OT: When is it appropriate to call 911?

[HailtoPitt]

Looking for thoughts on this. If you suspect that someone is driving under the influence, but there is also a chance they could just be driving like an idiot with an expired temp plate... Ok to call 911 before they leave the fast food parking lot, or is that a Karen move?

 

[ratking17]

I call 911 all the time. If I see something suspicious, if I see an impaired driver, if there is a disabled vehicle...

 

[ShipofFools]

At the first sight of Jerry Sandusky near a shower.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Did I not respond?

 

[USN_Panther]

I call 911 all the time. If I see something suspicious, if I see an impaired driver, if there is a disabled vehicle...

This is the right answer. If you think about it, call. The police are professionals. Let them assess the situation.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

I called 911 once. When I was driving and I saw a bicyclist go head over handle bars down a hill and realized he probably at least had a broken collarbone. Luckily as I called, another driver stopped and she was a doctor. So that helped the situation immensely.

 

[Mikefln]

I call 911 all the time. If I see something suspicious, if I see an impaired driver, if there is a disabled vehicle...

This is the right answer. If you think about it, call. The police are professionals. Let them assess the situation.

While I see what you 2 are saying I cannot get on board with it to the degree you are saying. Suspicion alone is not enough for me to call the police, I need a little bit more confirmation than that.

True story,

When I was 19 my brother and his family lived across the street from me. They were supposed to be away at Christmas time (not the actual day) with my sister in laws family. My mom and sister looked out the window and saw his door opened and lights on and freaked out and called the cops. My dad, Brother in law and myself ran over thinking someone was robing the place. Turns out my brothers family decided not to stay because the accommodations were less than desired. The cops came and while everything turned out ok, we wasted police resources and what was nothing could have turned serious if just one of those responding cops were too amped up.

 

[pitt90seven]

if your food delivery driver is running late, you need to call 911.

 

[CJsE]

Looking for thoughts on this. If you suspect that someone is driving under the influence, but there is also a chance they could just be driving like an idiot with an expired temp plate... Ok to call 911 before they leave the fast food parking lot, or is that a Karen move?

I guess it depends on the situation. If you're pretty sure that he's driving drunk I'd call, not if it just seems like he's an ass or he has expired plates or anything petty like that. I have called the police a few times for obvious drunk driving in the past. Twice driving home from a Steelers' game and once on 4th of July weekend coming back from Pymatuning. Although I'm not sure what type of behavior would make it obvious in a small parking lot, except maybe dropping the keys 4-5 times.

This isn't someone drinking in public or smoking a joint, this is someone driving 1.5 ton machine within feet of pedestrians and other vehicles. Having lost a friend to an impaired driver, I take the issue rather seriously.

 

[WeaverIsComing]

If you see someone driving at a lvl that would certainly flunk them on a drivers test you call the cops. Doesn't matter if they're drunk, if they're sleepy they can kill someone and if they're messing on their phone too much they can kill someone. But if you call because they can't parallel park you've gone too far.

 

[HailtoPitt]

I guess it depends on the situation. If you're pretty sure that he's driving drunk I'd call, not if it just seems like he's an ass or he has expired plates or anything petty like that. I have called the police a few times for obvious drunk driving in the past. Twice driving home from a Steelers' game and once on 4th of July weekend coming back from Pymatuning. Although I'm not sure what type of behavior would make it obvious in a small parking lot, except maybe dropping the keys 4-5 times.

This isn't someone drinking in public or smoking a joint, this is someone driving 1.5 ton machine within feet of pedestrians and other vehicles. Having lost a friend to an impaired driver, I take the issue rather seriously.

I called and figured I would let the police decide. I think it was 50/50 to them being under the influence. I was behind them in the line, and was parked nearby eating. Police never came. Oh well.

 

[Dan1911]

I have called several times for accidents, impaired/erratic drivers, etc.

I once called the cops on the cops.

I had a bunch of suspicious cars hanging out outside our neighbor the federal judge’s house. I called the police. A cop got out of the car and introduced himself and made up a lie about being there. He said there were robberies reported in the area—so his team parked in front of one house for 72 hours straight and the house just happened to be owned by a federal judge??? Not buying it. I’m guessing the judge was getting death threats in one of his big cases.
————————————————————-
As Phil Roberts has said in the boonies, “I don’t call 911, I AM 911.”

It’s kind of creepy to be out of cell range in very remote areas: on a 3-day float down the Owyhee, remote desert, Checkerboard reservation(s) in New Mexico, hiking in the Sierras. Small accidents become life-threatening very quickly. The knowledge that you are completely on your own is liberating and bewildering all at the same time.

 

[TheSpecialSauce]

A Texas woman was sentenced to 40 months in prison for making false 911 calls that her neighbors were drug dealers, sparking a drug raid that killed 2 people. 2 officers face murder charges, 1 of whom allegedly bought heroin to frame the couple and then lied to obtain a warrant.

 

[joeydavid]

Looking for thoughts on this. If you suspect that someone is driving under the influence, but there is also a chance they could just be driving like an idiot with an expired temp plate... Ok to call 911 before they leave the fast food parking lot, or is that a Karen move?

Someone needs to call 911 to report the OT spamming of the Pitt football message board.

 

[BPKY]

While I see what you 2 are saying I cannot get on board with it to the degree you are saying. Suspicion alone is not enough for me to call the police, I need a little bit more confirmation than that.

True story,

When I was 19 my brother and his family lived across the street from me. They were supposed to be away at Christmas time (not the actual day) with my sister in laws family. My mom and sister looked out the window and saw his door opened and lights on and freaked out and called the cops. My dad, Brother in law and myself ran over thinking someone was robing the place. Turns out my brothers family decided not to stay because the accommodations were less than desired. The cops came and while everything turned out ok, we wasted police resources and what was nothing could have turned serious if just one of those responding cops were too amped up.

Well, that's their job. You didn't do anything wrong. Also, "calling the Popo" is not equivalent to calling 911. 911 is for emergencies. You can call the police on their regular number to report suspicious activity. I did that one night when I saw a truck parked in the back of a store at 1 am and people moving around. I wasn't going to confront anyone and I explained why I was calling and that what I saw could be totally harmless. Left it up to them.

They probably cursed me for making them fill out a report. LOL

 

[TFBaum]

Looking for thoughts on this. If you suspect that someone is driving under the influence, but there is also a chance they could just be driving like an idiot with an expired temp plate... Ok to call 911 before they leave the fast food parking lot, or is that a Karen move?

Call. You might save a life.

 

[ratking17]

Our local police don't have a number. So when I call 911 I immediately state i am not calling about an emergency. My most recent 911 call was because a peacock was on the loose in our neighborhood and was about to get hit on the road...