Crank 911 Calls Quite Common
More than 10 percent of calls to 911 are bogus
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More than 10 percent of calls to 911 are bogus, one Florida agency reported, possibly leaving legitimate callers on hold for no valid reason
You would think that anybody dialing 911 to place a prank call is just asking for trouble.
Not only are they tying up the lines for a real emergency, it shouldn’t be that difficult to trace the number where the call is coming from.
And it is at least a misdemeanor to place crank 911 calls.
But more than 10 percent of all 911 calls coming into the Orange County Sheriff's Office's Communications Center are bogus, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
And obviously police are not cracking down on it because the people continue to call.
One caller asks for directions. Another caller asks for a delivery of Chinese food.
And another caller asks for a prostitute.
And some callers are “regulars,” making it obvious that the Orange County Sheriff’s Office is not too concerned about these callers.
And these calls are not limited to Central Florida.
Earlier this year, a Boynton Beach man dialed 911 after a Burger King had run out of lemonade.
And a few years ago, a woman in California dialed 911 after Burger King screwed up her Western Burger.
And two weeks ago, a New York man was arrested after placing three prank calls to 911.
The truth is, a simple Google search will reveal that prank calls to 911 are quite common, including a site that lists the “10 Dumbest 911 Calls.”
We’re thinking they must be unfamiliar with the Boy Who Cried Wolf fable.
