What is the REAL purpose of 9-1-1?

Question

Does it really PREVENT crime?? Let it all hang out, here are some of my thoughts:
1) Government-sponsored Dial-A-Prayer
2) Something to let the police know where the dead bodies of crime victims can be found.
3) Something to make sure all the icky blood and shell casings are picked up after stopping for doughnuts and coffee.
4) Something to make anti-gun liberals feel like they have a chance of surviving. "I will shake this phone at you vigorously if you don't leave!"
5) A 1-900 number for people who get off seeing fire engines and police cars.
6) Obviously, a place to call and complain about poor fast food service. (Happened in CA, I kid you not!)

Especially in light of all the recent news about real calls being ignored and pretty callous behavior on the part of operators. Do we really need it? If it will not prevent crime, then why not just have folks call the station house directly....

I am not dismissing it altogether, I just think that maybe we need to see that the huge amount of money that gets spent on it is worthwhile. And no, saving just one life is NOT worth an infinite amount of money...

17 years old, drunk, walking the streets in NYC? C'mon that was a Darwin Award and you know it. 9-1-1 woulda had them pulling up JUST in time to catch her last dying breath. In certain parts of NYC the cops aren't coming without the APC and riot gear. Remember that the Supreme Court has ruled repeatedly that the police or government are not obligated or liable criminally nor civilly to protect you or respond to your distress. If you do dumb things, Evolution catches up wit'yas....

Answer 1

911 CAN prevent crime, although it's usually used for when something is already in progress, obviously. If I received a 911 call with someone telling me something was "going" to happen, we can't do anything about it. Usually cities don't have the resources to sit and wait for something, they respond to in progress emergencies, which is what you would hope someone dials 911 for. However, I can atest to the fact that people call 911 for all sorts of things, including when we had an earthquake, people were calling to ASK if it was an earthquake. Someone once called to ask what our elevation was, some people call to chat, all on 911. We have to make it clear DO YOU HAVE AN EMERGENCY??? if you dont, call the non-emergency number, i will also answer that one. 911 is used for medical emergencies as well as police emergencies, at least in my call center. We do both police and fire/ambulance. People that use 911 correctly use it for chest pain, shortness of breath, unconscious, seizures, things such as that for medical reasons. On the police side, it can be anything and that is usually when we get the craziest calls. It can be a fight between two people, domestic violence, someone brandishing a weapon. The list goes on and on. But just so you know, it may "prevent" a crime if someone calls 911 when someone is holding a gun in the air and the police respond and take that person into custody. Maybe he/she would have shot someone right, and therefore, a crime has been prevented. It's not an easy job to have and we don't get enough credit. There are very scary times you know...

Answer 2

God has destroyed entire populations by the cities. He harkens to the cries of the cities and He took action as written in the Bible. God is love does not mean that God is someone who will sit quietly and watch when sin becomes unbearable to others. Whenever some sin is committed, there is always at least one victim involved. God dispenses justice and no one can stand before his wrath, However, His anger is only second to His eternal mercy. He has also forgiven when people repent and turn to him (Jonah and the city of Nineveh). Back to the question, Esau looked down upon what was rightfully his as firstborn in his family. Jacob coveted that blessing. Hence, the emotions in those verses. But God does not give into rage or anything like that. His hatred for Esau's decision is conquered by His mercy and Esau too lives a blessed life on earth. That one verse does not tell the whole story. We have to read through the relevant chapters in Genesis to comprehend the depth of God's love even towards those who forsake Him.

Answer 3

This is one that happened in Berdstown IL ( may not be spelled just right)

The had a small drug display in the front lobby of the police station. The police station did the 911 distpatch for the city.

Someone in a mask came into the police station lobby , broke the glass display and stole the drugs.

The dispatcher got so upset she keep trying to dial 911 and could not understand why it keep ringing and no answer..

Answer 4

9-1-1 was never intended as a way to prevent crime. It's a universal number that is easy for people to remember to report crimes, accidents, medical emergencies, etc.

Answer 5

Dude, 911 is not a crime prevention tool. It is a tool that is quick to dial (three numbers compared to the 7 of dialing your local police station) that has special services and trained personnel that should (yeah sometimes it doesn't work that way) be able to talk someone through a crisis, whether it is criminal in nature, medical or even a fire.

911 operators are trained to deal with stressful situations and to keep the caller on the other end calm while dispatching and keeping en route units (fire, medical, police) up to date on what is going on.

As with any job, you will have people that really don't care about it, and sadly this is a job that people need to care about. On the other hand, this is a high stress job, not to mention the daily crank calls I am sure they get.

So, to answer your question. The REAL purpose of 911 is to allow citizens tha ability to quickly dial from their phone to get help fast, whether it's for medical, fire or criminal things.

Answer 6

maybe u live in some city where there are little police so they don't hav time to care for every call onli the major ones?

Answer 7

C'mon be real to yourself. . . and get out of that cute little suburban world you live in. Put yourself in this scenario. . . you're travelling on business, let's say, you're in Chicago for an "X-treme" biking convention. After the festivities, you go off walking into the surrounding city area, sight-seeting, it's all good!! until, some young (20's) black homeless guy walks up to you and starts asking for money and you notice that not only do you have a pocket full of cash, but there's no one around. The guy starts getting real aggressive and up in your face and once again you notice that there's no one around, now not only do you notice that there's no one around, but you also notice that he's about 5 inches bigger than you and he's got his hand around your neck and he's dragging you into an alley. Ah-Ha! alas, you remember your trusty cell-phone. . . WHOM ARE YOU GOING TO CALL??? that's right 9-1-1 . . . a month ago, this happened to a 17 year old Jersey girl here in NYC. . . she was drunk, walking down the street in Manhattan - guess who she DIDN'T call??? that's right - instead of calling 9-1-1, she called her boyfriend 30 miles away in Jersey. . . She was found raped and dead in a garbage dumpster. I think you should check yourself and practice dialing 9-1-1 just in case of emergency. Thanks

Answer 8

It doesn;t prevent crime, but police response time can get flippy

Answer 9

its probably cuz they want control and power

Answer 10

ok thank