Posted on 10/04/2010 1:30:33 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Don't know what day it is? Look at a calender. Don't call 911
It appears residents in Broward County have their definitions for "nonsense" and "emergency" mixed up. According to the Broward Sheriff's Office call center, nearly half the 911 calls they receive are for things not quite a life or death situation - unless you consider a fast food order an emergency.
To paraphrase the immortal words of Flavor Flav, 911 callers are a joke in this town.
"My toilet's overflowing, what do I do? That's my personal favorite," BSO Sheriff Al Lamberti said. While it's a stretch, a busted toilet at least could, conceivably, be considered an emergency. But there is no rationale for the number calls that sound something like this:
"I ordered chicken nuggets and they don't have chicken nuggets," one woman called 911 to report.
The fast food offenses are usually the most common and often the most annoying because people think it's really an emergency worthy of 911, one operator said.
"Screaming in my ear, 'I wanted the sausage, and he gave me the burrito!'" April McGill recalls from one call. "She's trying to force me to eat something off the menu that I don't want!" The penal code hasn't quite addressed customer service in the fast food industry, but that hasn't stopped Broward residents from picking up the phone and calling the police. People have asked for police escorts, rides to the liquor store and instructions on how to make meatballs.
One woman even called to ask what day it was. Meanwhile, real emergencies can suffer from an influx of foolish calls. Occasionally, the police do show up to help. Well, help that person into a pair of handcuffs and a jail cell.
Lamberti said there is a pretty easy rule to follow if you aren't sure if 911 is the right call for you. "If it involves your toilet or your turkey that's a no-no," he said.
Or as one operator put it, "911 is if you're dying. Do you understand that?"
If you NEED (and I mean really NEED) a ride to the hospital, then you probably should call the ambulance and not a cab. The taxi driver doesn’t appreciate pools of blood gushing into his vehicle. If the neighbor’s dog just attacked you and you’re incapacitated with an immediate threat to your life, then you SHOULD call 911 for help. That’s why our tax dollars pay for emergency medical services. If you have a real emergency (an immediate threat to life or limb), then you should take advantage of those services.
Is this the party to whom I’m speaking?
You know...I don’t advocate violence in any form whatsoever.
However, there are some people who need killin’. ;o)
Think of it as adding chlorine to the gene pool.
I’m calling 911. I object to this thread, and you need to explain to the cops why you pinged me to it.
Waste of jail space. Sterilize them and any of their offspring.
Perhaps he wants people to look into their collanders? ;-P
must be cold in NY. Time for reporters to migrate to Florida weather for their winter stories.
I plead the Fifth.
:-D
as one operator put it, “911 is if you’re dying. Do you understand that?”
Can you say that in Spanish?
A simple law imposing a $100.00 penalty on their next phone bill if it is determined the call is frivolous would put a stop to this in a hurry.
We already have the law in place. We should be using it.
FALSE “911” CALLS.—Whoever accesses the number “911” for the purpose of making a false alarm or complaint or reporting false information which could result in the emergency response of any public safety agency is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083
Based on the 2000 election, though, not very well. :=)
The criminal process is unwieldy (because of all the procedural requirements) and seldom used because the system is designed for more serious crimes. As a result, few people are prosecuted and fewer people still hear of the the negative impact on the caller.
Do away with the criminal penalties and have a $100.00 charge applied to the next phone bill and the impact is immediate.
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