Is it illegal to not let someone call 911?

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asked Nov 27, 2021 in Law Enforcement/Police by pompamompa (740 points)
Is it illegal to not let someone call 911?

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answered Nov 28, 2021 by Tarator (1,800 points)
It's not illegal to not let someone call 911 if it's you in danger or you're dying and don't want 911 services.

However it can be illegal to not allow someone to call 911 for someone else when someone needs medical attention or needs the police etc.

If you call 911 too much and it's not an emergency then you could be arrested and charged with misuse of the 911 system.

However if it's an actual emergency then there's nothing illegal or wrong about calling 911 as often as you need too.

Misuse of 911 is the calling of 911 when no emergency exists or if you call in and hang up on purpose.

“Misuse of the 911 system” is a request for emergency response when no actual emergency exists and when the caller does not have a good faith basis to request emergency assistance.

This definition includes false reporting, as that term is defined under RCW 9A.

All states make it illegal to prank call 911.

Recording a prank call can constitute illegal wiretapping in many states, including in California.

Annoying or harassing someone because of a protected trait can be a hate crime.

You should only call 911 when it's an emergency and you need the police, fire, ambulance etc.

If it's not an emergency then you should call the police department directly.

Do not call 911 for information, minor illness or injury, for your pets, or when your power is out.

Whenever a 911 operator has to deal with non-emergency calls, it could cause a life-threatening delay in getting emergency assistance to someone who really needs it.

The reason some people call 911 so much is either for emergencies or because they call in something they think is an emergency when in fact it's not.

If it's an emergency then of course the person should call 911 but if it's not an emergency then they should not call 911.

The number "911" is the universal emergency number in the United States.

They wanted a number that was short and easy to remember.

More importantly, they needed a unique number, and since 911 had never been designated for an office code, area code or service code, that was the number they chose.

You can call 911 twice or as often as you need too as long as it's an emergency.

Or if you've gave the wrong address and need to call 911 back to relay the correct address then you can do so.

911 can sometimes track your phone especially if it's a landline phone.

If it's a landline phone then the 911 operators can usually pinpoint and locate where the phone call is actually coming from.

However with cellphones it can be harder for the 911 operator to track the cellphones location but they will try to track it.

When an emergency arises, most cell phone owners aren't aware that even though your phone has GPS, 911 operators are often unable to determine the exact location of your call, even when inside your own home.

Most people expect for 911 call centers to be able to track your location, but it doesn't quite work that way.

Wireless carriers provide a signal to EMS that determines your location.

911 call centers rely on wireless companies to provide your location, if you can't.

Rules issued by the Federal Communications Commission in 2015 require wireless telecom companies to provide a "dispatchable location" (a physical address including information such as floor, suite or apartment) to 911 call centers within 30 seconds, regardless of indoor or outdoor location.

Because the phone reports its location based on GPS positioning, wireless carriers can relay a relatively precise location for the phone to emergency response teams, police and other government officials.

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