9-1-1.com» 9-1-1 misuse

Suspects identified in fake 911 calls that sparked Amber Alert

Greg — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:56:44 +0000

Investigators have identified the suspects in four fake 911 calls that sparked an Amber Alert in Dyer County, Tennessee.

One of the girls called and turned herself in, according to the Pemiscot County Sheriff’s Department. The juveniles are from Missouri.

Since they are juveniles, no names are being released. Juvenile authorities are handling the situation.

Officials said four calls were made to 911 between 3:30pm and 5:00pm Wednesday, July 15th. The caller identified herself as 13-year-old Latrice Watson, and said that she and her 10-year-old sister had been kidnapped and were being molested by a 57 to 60-year-old white male.

Read the full story here (includes 9-1-1 audio).

They Called 911 For WHAT?

Greg — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 13:14:00 +0000

911 telecommunicators hear it all — especially the bizzare. Here’s yet another collection of calls that will make you ask: “What were they thinking?”

Video courtesty of KFMY:

Read the full story here (includes audio of calls).

911 faker gets 20 years for robbery

Greg — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:28:15 +0000

Darrin Bonner Jr., who helped concoct the fake 911 robbery call that led to the death of a Buffalo police officer, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for his arrest in the same store moments after a knifepoint street crime six years later.

Bonner, 26, of Linwood Terrace, was sentenced on his robbery conviction for his role in the theft of about $50 from a woman in the 500 block of Linwood Avenue at about 8 p. m. last Oct. 28. He has been in jail since his arrest about 15 minutes later in the A-Plus Market at Delaware and West Delavan avenues.

Bonner was one of four men convicted of staging a fake 911 robbery call from that same store Oct. 30, 2002. Police Officer James Shields, a 36-year-old father of two, was killed when his patrol car crashed into a tree responding to that fake “bandits” call. Bonner and his cohorts had faked the 911 call to cover the theft of money from the store.

– From The Buffalo News

911 Call For Date To Be On National TV

Greg — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:32:04 +0000

The infamous 9-1-1 call from an Oregon woman who wanted a date with a deputy will be featured in an upcoming program on the Discovery Channel.In 2006, Lorna Dudash called emergency dispatch to get a cute deputy trainee to come back to her house after he responded to a noise complaint.

The story caught the attention of producers with the Discovery Channel who plan to put it on national TV. The show that will be airing the story is titled Call 911 and is on the Investigation Discovery Channel.

Every year, the show does a special on when not to call 911. Producers said the infamous call that came into the Washington County Dispatch Center three years ago is the perfect example of what not to do.

Read the full story here.

Police chief wants fines for 911 hangups

Greg — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:30:15 +0000

If you call 911 in Vallejo, California and hang up before police find out what’s wrong, you may pay as price for wasting their time.

Police Chief Robert Nichelini is proposing that the City Council authorize fines for people who dial 911 but hang up without explanation.

“These calls consume an inordinate amount of police time and often delay the receipt and dispatch of true emergencies,” Nichelini wrote in a report to council.

“A 911 hang-up call is no different than any other type of false alarm, and, in many cases, the modern-day equivalent of the old red fire box on the corner,” he wrote.

Read the full story here.

Sales calls annoy 911 dispatchers

Greg — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:52:20 +0000

Even emergency dispatchers are not immune from telemarketers’ calls. Amid a flurry of calls to the Warren County (Ohio) 911 center about a man committing suicide June 24 in front of a tanker truck on Interstate 71, one call stood out.

Dispatcher: “9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”

Recorded woman’s voice: “This is an important message regarding your current credit-card account…”

Read the full story here.

Man Calls 911 to Meet Lil Wayne

Greg — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:12:04 +0000

A Florida man was arrested for calling 911 requesting that he be taken to meet rapper Lil Wayne.

Micheal Kruse was charged with making a false emergency call, which is a misdemeanor. According to the St. John’s Country Sheriff’s office report, the 20-year-old dialed the emergency service and requested a police escort him to meet the rapper. Confused by the call, the operator asked “What is a little Wayne sir?” Kruse explained that Wayne was a rapper, mistakenly calling him Shawn Carter, which is Jay-Z’s legal name. The operator continued to questions Kruse, “You want a police escort to take you to Miami?”

Read the full story here.

Man upset by McDonald’s order calls 911

Greg — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:25:52 +0000

An Oregon man upset at the way McDonald’s employees handled his order was charged after allegedly calling 911 repeatedly to report the restaurant had robbed him, authorities said.

Jeremy Lloyd Martin, 23, was charged with improper use of the 911 service, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office said. He was cited at the scene and released.

According to a tape of the 911 calls released by Clackamas County 911, a man initially told a dispatcher that he was at the McDonald’s near the intersection of Southeast Sunnyside Road and Southeast 82nd Avenue and needed help. The man said he had paid $10 in the drive-thru but only received a single burger and a fry before he was told to pull around.

Read the full story here.

Man calls 911 to report hair in his food

Greg — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:17:02 +0000

A word to the wise: if you have hair in your food, don’t call 911.

Dispatchers say a Wisconsin man did just that after he and his found a bunch of hair in their carry-out meal.

Read the full story here.

Woman Arrested for Calling 911 over 700 times

Greg — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:24:59 +0000

A Virginia woman is facing criminal charges for repeatedly calling 911 operators. According to WVIR-TV, records from the past two and a half years show she called the Emergency Communications Center 755 times, and intervened with the work of emergency personnel.

“Police officers know her by sight,” said Albemarle County Police Lieutenant Todd Hopwood. She has also repeatedly stopped by the police station or flagged officers down on the street.

“I’d say we haven’t had any legitimate, that I know of, any legitimate concerns that she’s brought to our attention,” said Hopwood.

Sixty-one year old Linda Lee Dunnivan has a different story to tell. You can read the full story here.