Police in and around Burlington, Iowa say too many people have been making bogus 911 calls – for some pretty unusual reasons.
In one case, a man called police in late May 2012 to complain about noisy wind chimes at his neighbor’s home.
Police warn those who call the emergency number to make a non-emergency report could face being arrested themselves.
Dispatchers say children, for whom 911 is often one of the first telephone numbers learned, could teach some adults how to properly use the emergency number.
Last week, Burlington Police said they arrested Andrew Moss after he allegedly made three non-emergency calls to 911 in one night. He told dispatchers he couldn’t sleep and that wind chimes were waking him up.
“It ties up resources that we have available to go help people that truly need help. We take it very seriously and we will arrest people for that,” said a Burlington Police spokesman.
Communities across the country are dealing with these bogus calls to 911. Actual incidents include a request for help with using a cell phone, a complaint about a sandwich shop allegedly botching an order and a woman who asked police for help finding a husband.