Don’t Call 911

I shall start with a list of events I consider legitimate emergencies—events where I would place a 911 call.   Well, a partial list.  Here is a partial list of what I consider call-worthy emergencies:

Your House on Fire

Possible Heart Attack

Neighbor’s House on Fire

A Shooting

Possible Natural Gas Leak

A Plane Crash in Your Front Yard

In my mind, I also have a list of items that almost qualify for a 911 call.   On that list, I would place such stuff as finding a flaming bag of poo on my porch and running out of Scotch on a day when the liquor stores are closed.

The other day, I read a story about a 911 call I definitely would not make.

In this case, a 36-year-old woman from Ohio, Seloni Khetarpal, called 911 several times to report that her parents had cut off her cellphone service.   Dispatchers warned the woman that 911 should be called only if there was an actual emergency.

Khertapal reportedly called back two hours later, insisting she felt the lack of a working phone was a legitimate police matter.  The woman also became somewhat belligerent with dispatchers.

Khetarpal, a resident of Jackson Township, was eventually arrested and charged with disrupting public services, a fourth-degree felony

Did I mention Seloni Khertapal was 36?

The article I read does not indicate what phone she used to make her calls to emergency dispatchers.  No indication, either, why her parents have control of her phone.  During one of her contacts with dispatchers she mentioned that she could not contact her clients.  Apparently, she is a licensed realtor.

—Mitchell Hegman

Source: David Moye, huffpost.com.