911 is a joke in my town
Posted on May 4, 2005 @ 7:46 am
I answered the phone yesterday only to hear this prerecorded message:
This is the county sheriff’s department. Our phone number is 911. We are calling today to inform you of a theft that took place on April 30 in the vicinity of 140 Oak Street. A Honda outboard motor was stolen from a boat parked in front of a home on Oak Street between the hours of midnight and 5:00AM. If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of this motor, please contact us at your earliest convenience. Once again, this is the county sheriff’s department. We can be reached at 911.
First, I should note that I live nowhere near Oak Street. Meanwhile, with all the crimes that must have taken place in town since I moved here four years ago, how can the theft of an outboard motor be the first one that’s merited a full-scale telemarketing investigation? Besides, what are the odds of such an approach actually turning up any leads? Strange.
Or maybe I’m a suspect.
Posted by Jess | Filed Under Life in a Nutshell |
9 comments so far...
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I find it curious too that they are giving the emergency call in number as the primary number. Not that I think they’re going to get a massive influx of calls, but really now, should the emergency switchboard be taking these calls? How will the calls about cats stuck up in trees get through??
Please… I am surprised you don’t see this for what it is… a prank. No Sheriff office would EVER give out 911 as a contact number, in fact the Sheriff office has little to do with 911 call centers as they are generally not local. Either it is a prank, or your Sheriff is one idiot.
I have to agree with Hyro, I think it was a prank…
Actually, there are many towns that have 911 directed to the local sheriff’s office. It’s all related to a given person’s location and that area’s response options. In the average city, you may have multiple rescue squad/police/fire department locations. In rural areas or small towns, those locations may all be one in the same. In this case, wouldn’t it make sense for all emergency calls to be handled by the same operator(s)?
Keep in mind, too, that there are fewer “real” emergencies when you’re dealing with a smaller population; call volume is less likely to be an issue in those areas.
I read in my local paper that the police department in Pacific Grove, CA is testing a recorded message system like this. They plan on using it for emergencies and for things like when a mountain lion is spotted prowling a neighborhood (this happens quite frequently).
I doubt that they would use it for a theft of an outboard motor — unless the motor belonged to the mayor or a city council member!
Not a prank, in my opinion. Just the leading edge of a new technology…
My money is on the fact that said outboard motor belonged to the Sheriff himself, or maybe his brother-in-law to whom the sheriff lost his shirt in poker last weekend and a favor is owed.
Maybe you are a suspect, and they’re trying to guilt you into giving back the motor.