In the past few years, I have witnessed assaults, robberies and break-ins, violent drivers and threatening lunatics on the street. A few of those times, I have dialed 9-1-1 and thought that perhaps I was going crazy. Nobody answered the phone. If they did answer, and I told them about the crime in progress, they put me on hold and then the call was transferred to L.A.P.D. who answered with a Spanish speaking recorded message.
Now, an L.A. Times article confirms that the 9-1-1 system is completely overwhelmed by phone calls. There are some emergency calls that take TWENTY-SEVEN minutes to be answered. The reason: the California Highway Patrol, in an archaic arrangement, takes “mobile” calls that used to originate only from drivers. Since we all use wireless phones now, the CHP has become the clearinghouse for every single mobile 9-1-1 call.
The L.A. Times article is terrifying because it details how long it takes for help to arrive. Anyone who lives in L.A. knows that we are under policed, but we are now living in a 21st Century city with a response system that cannot respond.
If you need help, don’t call 9-1-1.
Here in Van Nuys 
“Easy – just call from a real phone!” I hope you weren’t being serious! As if the thing to do in an emergency is go hunting for a “real” phone, even if you’re in the middle of a highway or a street. You may have noticed that pay phones are rapidly disappearing, as are highway call boxes. Like it or not (I don’t), cell phones are “real phones” to most of the public now. And 911 call centers need to update their services with this in mind. Translation: the taxpayers will need to fund the necessary staffing and technology to handle these calls appropriately. This taxpayer would be glad to do so.
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I don’t have a land line. Only a cell phone. 😦
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easy – just call from a real phone!
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