I was driving to work the other morning, my usual on-ramp between two highways was a car stranded in a very, very precarious spot. Right around the second bend, couldn't see the car until the last second, etc.
I didn't want to pull off on the shoulder of a very busy highway on the morning commute, and I didn't want to try to use my phone to look up the non-emergency number whilst driving down said busy highway.
Would that have been an appropriate use of 911?
Yes, if it could kill somebody, you call 911.
I think any time police or medical care is the right solution and they are needed RIGHT berkeleyING NOW then 911 makes sense. Today was my first use. Oddly, I didn't even hesitate.
Around here to get a hold of the cops you are supposed to use 911 even if it's a non-emergency. You just state that it is not an emergency when they answer.
I came into here expecting something different 
Me too!
Me three.
But, I've called 911 several times over the last few years to report accidents, fires, broken down cars in bad places. In all cases someone else has already called, but they thank me for the call and let me know calling was the right thing to do. Thinking about it now in connection to my HD bashing thread, the last time was when I was last on M119 (same road I was talking about) and a guy had dropped his HD while 2 up with his wife. Others were there to assist, but it was out of town with no cell reception so I drove up to the next village to get signal.
bgkast wrote: Around here to get a hold of the cops you are supposed to use 911 even if it's a non-emergency. You just state that it is not an emergency when they answer.
^ this, preface the call w/ 'non-emergency'
I keep the local PD desk number in my contacts list.
Probably. Every time I've called and been apologetic about it, the operator and (if necessary) responding officers have always said it was the right thing to do. I've also been told a couple times later on, "You should have called earlier".
Most departments also have a "non-emergency" number, and its never a bad idea to have that programmed into your phone.
I think its sometimes also a matter of timing. Call at 11:00 p.m. on a Friday, maybe they wouldn't be quite as happy. Its kind of like calling a restaurant to see what time they close. Call at 3:00 p.m., they probably don't mind, call at 5:30 p.m., maybe they won't be quite as polite.
In years past, I have driven the Ohio Turnpike extensively. The Turnpike has its own Hyw Patrol assigned just to the Turnpike and the speedtraps that result. They have signs on the road that say dial *990 for help (direct to Turpike Hyw Patrol dispatch.) I made it my personal goal to call in to report anything. See a guy changing a tire, call it in. I figured if nothing else they can put some flashing lights behind the guy to keep others from running him over.
What I really hate to see is someone struggling on the side of the road with a spare tire and then a mile down further an officer just sitting there looking for something to do.
As a secondary benefit, I like the idea of keeping them busy because if they are sitting idle, they are looking for me, going too fast.
In SC you can dial *HP and get the highway patrol.
I had to call 911 to get the police to open the bathrooms at my local park when I rented a shelter for a birthday party. That was the official way that it was done. Odd.
Thanks for the advice. I'll definitely call next time.
slantvaliant wrote: I keep the local PD desk number in my contacts list.
My daily commute takes has me in three different police depts over the course of 14 miles and 19 minutes........probably should just stick with 911.
In NYC They don't want you to call the precincts for anything. If you do they just tell you to call 911 and hang up.
I can see why having a central number is useful, but it just seems weird to call 911 for a non-emergency (of course many do).
I believe in some areas they use 811 (or something like that) for non-emergency calls which seems like a good idea.
mazdeuce wrote: I think any time police or medical care is the right solution and they are needed RIGHT berkeleyING NOW then 911 makes sense.
Yes, and I'd argue a car in a dangerous spot = valid reason the cops are needed right berkeleying now. I can't see calling 911 for the OP's case getting him in trouble for misusing 911, that's for sure.
It is possible there might be an even more appropriate number - in the Atlanta area, they have a bunch of signs asking you to call 511 to report accidents on the freeway system, for example. But if you don't know if there is a better number, for the OP's situation, a 911 call would be fine.
This is another good use for a 911:
Just sayin'
I've used the front trunk of my 911 as a baby change table.
Wally wrote: In NYC They don't want you to call the precincts for anything. If you do they just tell you to call 911 and hang up.
Don't they do that for emergency calls as well? 
When life or property is immediately at risk, you call 911. Dispatch got a problem? They can go berkeley themselves.
Funny thing is, I've got a friend who works dispatch. I've talked to him both with a 911 call and with a non-emergency call. With the 911 call, they answer "911, what's your emergency?", with the "non emergency" call, they answer "Sheriff's Department". During the non-emergency call, I've heard other dispatchers working in the background. My guess is the only real difference is if things are going "poorly" they answer the 911 calls before the non-emergency.
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