When placing a call to 911, if you encounter what appears to be an extended ring cycle or silence on the line, do not hang up and redial unless the silence lasts more than 10 seconds. You will only delay your access to the 911 center.
Calls from pay phones are free; you do not have to deposit money to make the call.
TTY users may press any key after dialing 911 to indicate that a TTY is being used. However, "silent" calls are handled as a potential TTY call.
When providing information about an incident, be as descriptive as possible. You may be asked to give identifying information about any persons or automobiles involved in the situation. The more information you can provide, the more information dispatchers will be able to relay to responding units and prioritize your call appropriately.
Answer the operator's questions and stay on the line until the operator terminates the call. Help can be sent while you talk.
If you want to remain anonymous and not have your name given to the responding units be sure to inform the operator. Inform the operator if you want to speak to the officers that respond to your call once they arrive.
If the situation changes before help arrives, call 911 again and give the operator an update.
Sometimes large companies or office buildings have a PBX phone system. This is important to know because the correct address may not be displayed when calling 911. It is important to advise the operator of the actual address of the building.
