MAJOR vent

[Smurfysmiles]

So I'm trying to have a nice quiet Thursday night at home and these motorcycles keep revving up and driving back and forth up their driveway (I live in a gated townhome community). So I call our security to report the noise because it was so loud we could hear it with the windows shut!! I mentioned one of the riders tipped over on her bike and appeared to be intoxicated and security says you have to call 911 because if there is an accident it is now partly my fault (totally understandable). So I call 911 (which is for medical emergencies or to report a crime or possible crime in progress-as stated on the police webpage). They answer and I explain what is happening and they YELL at me that this is NOT an emergency and then proceed to HANG UP on me!!!!

I call security back and say I'm afraid to call anyone else who might say it's not an emergency and he says to call the police station, explain what is happening and then to also tell them about the 911 call. He also said if I wanted to call 911 back and complain to the manager that it would be totally understandable. I didn't call 911 back but am still quite upset...Am I being a prude? possibly...but still I mean Come on!

 

[neatfreak]

You need to call the police station''s NON emergency number. Usually at the front of the phone book or on their webpage. They should be able to help you.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Once there was a much less crazy situation where I had to call the police and when I called the police station, they told me to call 911. It for sure was NOT an emergency, but believe it or not, the dispatcher sent out the sherriff.

Do you live in a bigger city? Possibly that is why 911 acted as it did.

 

[Kaleigh]

911 is for emergencies.. Clearly this is NOT an emergency.

 

[Smurfysmiles]

We live in a suburb outside of Denver. We actually did end up calling the non emergency number; however, that was 45 minutes ago

my roomie says next time we should call one hour prior to the crime happening hahaha
When I called the non emergency number they apologized though for the 911 call and said that should not have happened and they could have at least pushed a button quick to transfer us. Oh well. I think the noisy people are hiding in their garage but they stupidly left their motorcycles out so license plate numbers can be taken and also we know what garage they are in so I''m not sure if they''ll be driving anywhere. Everyone is making me feel like a total arse for calling it in in the first place though which is not a very good feeling

 

[Smurfysmiles]

Date: 5/29/2009 12:18:46 AM
Author: Kaleigh
911 is for emergencies.. Clearly this is NOT an emergency.

that''s what I had originally thought but our security for our apartment complex told me to call 911 so I figured well he must know what he''s talking about and I didn''t want to get in any trouble so I just did what he said.

Our good friend is a firefighter and he told us we did the right thing *shrugs*

 

[Linda W]

It seems security for your apartment complex, needs a few lessons. He should have known that this was a matter for the Police. Geez Louise.

 

[Smurfysmiles]

It''s probably partly my fault too. I come from a much smaller city than this where I''m used to calling 911 for things such as this. I really didn''t stop too long to think to call the police station, but I did say are you sure I should call 911? He said yes and I was like ok - then I called back "are you suuuuuuure" and they said yes again. At the least I''ve learned a valuable lesson. I told my roommate that if I''m injured not to call 911 or the police because it seems neither will show up here and just to call our friend who is a paramedic haha

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Smurfy that''s icky! Sounds very annoying and unsettling.

Hope they quit it and don''t do it again!

 

[VRBeauty]

Where I live there is a 24-hour non-emergency number you can call for the police. I live in a mixed use neighborhood -- the non-emergency number comes in handy when burglar alarms go off in one of the nearby businesses after hours, etc. Often I end up on hold, listening to a PSA or something, but they usually get to me within a minute or two (and if a cruiser doesn''t come out right away, I assume it''s because they''ve go bigger fish to fry...). Anyhow, you might look into a non-emergency number that you could use for future incidents.

 

[whitby_2773]

it could have been worse, smurfy....


see this...

 

[jcarlylew]

Date: 5/29/2009 12:47:33 AM
Author: Linda W
It seems security for your apartment complex, needs a few lessons. He should have known that this was a matter for the Police. Geez Louise.

i''m still wondering why the security guard did not check on the situation himself, and himself call the police/911/whathaveyou. and why again, is it partly your fault?

ugh. sorry, i am in a bit of a battle with my apt complex, so these things totally tick me off.

 

[monarch64]

My father always used to say "you can''t be the world''s policeman." Maybe not such a wise saying, but still, there is some merit in my opinion.

You say these motorcyclists were in their driveway? The female tipped her bike in her driveway? I''m not sure how that qualifies as an emergency and warrants a 911 call from a neighbor (you.) Maybe I don''t have all the facts, but seriously...are you just trying to be a good samaritan or are you just being a nosy neighbor? I know that when you''re trying to have a peaceful time at home that things like that can be annoying, but tying up the 911 line with something like that? I don''t know. I''m kind of at a loss over this one, smurfy.

 

[MonkeyPie]

Date: 5/29/2009 7:45:47 AM
Author: whitby_2773
it could have been worse, smurfy....

see this...

LOL!

