visitor to the police station and seems to continually have things to report. She usually wears two pairs of rubber gloves, which gives you a hint of her mental condition.
There is a difference between a crime and a civil offense. With crimes you call the police; with civil offenses you take the person to court to request damages. Oftentimes people call the police to report a civil matter. If a neighbor damaged your fence, that is a civil matter. But if your neighbor threatens to injure you, that is potentially a criminal offense worth reporting to the police. People who call in to report something oftentimes don’t understand the difference, and they can become irrate if you won’t take their report. “Let me speak to your superviser”, is a common request.
One man called to file a police report that someone was threatening him. It turns out that the caller had stolen something from the man who was making the threatening comments. You would think that he wouldn’t call the police under those circumstances. I’m glad that I’m not the person who has to go out and follow up on these cases.
I have the utmost respect for dispatchers. There is NO way I’d want that job in a million years. They are over worked, under paid, and god forbid if the do make an error, it’s splashed all over the news.
One of the funniest “exchanges” I’ve overheard while walking Citizens on Patrol (we have police radios on) was when an officer reported the description of someone who had just robbed a quick mart. The officer stated:
“BM, 5’10” medium build, wearing a long white t-shirt, baggy jeans, and tan Timberlines."
The dispatcher came back “ah - you just described about 10,000 kids in this city, do you have any other distinguishing features you’d like to add?”
Then the officer stated the robber took the cash register. Not the money, he took the whole register. The dispatcher needed that clarified a few times, too “You mean he took the whole thing?”.
I did read that some locales were finding it necessary to charge for 911 calls in order to reduce the number of non-emergency calls. I believe the charge kicked in if the call was not a true emergency. Another city had passed legislation authorizing fines for repeated violations.
The article related horrifying tales of people who called to harass dispatchers and waste everyone’s time as a sort of sport.