By Abigail R. Ortiz
The Albuquerque Journal
The life and death calls fielded by 911 operators make for stressful, adrenaline-fueled days, but their workweeks are also peppered with absurd calls that bring comic relief to a tough job.
Operators at Albuquerque’s Emergency Communications Center say that when it comes to weird 911 calls, they’ve just about heard it all:
A man who needed help opening his beer? Check.
A mother asking for cops to swing by her house because her unruly child was refusing to go to bed? Check.
A guy reporting a UFO after seeing three lights in a triangle formation darting around in the sky? Check.
An angry woman upset that her husband was willing to pay the so-called prostitute at the door, but wouldn’t give her any money? Check.
Calling 911 should be reserved for situations in which there is an immediate threat to life - such as a shooting, stabbing or armed robbery - or a significant threat to property.
And yet, 911 operator Lena Maes said it’s not unusual for individuals to turn to 911 for matters that aren’t emergencies.
"(A few) weeks ago, there was a woman who called and she was really upset because her husband wouldn’t give her any money, but there was a prostitute there to collect money that (the husband) owed her,” Maes said. "(The wife) just wanted us to run lights and sirens to go to her residence and make (the husband) give her the money instead of to the prostitute.”
About 30 percent to 40 percent of 911 callers require assistance from police officers - leaving 60 percent to 70 percent of calls to be a catchall, said Erika Wilson, the center’s manager.
The rest of the calls are from people needing fire and ambulance assistance and from people looking for information, needing a referral to other services or those calling with non-emergency situations.
“We as a nation have done a great job of educating the community to call 911 when they have an emergency situation, but they don’t use any other number,” Wilson said.
Callers don’t usually get in trouble for tying up the 911 lines for frivolous reasons.
“We don’t want to discourage people from calling 911, but there are some options for repeat offenders,” she said. Authorities can charge callers with telephone harassment.
“We try to reserve 911 for life-threatening situations that are in progress and occurring now,” Wilson said.
At any given time, eight dispatchers and 10 to 13 operators are manning the phones at the Albuquerque call center. Operators answer 911 calls and handle the nonemergency hotline, while dispatchers send police officers to the site.
Operators say that no matter how frivolous the call, they remain professional while talking to the caller and wait to giggle or express their frustration until after the call is complete.
Among the bizarre calls Maes has fielded was one from a mother who dialed 911 because she wanted officers to help put her unruly child to bed.
“I had a mother whose 6-year-old son was refusing to go to bed, and she wanted the officers to come over and force him to go to bed,” she said.
“I told her, ‘That’s not what we do’.”
Copyright 2011 Albuquerque Journal