911 = actual emergency, like you got run over by annoying neighbor
911 does not = annoying neighbors being annoying (or drive-thru employees)

 

[LadyBlue]

911 is just for emergencies. Someone could had been in a real emergency, and they were losing time talking with you

 

[E B]

Date: 5/28/2009 11:59:04 PM
Author:Smurfyimproved
So I''m trying to have a nice quiet Thursday night at home and these motorcycles keep revving up and driving back and forth up their driveway (I live in a gated townhome community). So I call our security to report the noise because it was so loud we could hear it with the windows shut!! I mentioned one of the riders tipped over on her bike and appeared to be intoxicated and security says you have to call 911 because if there is an accident it is now partly my fault (totally understandable).

Say what?

 

[Shoopy]

Date: 5/29/2009 9:17:27 AM
Author: gaby06
911 is just for emergencies. Someone could had been in a real emergency, and they were losing time talking with you

I agree with that but it really is as easy as pushing the transfer button. They didn''t have to yell and hang up.

I live in a big city and if I call 911 thinking in my mind that it is an emergency and they decide it isn''t, they just say "please hold" and I get transfered to the station.

I''m curious as to why this would have been your fault if she got into an accident Smurf? Also, what time did this occur? On my side it says midnight but I don''t remember where you are and if there is a time difference. If it was indeed midnight, then your security isn''t doing its job because at that hour during a weekday they should investigate and stop the noise from happening.

 

[lucyandroger]

Date: 5/29/2009 11:11:07 AM
Author: EBree

Date: 5/28/2009 11:59:04 PM
Author:Smurfyimproved
So I''m trying to have a nice quiet Thursday night at home and these motorcycles keep revving up and driving back and forth up their driveway (I live in a gated townhome community). So I call our security to report the noise because it was so loud we could hear it with the windows shut!! I mentioned one of the riders tipped over on her bike and appeared to be intoxicated and security says you have to call 911 because if there is an accident it is now partly my fault (totally understandable).

Say what?

This is where I got stuck, too....How on earth would an accident be partly your fault????

 

[jcarlylew]

Date: 5/29/2009 11:23:52 AM
Author: fieryred33143

Date: 5/29/2009 9:17:27 AM

Author: gaby06

911 is just for emergencies. Someone could had been in a real emergency, and they were losing time talking with you

I agree with that but it really is as easy as pushing the transfer button. They didn''t have to yell and hang up.


I live in a big city and if I call 911 thinking in my mind that it is an emergency and they decide it isn''t, they just say ''please hold'' and I get transfered to the station.


I''m curious as to why this would have been your fault if she got into an accident Smurf? Also, what time did this occur? On my side it says midnight but I don''t remember where you are and if there is a time difference. If it was indeed midnight, then your security isn''t doing its job because at that hour during a weekday they should investigate and stop the noise from happening.

well said, i was trying to figure how to say the same thing.

 

[Anastasia]

Smurfy,

I think you have every right to be annoyed on three counts:

1)The annoying inconsiderate neighbors
2)The security guard who did nothing about the situation
3)The 911 operator who yelled at you and hung up on you

I have no idea how you could be at fault if one of these intoxicated riders got into an accident.

I''m not sure what the rules are on what is considered an emergency that warrants a call to 911, but they should have been polite and transferred you.

I hope you are feeling less aggravated this morning. If I were you, I would find out how you make a complaint to 911 about your treatment by the operator, make the complaint and then move on. The bottom line is that noone got hurt, and now you know what to do if a similar situation arises.

P.S. Your friend''s comment to call at least one hour BEFORE the emergency is a riot!!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

It could be that it''s not so much her fault as she would be involved as a witness to the accident.

 

[meresal]

Date: 5/29/2009 12:04:56 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
It could be that it''s not so much her fault as she would be involved as a witness to the accident.

I was thinking that if these aren''t rental townhomes, and somehow the riders got onto Smurfy''s driveway, then it could become a problem for Smurfy as owner''s of the property. Though, I get the impression these are rentals.

 

[musey]

Date: 5/29/2009 11:33:49 AM
Author: lucyandroger

Date: 5/29/2009 11:11:07 AM
Author: EBree

Date: 5/28/2009 11:59:04 PM
Author:Smurfyimproved
So I''m trying to have a nice quiet Thursday night at home and these motorcycles keep revving up and driving back and forth up their driveway (I live in a gated townhome community). So I call our security to report the noise because it was so loud we could hear it with the windows shut!! I mentioned one of the riders tipped over on her bike and appeared to be intoxicated and security says you have to call 911 because if there is an accident it is now partly my fault (totally understandable).

Say what?

This is where I got stuck, too....How on earth would an accident be partly your fault????

Um, yeah... not getting it. Even in a "she''d then be a witness" context. So she''d be a witness. So what? That doesn''t make it her "fault."

I live in a sometimes-noisy area (2 popular music venues within a block), and I just ignore noise on our street. Sure, of course it''s annoying, but I figure it''s not my property, so I can''t really tell people to "keep it down." I did run outta my apartment to give the stinkeye to a truck that wouldn''t stop honking in front of my building at 7am once. That was a very rewarding 6 seconds of stinkeye

ha!

