Do not hesitate to call 9-1-1 if you have an emergency of any type.  Hang-ups and false or accidental 9-1-1 calls will be investigated by the Police Department to determine if there is a true emergency.  If you dialed 9-1-1 by accident, don't hang up!  Stay on the line and let the Emergency Communications Operator know what happened.  If you hang up, they will be calling you back and it is important that you pick up the phone when they do.   Sometimes, an emergency situation or intruder will prevent you from answering the call.  For this reason, if you don't pick up the phone, an officer will be dispatched to your location to investigate.

Determining when it is appropriate to dial the emergency line comes down to a few basic guidelines:

• Any perceived life threatening event

• An immediate need for a law enforcement officer

• An immediate need for a fire unit response

• An immediate need for an EMS unit response

• To report a crime in progress

• To report a suspicious situation or person

• To report underage drinking

• To report unsafe drivers (provide license plate number, vehicle description, current location, & direction of travel)

• To report a lost or disoriented child or elderly person

• To report a vehicle accident

Basically, it comes down to using good, common sense.  If you have an emergency, call 9-1-1.

9-1-1 should not be used to obtain information (i.e. weather or traffic information etc.) nor to report something that occurred in the past (i.e. a break-in that occurred yesterday or a dinged car in a parking lot).  Never call 9-1-1 to “test” the system.  In these and other similar situations, please dial the appropriate non-emergency number listed below.

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