Last week I had to make an emergency call to the Oakland Police Department to report a break-in in progress to my dwelling. Unfortunately this call took 15 minutes to get an operator! This operator also happened to be the nearby CHP office which had to then transfer me to the Oakland PD (a few more minutes). This kind of response is absolutely unacceptable! Will it take doubling the 911 budget? If so, it must be done NOW! Another sad fact is that this isn’t the first time I’ve had an over ten minute delay in reaching 911.
All extra city services as parking, parks, libraries should take a back seat to the 911 operations. If it takes the city government having the National Guard come in to fill the slack it should be done immediately.
In Oakland, a terrorist, hoodlum or maniac could go on a shooting spree and kill hundreds of people until the police are notified. A person can die in a medical emergency well before the ambulance arrived.
Mayor Brown, Oakland City council, you must DECLARE A STATE OF EMERGENCY NOW! Fifteen minutes to get a 911 operator at several different times is a symptom of a total break down of emergency city services. Do the right thing and call in reinforcements!
I’m guessing you called 911 from a cellphone?
That would explain why you got the CHP office. With 911 from a cellphone, the “system” doesn’t exactly know where you are, so if you live near a highway, it assumes you’re driving, and transfers you to the CHP.
Keep a working analog landline, just for 911 service!
Calling 911 from a landline transfers you to the correct department immediately, without needing to go through the CHP office.
Also, find the number of your local police department, and keep it in your phone, so you can call in to them quickly and bypass the entire 911 service if need be.