 

[Smurfysmiles]

The reason I could have been held responsible if someone else was injured (because they chose to drive off and hit someone or something) and it ended up being that they really were drunk is because I knowingly called security to report loud noises and mentioned there may be the possibility of them drinking and driving.
It''s basically the same law we had in north dakota where the bartender can be held responsible for overserving someone (like they are falling over drunk) and then letting them drive off into the night.
Basically it means I have the power to prevent an accident from happening in the first place regardless of if I know they were drunk or not. Following me? lol

Also I do not think i prevented someone else from reaching 911

I was on the line probably 30 seconds before I was hung up on and in a bigger city like this I would be really surprised if that was the only operator for the whole city. It''s not like I intently tried to tie up 911. We have kids around here, what if a kid had been hurt because they were driving around drunk?

They were driving up and down their driveway but also tipping bikes over on top of themselves and in the end were driving up and down the road. You can bet I was out there watching them like a hawk. This all occurred between 8:30pm and midnight. Too late to be frickin revving engines up on motorcycles for that amount of time. If I had a baby trying to sleep I would be livid!

I tried to answer everything everyone asked, sorry if I missed anything...

 

[Smurfysmiles]

I''d also like to add that I''m not normally the kind to call people in and report them. I gave them an hour and a half to stop revving the engines but at that point enough was enough and they appeared drunk. I had just bought a brand new car and did not want them crashing into it. Also they were right next to fi''s car and about 10 feet from a friend of ours car. This is not something we were going to stand for. I''m sorry but we can''t afford to have our cars damaged in any way right now.

 

[meresal]

Smurfy- Just for future reference, I googled the denver area non emergency numbers, in case they decide to have a crazy night again. Motorcycles are very loud, and revving the engine at all, is annoying to me, but after dark/late night, in a residential area, and on a week night is an absolute no-no in my book.

Denver area Non-Emergency Police Station Numbers: Denver Non-Emerg #'s
I also believe that 311 is a nationwide non-emergency number. Not positive though.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Date: 5/29/2009 1:24:38 PM
Author: Smurfyimproved
The reason I could have been held responsible if someone else was injured (because they chose to drive off and hit someone or something) and it ended up being that they really were drunk is because I knowingly called security to report loud noises and mentioned there may be the possibility of them drinking and driving..

It''s basically the same law we had in north dakota where the bartender can be held responsible for overserving someone (like they are falling over drunk) and then letting them drive off into the night.

Basically it means I have the power to prevent an accident from happening in the first place regardless of if I know they were drunk or not. Following me? lol


Also I do not think i prevented someone else from reaching 911

I was on the line probably 30 seconds before I was hung up on and in a bigger city like this I would be really surprised if that was the only operator for the whole city. It''s not like I intently tried to tie up 911. We have kids around here, what if a kid had been hurt because they were driving around drunk?


They were driving up and down their driveway but also tipping bikes over on top of themselves and in the end were driving up and down the road. You can bet I was out there watching them like a hawk. This all occurred between 8:30pm and midnight. Too late to be frickin revving engines up on motorcycles for that amount of time. If I had a baby trying to sleep I would be livid!


I tried to answer everything everyone asked, sorry if I missed anything...

Smurf, coming from a former bartender-unless YOU served them a drink, you are not responsible for their drunk driving. Bartenders are held responsible because they''re the ones in control of the alcohol. To allow someone to leave the bar and drive or continue to serve someone when you know they are drunk is irresponsible, which is why they''re held accountable.

You had nothing to do with their alleged drinking and therefore have no way of controlling their actions other than doing what you did. That''s like saying if I was driving and I saw a car swerving all over the road and I called the cops to report it and then the car hit a tree and the passenger died, I''d be held responsible because I called to report careless and possibly drunk driving. That would never happen, you would never be held accountable for that death. HOWEVER, if you served a person beer or they were drinking at your house and you let them leave and drive knowing that they were drunk, you COULD be held accountable.

Were they inconsiderate-yes.
Were they possibly partaking in dangerous behavior-yes.
Was 911 rude to you-yes.

Next time call the other number and report a disturbance on your property. By the time the cops get there the people will probably not actually be on your property, but there''s no way they can prove that they weren''t at the time of your call. Once the cops are there, let them know what the problem is and let them handle it.

 

[Smurfysmiles]

Thanks for all the help guys, I now have the non emergency number taped to my fridge

 

[House Cat]

Smurfy,

I''m sure that was a very irritating situation for you. However, I would like to point out that being a 911 operator for a major city has to be an incredibly stressful job. I can only imagine the types of calls they get every hour while they are working. I''m not sure good customer service for frivolous calls is a job requirement for them. They really DO have bigger things on their plates.

Please understand that I''m not trying to be hurtful. I just want you to see that the 911 operator is potentially saving lives everyday and most likely he/she thought your call would be something that would stand in the way of him/her effectively doing their job.

It is also a possibility that this person just got off of a really awful, stressful call, right before you called.

There are just too many variables involving this operator, that I think require some understanding. This person fulfills a noble role in our society. I think he/she deserves a little bit of compassion.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

I think at this point Smurfy gets that there''s a non-emergency number (she said she even has it taped on her fridge)...so continuing to remind her that there is one is probably pointless? Just a thought.