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It was the emergency line. However, to me it was an emergency as they had 2 baseball bats and were in a group that I deemed as threatening. I began filming th

It was the emergency line. However, to me it was an emergency as they had 2 baseball bats and were in a group that I deemed as threatening. I began filming them at which point they became more aggressive. This was to have evidence in case they were damaging cars (including my own which was 3 feet away).

pie_flavor 5y ago
You said the reason for your call was that they were playing baseball, not that they were threatening anyone. There isn't anything about that that strikes me as an emergency and the 911 operator was correct in telling you off IMO. Police have a non-emergency line for a reason.
- zwirbl 5y ago
  That's just stupid, the operator could just as well connect you to the people taking car of non-emergency situations. They are still the police and one would expect them to at least try to help
  - Guest42 5y ago
    Thank you. In my experience, policing extends into a number of mundane areas of life, few of which are life threatening emergencies. People can get police called for vomiting in the road, illegally selling sandwiches, or having a radio on too loud. I think that part of their job is resolving violent or potentially violent conflict. It’s true that perhaps my situation as described to the dispatcher might not have met a certain threshold, however, it would’ve made sense for them to ask more questions and give guidance as in general people have a bit of adrenaline when calling and might not be in the best shape to give a clear description. Immediately dismissing such scenarios could lead to some harmful results.
- selcuka 5y ago
  > You said the reason for your call was that they were playing baseball That's an interesting interpretation. They also said that "they were damaging cars" and "they became aggressive".
  - joshuamorton 5y ago
    > They also said that "they were damaging cars You should reread the comment, this wasn't actually said.
    - selcuka 5y ago
      I stand corrected. I must have missed the "in case".

pie_flavor 5y ago

You said the reason for your call was that they were playing baseball, not that they were threatening anyone. There isn't anything about that that strikes me as an emergency and the 911 operator was correct in telling you off IMO. Police have a non-emergency line for a reason.

zwirbl 5y ago
That's just stupid, the operator could just as well connect you to the people taking car of non-emergency situations. They are still the police and one would expect them to at least try to help
- Guest42 5y ago
  Thank you. In my experience, policing extends into a number of mundane areas of life, few of which are life threatening emergencies. People can get police called for vomiting in the road, illegally selling sandwiches, or having a radio on too loud. I think that part of their job is resolving violent or potentially violent conflict. It’s true that perhaps my situation as described to the dispatcher might not have met a certain threshold, however, it would’ve made sense for them to ask more questions and give guidance as in general people have a bit of adrenaline when calling and might not be in the best shape to give a clear description. Immediately dismissing such scenarios could lead to some harmful results.
selcuka 5y ago
> You said the reason for your call was that they were playing baseball That's an interesting interpretation. They also said that "they were damaging cars" and "they became aggressive".
- joshuamorton 5y ago
  > They also said that "they were damaging cars You should reread the comment, this wasn't actually said.
  - selcuka 5y ago
    I stand corrected. I must have missed the "in case".