Last time you called the Police

[tvguy]

Once or twice a year, always from my cell phone while driving. My work start times the past 35 years have been between 11 pm and 3 am, and there any number of broken down cars, fires, and road hazards that time of night. I guess actually it has only been the last 25 years since that was when cell phones were first introduced here. That is why I was among the first here to get a cell phone, because I am out at all kinds of odd hours. Actually, 25 years ago they were just called car phones.

 

[AKpooh]

I have called the police over the years for numerous things....domestic fights, drunk drivers etc. a couple of weeks ago we had to call the police as it is bear season here and they are every where. a 400 pound bear had gotten into my parents dumpster and instead of going back to the woods he took a turn into our neighborhood. with the good weather kids are out playing late at night and I was afraid it would go after a child. the police still haven't caught the bear and he returned a few hours later to over turn the dumpster.

 

[MickeySP]

I call the police all the time & sometimes they call me too.

 

[bcla]

Once or twice a year, always from my cell phone while driving. My work start times the past 35 years have been between 11 pm and 3 am, and there any number of broken down cars, fires, and road hazards that time of night. I guess actually it has only been the last 25 years since that was when cell phones were first introduced here. That is why I was among the first here to get a cell phone, because I am out at all kinds of odd hours. Actually, 25 years ago they were just called car phones.

Well - the first Motorola DynaTAC prototype was working in 1973, but it took a decade to come to market. The Motorola MicroTAC was on the market in 1989. It was also about $2000 when it first came out. I remember shoulder-carried phones in the late 80s, and Motorola already had its "bag phone" in 1990.

 

[tvguy]

Well - the first Motorola DynaTAC prototype was working in 1973, but it took a decade to come to market. The Motorola MicroTAC was on the market in 1989. It was also about $2000 when it first came out. I remember shoulder-carried phones in the late 80s, and Motorola already had its "bag phone" in 1990.

I got my Oki bag phone in February 1990. $550. I am in the second cellular prefix in my area code. My cell phone is one of the first 20,000 in the area code. Anytime I go into Verizon they comment on how old my number, and my account are. Actually, I was a Pactel Cellular customer, they sold out to Airtouch, who sold out to Verizon. My account with Verizon goes back 10 years before Verizon even existed.

 

[bcla]

I have called the police over the years for numerous things....domestic fights, drunk drivers etc. a couple of weeks ago we had to call the police as it is bear season here and they are every where. a 400 pound bear had gotten into my parents dumpster and instead of going back to the woods he took a turn into our neighborhood. with the good weather kids are out playing late at night and I was afraid it would go after a child. the police still haven't caught the bear and he returned a few hours later to over turn the dumpster.

The police deal with bears? In California they'll typically send state DFW to handle bears, although sometimes the feds handle them directly (esp national parks).

I remember seeing a part of some documentary on bear hazing in Anchorage. The city sends out people to haze the bears when they attempt to get into garbage. It remember seeing one of these guys just grab a trash can and fling it at the bear, which then took off. I think most of Alaska has this hybrid state trooper/wildlife officer position; actually they can be wildlife troopers or state troopers, but the jobs description is the same.

 

[tvguy]

The police deal with bears? In California they'll typically send state DFW to handle bears, although sometimes the feds handle them directly (esp national parks).

I remember seeing a part of some documentary on bear hazing in Anchorage. The city sends out people to haze the bears when they attempt to get into garbage. It remember seeing one of these guys just grab a trash can and fling it at the bear, which then took off. I think most of Alaska has this hybrid state trooper/wildlife officer position; actually they can be wildlife troopers or state troopers, but the jobs description is the same.

Police in California routinely respond to bear calls. Then they call Fish and Game. Hear it frequently on the scanner. Or coyotes. They had one on a school ground Wednesday. Cops had chased it off before Fish and Game could even respond.

 

[bcla]

I got my Oki bag phone in February 1990. $550. I am in the second cellular prefix in my area code. My cell phone is one of the first 20,000 in the area code. Anytime I go into Verizon they comment on how old my number, and my account are. Actually, I was a Pactel Cellular customer, they sold out to Airtouch, who sold out to Verizon. My account with Verizon goes back 10 years before Verizon even existed.

Wasn't Verizon one of the regional Bell companies?

However, I remember the first time I'd heard about the MicroTAC. I was in college, and I saw a story in the business section of a newspaper. And what stood out was the $2000 price tag. I kind of wondered who would spend so much money on something that looked really easy to lose. In about 4 years it was the best selling phone on the market, and you could probably buy one for $200 without a contract. I don't think reduced price contract phones were legal in California until the late 90s. I visited NYC in the early 90s, and my host explained why the prices were so low - that they came attached with a contract.

 

[bcla]

Police in California routinely respond to bear calls. Then they call Fish and Game. Hear it frequently on the scanner. Or coyotes. They had one on a school ground Wednesday. Cops had chased it off before Fish and Game could even respond.

