Things Atlanta police say you should not call 911 for

ATLANTA – You might be presupposed to name 911 in an emergency, however oftentimes dispatchers are confronted with calls that aren’t.

Whereas one name might not appear to be a giant deal, dispatchers say they get them so typically that it will probably decelerate the response to actual emergencies.

“I am calling as a result of the cat acquired the home smelling unhealthy ma’am,” one man informed a 911 dispatcher. “She’s making an attempt to burn incense right here.”

RELATED: Atlanta man calls 911 over cat’s smelly litter field

“I am on the road, I used to be simply questioning if somebody might order me some sizzling wings,” one other particular person informed an operator.

RELATED: Atlanta lady calls 911 to order hen wings

Each calls, Atlanta Police say, present a obtrusive drawback of the misuse of 911.

“Folks have been informed for many years to simply name 911, and that’s not the reply,” mentioned Desiree Arnold, the Govt Director of Atlanta E911.

Arnold says her workforce takes about 3,700 calls a day with a lot of them not true emergencies. She want to see fewer calls that waste her workforce’s time.

“Issues that individuals are doing that they shouldn’t be doing is asking 911 or are in search of 911 to deal with conditions that police and fireplace and medical personnel can’t truly deal with,” she mentioned.

Atlanta’s E911 middle dealt with 1.3 million calls final 12 months. It feels like loads, however, rather less than 4% had been deemed severe emergencies.

APD says 911 calls went up 14% final 12 months.

Regardless of the additional calls, the typical wait to speak to somebody is enhancing and is about 14 seconds, 82% of the time. That’s barely beneath business requirements.

Arnold says these numbers can enhance much more if they will lower down on the pointless 911 calls. She recommends folks use 311 for non-emergencies.

“We’re simply asking residents once they decide up the telephone that 911 isn’t essentially a useful resource financial institution,” she mentioned. “We’re right here to deal with emergency conditions.”

When do you have to name or textual content 911? Arnold says it needs to be reserved for life-threatening conditions. 

They’ve created a marketing campaign to assist folks resolve what to do referred to as “Make the Proper Name.”