Prince George’s County 911 operators are answering emergency phone calls faster since officials revamped the county’s nonemergency hotline. Bogged down by trivial calls for information about everything from baking tips to parking tickets, operators at the county’s new 911 call center in Bowie were answering phone calls at a slower pace than required by state law, according to Charlynn Flaherty, the center’s associate director.
Residents must call the county’s nonemergency number, 301-352-1200, for matters that don’t constitute an immediate threat to property or life. But operators are responsible for answering both 911 calls and nonemergency requests, Flaherty said.
“We were getting calls requesting assistance for things that had nothing to do with our emergency dispatchers,” she said. “They don’t know who else to call, so they call this nonemergency number.”
Residents were making an array of odd calls to the nonemergency number, such as:
What day is Halloween?
My brother was arrested, do you know where he is?
What’s the best way to cook a turkey?
“We’re happy to help citizens with their concerns, but we don’t want operators handling cooking tips,” said Adam Ortiz, manager of Prince George’s CountyStat.
