# Why can't we use 911 for police? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 18, 2012, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-we-use-911-for-police/616153 "2012-03-18T19:18:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-we-use-911-for-police/616153/1 "2012-03-18T19:18:42Z")
The person who answered 911 told us we can’t use 911 for police, only for ambulance and fire. They gave us a regular 10 digit number to call for police. When we called that, they confirmed we can’t use 911 for police, so ever since we have a paper tacked up by the phone with this number. What is up with this? My wife saw one of our neighbors straddling his wife and punching her in the face again and again, all bloody. She called 911 and the person who answered told her this. The problem wasn’t that we shouldn’t be calling 911 with this emergency, it was that we couldn’t get police service this way. When she called the other number, police came, and took the husband away to jail, and he eventually served time after a trial. The wife went to the hospital for a little while and recovered. I am sure it delayed things finding a bit of paper to write this other number down, and calling them instead. For all I know it cost this lady another three teeth or something. Why is the system set up this way? This was several years ago and I have always wondered about it. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-we-use-911-for-police/616153/2 "2012-03-18T19:23:45Z")
They have their hands full with medical and fire emergencies. Trying to dispatch police as well just overloads the system. Nasty as it is, somebody smacking someone else around is not likely to be an emergency. Now if somebody had been shot, different story. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-we-use-911-for-police/616153/3 "2012-03-18T19:25:05Z")
911 calls here get routed to one of 2 places, EMS Dispatch or Fresno PD communications, if they get a call more specific to the other, they transfer you. Being on the road as much as I am, I call 911 probably every 5-6 months to report DUI’s, major road hazards, accidents, drunk passed out in the middle of the street, vehicle fire, etc. When I call I usually state who I am looking for (ambulance, Highway patrol, Police, Fire) and they transfer me accordingly. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-we-use-911-for-police/616153/4 "2012-03-18T19:46:23Z")
Umm, yes, you certainly can use 911 for the Police, unless it’s not a emergency. At least out here. Where do you live?😕 ---
**Author:** ![Al\_Bundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@Al\_Bundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al_Bundy)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-we-use-911-for-police/616153/5 "2012-03-18T19:53:11Z")
No matter what the emergency, if I dial 911, help will be at the door in about four minutes. I know this by experience. I can dial and listen for the siren. It was the same where I recently moved from. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-we-use-911-for-police/616153/6 "2012-03-18T19:54:38Z")
You’d have to find out from your city/town/police department , because it’s not like that everywhere. Here in NYC, you call 911 for police , fire or ambulance. Assaults and car accidents definitely qualify - in fact, if you try to call the police precinct about an accident, you’re likely to be told to call 911. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-we-use-911-for-police/616153/7 "2012-03-18T19:58:57Z")
I’ve never lived in a place where you couldn’t call 911 for the police. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-we-use-911-for-police/616153/8 "2012-03-18T19:58:57Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > They have their hands full with medical and fire emergencies. Trying to dispatch police as well just overloads the system. Nasty as it is, somebody smacking someone else around is not likely to be an emergency. Now if somebody had been shot, different story. If a violent felony assault isn’t an emergency, I’m not sure what is. Even if it isn’t, there are a ton of situations that are police _emergencies_, and only police emergencies which is why a short 3-digit emergency number was thought of to begin with. There are a number of small communities without 911 service at all, but having 911 but decoupling police emergency from it seems shortsighted, at best, and apt to cost lives at worst. ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-we-use-911-for-police/616153/9 "2012-03-18T20:06:10Z")
Here in Houston, whenever the 911 operator answers the first thing you’re asked is which department is needed: Police, Fire or Ambulance. For that matter, IIRC _ **all** _ of the patrol units have a big reflective 911 sticker plastered on them, in about 3 different places. (back of trunk and both rear fenders) Granted there _ **is** _ a non-emergency number for the Police Dept. (which is also displayed on the patrol units). ETA I’m inclined to agree with **tumbledown** 100%, if a violent assault doesn’t qualifiy as an emergency, what in the hell _ **does** _?! ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-we-use-911-for-police/616153/10 "2012-03-18T20:16:31Z")
And in California, if you’re on a cell phone, [911 calls ONLY go to the police (California Highway Patrol, actually)](http://www.chp.ca.gov/html/cellular911.html) and get routed to other services by the dispatcher, presumably. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-we-use-911-for-police/616153/11 "2012-03-18T20:21:01Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > I’ve never lived in a place where you couldn’t call 911 for the police. You may not have lived in too many places. In most of the world dialling 911 won’t get you the police, or anyone else, for that matter. The “worldwide” emergency telephone number is 112, and while it works with all modern cell phone networks, it’s been adopted for landline systems by only maybe half the world’s countries. However, even when calling this number from my cell phone I experienced a problem similar to the OP: I expected to be connected with the police, and was told that they handled fire and medical emergencies only and that I had to dial another number. This wasn’t particularly convenient considering that at the time I was desperately trying to eject a violent trespasser from my apartment. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-we-use-911-for-police/616153/12 "2012-03-18T20:34:54Z")
