911

Stories 41 - 55 | << Prev 

Chicago Cops Cut Back on 911 Responses

They're weeding out less serious ones to focus on gun violence

(Newser) - One consequence of Chicag's rising murder rate: City police are now responding to fewer 911 calls in person to focus on gun violence. Dispatchers will reroute calls deemed less serious—car thefts, for example—to desk officers who will deal with them entirely by phone, reports the Wall Street ...

Guy Calls 911 to Complain About Sandwich Order

Dispatcher advises him not to purchase the sandwich

(Newser) - Yet another case of someone calling 911 to complain about food : This time, a Connecticut man called the emergency number after a deli fouled up his sandwich order. The man can be heard on a recording of Wednesday's call complaining that he "specifically asked for little turkey and...

40% of NYC's 911 Calls Are Butt Dials

Accidental calls numbered nearly 4M in 2010: report

(Newser) - Nearly 40% of the time a New York City dispatcher answers a 911 call, there’s no actual emergency. Yep, in 2010, two-fifths of all calls to New York’s 911 system were accidental “butt dials,” the New York Daily News reports. A total of 10.4 million...

Burglars Pocket-Dial 911, Get Busted

Which is really inconvenient when you've got stolen property in the car

(Newser) - Don’t you just hate when you accidentally pocket-dial someone? Well, imagine that happened while you were planning burglaries—and the number you dialed happened to be 911. That’s what happened to three Syracuse men last week. An operator listened as the men discussed a spree of burglaries they...

LA Man Busted for Making 18K Crank 911 Calls

Suspect accused of harassing dispatchers with 100 calls daily

(Newser) - Police in California say they've arrested a man who appears to have devoted most of his waking hours for six months to making crank calls to 911. Maurice Cruz, 41, is accused of making 18,000 prank calls over the period—around 100 calls a day. He was arrested by...

World's Worst Idea to Force a Marriage Proposal

Hint: It should not involve calling 911

(Newser) - An emergency domestic abuse call turned out to be a misguided attempt to force a marriage proposal, WBBM reports. Chicago resident Ana Perez, 40, called 911 and told the dispatcher she was being attacked by her boyfriend. When police arrived, however, Perez admitted she wanted to scare him into proposing...

Woman Arrested After Calls to 911 About Manicure

She called four times during dispute

(Newser) - A Florida woman was jailed briefly for tying up 911 with a decidedly "non-emergency" issue: complaints about her manicure. Cynthia Colston called four times from the salon after getting into an argument with her nail technician, including once to complain about the deputy who arrived on the scene and...

911 May Allow Emergency Texts

FCC chair proposes upgrading antiquated call centers

(Newser) - You may soon be able to text an emergency message to 911—and send a photo to boot. The FCC is exploring ways to bring 911 into the "digital age," says chair Julius Genachowski, noting that 70% of 911 calls come from mobile phones. No timetable yet, but...

Daughter Calls 911 From Car as Mom 'Drives Drunk'

Cops pull mother over as she 'swerves' into lanes

(Newser) - A scared 12-year-old girl frantically called 911 on her cell phone from inside a car as her drunk mom careened down a Long Island highway, police said. Jamie Hicks, 48, was swerving into other traffic lanes with her two daughters in her car when she was pulled over by state...

Mom Strangles Autistic Kids
 Mom Strangles Autistic Kids 
Jul 23, 2010 1:21 AM CDT

Mom Strangles Autistic Kids

I want 'normal' children, she tells dispatcher

(Newser) - A Texas mom called a 911 operator to confess that she killed her two young autistic children because she wanted "normal" kids. "I don't want my kids to be like that," said Saiqa Akhter, 30, who has been charged with capital murder in the killing of her...

Backers Push Good Samaritan Law to Save Drug Users

911 callers don't risk arrest themselves

(Newser) - Good Samaritan laws are designed to make sure people who OD on drugs get help. The idea is to shield callers to 911 who report someone in trouble from getting arrested themselves, Newsweek reports in a look at the push for the laws. So far, Washington state and New Mexico...

Snowbound Man Dies After 10 Calls to 911

Snowstorm kepts ambulances from dying man in Pittsburgh

(Newser) - The heavy snows that pummeled the East Coast last week claimed one victim in Pittsburgh whose death was surely preventable: a 50-year-old man who called 911 nine times over two days to complain of severe stomach pain. Every time an ambulance was dispatched, it got stuck in snow. Poor communication...

Woman Who Called 911 Over McNuggets Gets Refund

McDonald's aims to please crazy customer

(Newser) - Latreasa Goodman will at long last get her refund, McDonald's announced today. The 27-year-old called 911 three times last week, enraged because McDonald's was out of the Chicken McNuggets she had ordered and paid for, but wouldn’t give her a refund. “This is an emergency!” she told...

911 Centers Easy Targets for Pranksters
 911 Centers
 Easy Targets
 for Pranksters
analysis
Feb 2, 2009 2:58 PM CST

911 Centers Easy Targets for Pranksters

Services not updated to handle fake caller ID

(Newser) - Using VoIP Internet-calling services, pranksters are easily duping outdated 911 call centers to disastrous consequences, Ars Technica reports. Using easy-access online services, callers can cover up their real locations, make up stories, and mobilize emergency teams anywhere. Updating call-center systems could fix the problem, but most such places can’t...

Dog Dials 911, Barks for Help
 Dog Dials 911, Barks for Help 
Sep 15, 2008 5:24 AM CDT

Dog Dials 911, Barks for Help

German Shepherd trained to call

(Newser) - A German shepherd in Arizona dialed 911 and summoned help for his owner who had suffered a seizure, AP reports. Buddy barked and whimpered on the line until the 911 dispatcher sent help. The dog is trained by Paws with a Cause—which provides assistance animals to the ill and...

Stories 41 - 55 | << Prev 
Most Read on Newser