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Woman calls police for help with Chinese food order

Police issue reminder: non-emergent 911 calls are misdemeanors

By Police1 Staff

SAVANNAH, Ga. — The Savannah Morning News has released an audio clip of a 911 call in which a woman recounts her issues with the food delivery service of a local Chinese restaurant. The incident is laughable, but Savannah police are using the opportunity to remind the public that calling 911 in situations that are not real emergencies is a misdemeanor.

Gena Moore, police spokeswoman, said that in 2010, the area’s metro police 911 Dispatch Center received 248,774 911 calls and 165,920 administrative calls, covering everything from noise complaints to homicides to less-than-stellar restaurant service.

Rather than call 911, citizens are reminded to utilize the police department’s non-emergency phone number.

In the audio clip, a woman called the police because she wanted her money back after receiving the wrong food order from a Chinese restaurant.

The police ended up being dispatched. They were not sent in to correct the food issue, but because the caller began to get disorderly. The caller was not arrested but risked potential 911 abuse charges for her call that was decidedly civil, not criminal.