They instruct people to call for various distinctly non-emergency things, but then when you call they answer with "What's your emergency?"
So I dunno.
2010-09-22 02:05:10
30
"Calling the police" in pgh
I moved to Pittsburgh two years ago from a relatively small tourist town in southern NJ. When you spotted a wreckless driver, or your neighbor was being loud, there was a special number to call, the non-emergency number. You weren't supposed to call 911 unless someone was dying or the house was on fire.
The more I talk to people in Pittsburgh about this sort of thing, the more I'm finding that they call 911 for everything. I had an altercation with an aggressive driver last week in which he spit on my windshield, I reported the incident to 311, which replied telling me I should have called 911. Had that happened at home and I called 911 they would've hung up on me, even though spitting on someones windshield is considered assault, my life was not in immediate danger.
Whats the story?
2010-09-22 01:34:46
I looked up the number for the local precinct when I had a non-emergency. Some guy answered all grumpy, as if I interrupted his dinner. I explained the situation and he said, "call 911" and hung up on me. It seems you call 911 here for everything. Just tell them upfront it is a non-emergency and they can put you on hold if they need to.
2010-09-22 02:16:15
Yeah, that same thing happened to me once, there was a car alarm going off for 2 hours at 9-11pm, looked up the non-emergency police number, and they told me to call 911.
2010-09-22 12:06:36
Yup, 911 for everything.
2010-09-22 12:39:19
My very small suburban police force used to have a non-emergency number. Now it's just the office number, and they don't answer it after 5 p.m. Apparently they let 911 decide what is an emergency, and what isn't. Weird, huh, how different communities have different 911 policies.
2010-09-22 13:18:59
My boro(Baldwin)switched to the county 911 system a few years ago. We were sent a flyer that basically said to call 911 for any police related stuff, even if it wasn't an *emergency*. +1 for starting your conversation with "this is not an emergency, but..."
2010-09-22 13:49:36
> spitting on someones windshield is considered assault
Around here, spit on a cop or a corrections officer and it's assault. For the rest of us, it's only considered harassment.
2010-09-22 14:44:59
From the title, I expected this to be a thread about what we call the police around here. Aggressors? Irresponsible?
2010-09-22 15:03:05
i dialed 0 last week to get the operator, and was promptly instructed to call 911 instead.
2010-09-22 15:45:08
when i was younger (grew up in a very small town) i was told for non-emergency situations you call 911 but when they ask "what's your emergency", you state that "it's not an emergency but..." and explain what you need.
not sure if that works or not...or rather if it even makes any sort of difference..
2010-09-22 16:20:34
ditto above - 911 == dispatch.
in Squirrel Hill (noisy neighbors) and in Penn Hills (hit and run, no injuries) it's 911 for dispatch, who will put in a request to a local unit. I think it's because all dispatch is through 911. I start off saying "notanemergencyI'mverysorry" and then take a deep breath and continue if I'm not put on hold.
They carry guns and could get shot for going to work, I call them "sir" or "ma'am", whichever applies (independent of what I may think about their competence, even incompetence can get shot)
2010-09-22 16:41:14
+1 for the acknowledgment of the danger factor
Also, the chances of you knowing the "non-emergency" number for the jurisdiction that you are actually in are slim to none. Any idea how many municipalities are in Allegheny County alone?
2010-09-22 16:52:21
re; "Any idea how many municipalities are in Allegheny County alone?"
So many issues seem to trickle their way back to this.
2010-09-22 16:54:31
re; "Any idea how many municipalities are in Allegheny County alone?"
130. Highest number in these United States by a VERY wide margin.
Impossible you say? Not 130?
http://www.county.allegheny.pa.us/munimap/index.asp
2010-09-22 16:58:30
911 is a joke
2010-09-22 17:10:11
Wow Jeff what a great map! No wonder I never know where I'm at.
2010-09-22 17:36:55
@spakbros - so is 130
2010-09-22 18:10:14
The eastern %25 of the municipalities in Allegheny county contract with a single non-profit to do things like mailings, billings, payroll, etc. Turtle Creek Valley something or other... Keeps overhead down while they all get to maintain their independence.
Problem is, all the non-Pgh municipalities inside the county, the vast majority of their inhabitants consider Pgh and the county too corrupt to handle themselves responsibly. Whenever I've brought up merging anything (city-county, county-municipality, etc) with various forms of neighbors, they all start squawking about moving to Westmoreland County.
I just _love_ the 'burbs.
2010-09-22 18:10:31
I have to call 911 all the time at work for rowdy customers, bums who wont leave, and kids skate boarding off our wheelchair ramp. I HATE IT. I always have to start off with "this is not an emergency". Several times my co-workers or I have been put on hold, immediately, without being asked the severity of the situation. I really REALLY wish we had like "thank you for calling 911, please press 1 if someone is dying or your life is in danger", or a separate number, or something.
2010-09-22 18:33:01
The last thing 911 needs is an autobot phone tree. If it isn't an emergency, and they are low on operators, they put you on hold. If it is something that needs immediate attention don't tell them it isn't an emergency.
2010-09-22 18:38:30
I've been put on hold with out them asking. And before they even care what happened, they need my name, address, phone number, mothers maiden name, shoe size, hair color. Okay, now what was your "emergency" again?
2010-09-22 21:26:55
From the title, I expected this to be a thread about what we call the police around here. Aggressors? Irresponsible?
I prefer this adjective: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hm-_Cnyk3u0
2010-09-22 22:14:03
I've gotten that while calling for gunshots before. "Thanks for calling 911, please hold..." What is this, GEICO?
2010-09-22 22:21:35
when they ask "what's your emergency", you state that "it's not an emergency but..." and explain what you need.
I did that a couple times to report cars illegally parked on sidewalks or in bike lanes. I called the Pitt cops (412-624-2121) last week to report a guy who I saw toss an empty Budweiser can out of his car window, and then drive off up Forbes Avenue. I figured the campus police might be on the scene a little more quickly. I gave the license plate number and the model and color, but I have no idea what, if anything, happened to the guy.
2010-09-25 07:12:32
We got a notice from the police that they're trying to catch bums and beggars. If any are seen, call 911 (even if they leave our store) with a description so they can catch them.
I really don't think I should call the same place for a bum begging for change and someone who is having a heart attack.
2010-09-25 11:53:30
Geez, at my work, we usually keep the bums from causing trouble by talking to them, rather than just calling the cops...I can understand if they're being violent and yelling, but most of the guys I've encountered just want some bread or some change for a 40.
2010-09-25 19:21:46
ya, we don't see many "nice" bums IN the store. They're usually drunk and bothering customers. We do, however, see nice ones when we sneak our waste out to them at night 
2010-09-26 22:24:51
yeah, if they're bothering the customers and don't leave when asked, then I could see calling someone.
2010-09-26 22:27:37
I've gotten that while calling for gunshots before. "Thanks for calling 911, please hold..." What is this, GEICO?
At least it's better than Portland, OR. My sister called 911 there once and had to go through a phone tree.
When I last called 911 here, the lady asked me some questions that seemed designed to filter the higher priority issues, i.e. "Are there any kids nearby?"
2010-09-27 00:43:51