As summer starts, fake 911 calls spike

By at 30 June, 2009, 6:23 pm

If you need police or an ambulance, you don’t want them to take a joyride before they get to your house. This time of year, response time can be longer for emergency workers. That’s because the number of prank calls and hang-ups spikes dramatically, in large part because kids are out of school. If someone calls 911 and hangs up immediately, or gives sketchy info then hangs up, the operator calls the number back. If there’s no answer, they send out the troops, usually police, then possibly fire and an ambulance. “We

may send the fire department and medical services to someone who is non-existent,” said Ivan Whitaker, the Director of Polk County Emergency Management. It diverts valuable potentially life-saving resources away from a real emergency, like someone having a heart attack. “It’s a dangerous situation,” Whitaker said. People in trouble may not be the only losers. Emergency officials say if you get caught making fake 911 calls, you can be charged criminally, even if you’re a kid.  

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As summer starts, fake 911 calls spike

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