The post seemed kind of unusual since most local law enforcement wouldn't be trained to deal with wildlife. Maybe someone calls them, but they'll typically refer them to a county or state agency with that responsibility. That being said, there's been some really weird stuff over the years, including the San Francisco Police gunning down an escaped tiger.

 

[bcla]

Police in California routinely respond to bear calls. Then they call Fish and Game.

I was trying to figure out what the counties recommend. Here's El Dorado County:

https://www.edcgov.us/AnimalServices/Loose_Animals.aspx

For mountain lion or bear problems, contact the California Department of Fish and Game at (916) 358-2888. In any animal emergency, call 911. For additional information on how to avoid wildlife problems, see the Agriculture Department’s website.​

I suspect they don't have to worry a whole lot about bears in El Dorado Hills, but they supposedly become an issue around the foothills and up into the Sierra.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Three time that I can remember - Many years ago, we were at my in-laws house on Christmas Eve. A woman came to the door and said a man was beating her. The man said she had mental issues and he was just trying to make sure she got home safely. I called 911 and let the police deal with it. My MIL wanted to invite the woman in for tea and call her mother to come and get her! It turned out the man was right. She was his girlfriend's daughter and was visiting for Christmas Eve. The mom got drunk and said some mean things to her. The daughter ran out and was attempting to walk back to her halfway house. The boyfriend followed her in his car and tried to give her a ride home. When she refused, he kept following her to see that she got home safely. The police talked to everyone, sent the boyfriend home, and gave her a ride. I called another time when some Grinch vandalized our outdoor Christmas decorations. They threw our reindeer on the roof! How rude! I called the non-emergency number and was told to file an online report. Nothing ever came of it. Another time, DH and I were out walking and saw a car come flying off the road, broke a standing water pipe, and landed in a CVS parking lot. Then it proceeded to drive around the back of the building. It didn't get very far with two flat tires and the front bumper hanging off. DH called 911 and reported the car and the broken water pipe, which was now shooting a jet of water into the air (in a drought!). The water company showed up within about 10 minutes. The officer didn't come for almost an hour, but we stayed since we witnessed what happened. The driver said he fell asleep and missed the slight curve in the road. Idiot!

 

[superme80]

Last time was about 7 years ago. I was on my way to a prenatal appointment and saw a fist fight break out on the freeway. Some guy got dragged out of his car, and a couple of guys started just beating him. He got away and ran on the other side of the freeway.

 

[CourtasanSatine]

An escaped horse, this is a small town.

 

[tennisfan]

Last week, call/request them many times through my job as an EMT

 

[DawnM]

I used to call the police on at least one person per year when I lived in LA. Now that I am in a calmer area, I don't call nearly as often. The last time I called 911 was in a Target parking lot a few years ago. I saw a mom and son walking in the parking lot and they got hit by a car.

 

[indimom]

Only once, about eight years ago. It's a pretty long story, but essentially, I had a female stalker of my day care. It was pretty freaky. The police couldn't really do anything at that point, and I knew that when I reported it, but I felt better letting them know about the bizarre things she was doing. (In the years since, I learned she has done the same thing at six other day cares in the area and one day care in another town 30 minutes away.) I have no idea if she has any ill intent or if she just likes kids and has some sort of disability that is affecting her behavior, but it was pretty scary at the time.

 

[kmb584]

Last October. I was outside with my dog around 7am and a man high on something (or one who failed to take his medicine) emerged from the small wooded area across the street and started threatening to kill me. He'd go halfway across the street then jump back like a car was coming. He was pounding on and kicking the vehicles parked near where he was. He was screaming at the top of his lungs. I was glued in place watching this unfold, my Rottie was on high alert, and I called 911 as fast as my feet took me back inside. Within seconds, there were 3 cruisers slowly following him as he was still kicking and hitting and throwing himself into the street. He sucker punched one of the officers and was Tasered twice in order to get him on the ground. It was such a bizarre scene.

 

[mnrose]

Wasn't Verizon one of the regional Bell companies?

Yes, the now-named Verizon was a Bell Company. It consists of NE Bell, NY, and the west of the East Coast essentially (though not Southern Bell...that joined with Southwestern Bell to become SBC, which then bought AT&T...having also gobbled up PacBell). I believe Central Bell is also part of Verizon. It's all very confusing. But, in one iteration or another, Verizon has been around for well over 100 years.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

I have only ever called the police to report accidents. The last one was car vs. pedestrian.

 

[Gracie09]

Yesterday. We live on a street that is one way with lots of signs and a gate over half the road. But people who live in the apartment complex at the end think it doesn't apply to them. When we see a person drive the wrong way down and we can get the license plate we call it into the non-emergency line. Our neighbors are trying to get the town to put a bump gate across the road so emergency vehicles can have access. There are lots of kids who walk to school and elderly who walk to town and people will fly down the road to try and avoid getting caught. There is also no sidewalk for part of the stretch.