I wonder how many calls, like this one, require the dispatcher to call more than one service - police \*and \*EMS, in this case. Anyway, my SO is a retired paramedic/dispatcher who ran a couple of ambulance companies in his days, and his take on it is, “It’s stupid, but it happens.” He explained that sometimes you get a small town police chief or department head who doesn’t want to pay for the services of the local dispatch company. Sometimes it’s truly a budgetary concern, sometimes it’s a pissing match and local politics. He’s also laying down a bet that the OP is from a small East coast town. 😉 ETA: Oh, look…Mid Atlantic in the Location tag! ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-we-use-911-for-police/616153/13 "2012-03-18T20:43:50Z")
In some places, you are supposed to use [3-1-1](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3-1-1) for non-emergencies. Things like a traffic light is out, suspicious behavior, etc. But I agree that the OP was an immediate emergency. Non-GQ: But that whole alternate number thing is asinine. It reminds me of the Simspons line, where Homer starts a security agency to compete with the cops: > [@Homer](#): > > Don’t dial 911. Simply dial 636-555-347…2. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-we-use-911-for-police/616153/14 "2012-03-18T21:18:24Z")
When I dial the police _non-emergency_ number, the _first thing_ I hear is “If this is an emergency, please hang up and dial 911.” ---
**Author:** ![meflin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@meflin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meflin)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2012, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-we-use-911-for-police/616153/15 "2012-03-18T23:41:00Z")
Around the time of 1990-1995 is a major urban area. 911 could not connect me to the police _OR_ fire _OR_ EMS. That area all 3 are now “on” 911. 911 isn’t just a question of phone routing but of call centers with 911 dispatchers and the services also being linked in. Meflin ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-we-use-911-for-police/616153/16 "2012-03-19T01:31:16Z")
For what it’s worth, both the Tucson Police Department and Pima County Sheriff’s Department both instruct you to dial 911 for an emergency or crime in progress. It just seems to me that expecting people to remember a full seven or ten digit number in a crisis would only delay help from responding. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-we-use-911-for-police/616153/17 "2012-03-19T02:03:02Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > The person who answered 911 told us we can’t use 911 for police, only for ambulance and fire. They gave us a regular 10 digit number to call for police. When we called that, they confirmed we can’t use 911 for police, so ever since we have a paper tacked up by the phone with this number. What is up with this? > > My wife saw one of our neighbors straddling his wife and punching her in the face again and again, all bloody. She called 911 and the person who answered told her this. The problem wasn’t that we shouldn’t be calling 911 with this emergency, it was that we couldn’t get police service this way. When she called the other number, police came, and took the husband away to jail, and he eventually served time after a trial. The wife went to the hospital for a little while and recovered. > > I am sure it delayed things finding a bit of paper to write this other number down, and calling them instead. For all I know it cost this lady another three teeth or something. Why is the system set up this way? This was several years ago and I have always wondered about it. 😕 The OP has me absolutely perplexed. I’ve been in law enforcement just shy of 30 years and I have never, ever heard of this. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-we-use-911-for-police/616153/18 "2012-03-19T02:37:39Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > He’s also laying down a bet that the OP is from a small East coast town. 😉 > > ETA: Oh, look…Mid Atlantic in the Location tag! Well, if you call almost 800 people small… ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-we-use-911-for-police/616153/19 "2012-03-19T02:44:39Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > Well, if you call almost 800 people small… Uh, I do. But I don’t care if it’s only 8 people. I find not being able to get the cops for an emergency via 911 strange, and very potentially dangerous! It reminds me of the bad old days (around here late 70’s/early 80’s) when one either had to know the number for the police, or dial the operator (who could be 500 miles away) and have her (it was always a “her”) find the number for your location and then connect you. Not good!!! ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2012, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-we-use-911-for-police/616153/20 "2012-03-19T04:09:00Z")
I’m sure it’s something specific to your location. For instance, there may be a countywide dispatch for fire and ambulance, but police calls depend on what municipality you live in. You may be in a small exclave of county sheriff jurisdiction surrounded by a large city, or some other unusual situation. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-we-use-911-for-police/616153.md?page=2)