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1. When should I call 911?

911 is the phone number that should be dialed whenever police, fire or ambulance services are needed for an emergency. When you dial 911, your address and phone number will show up on a monitor in the police dispatch center if you are calling from a landline. The police dispatcher answers your call and will transfer your call to the Fire Department or Paramedics if required. To contact the police for non-emergent matters you may call 626-960-1955.

2. What is considered an “emergency”?

An emergency is something that must be stopped, prevented, or remedied at the immediate time because it threatens life, physical well-being, or property. If you’re unsure if your situation is an emergency, call 911 anyway. If the dispatcher determines that your call is not considered an emergency call, you will be asked to phone back on the business line.

This keeps 911 free for other emergencies.

Noise & Parking Complaints

Loud music complaints, parking complaints, barking dog complaints, etc., should not be called in on 911.

3. What will the dispatcher ask when you call 911?

You should have the following information ready for the dispatcher:

• Is anyone injured
• Location of the problem
• Nature of the problem
• Suspect description
• Time element
• Vehicle description

When giving information, do not edit. Give all the information you have.

4. What if I dial 911 by mistake?

Do not hang up! Before you hang up, be sure to tell the dispatcher that you have dialed 911 by mistake and that you do not need emergency help!

This is particularly important if you dial from a business phone with several phone lines. Anytime the police dispatcher receives a 911 "hang-up", the caller must be contacted to be sure that no actual emergency exists. If your business has dozens or even hundreds of phone lines, it may be impossible for the dispatcher to determine, who if anyone, needs help, and an officer must then be dispatched to the address.

5. Are pay phones any different?

You may dial 911 for an emergency at any payphone without needing any coins. The phone number and location of the payphone will show up on the police dispatch monitor.

6. Should I program my telephone to dial 911?

No!!! While it is not against the law, we strongly advise against doing this. Automatic dialing of 911 can result in accidental calls to the 911 dispatcher. Speed dialing can malfunction, and stop working, which would delay precious response time. In addition, if you are training your children to press a one-button speed call number in an emergency, they may not know how to call for help from another phone.

7. What about calling 911 from a cellular phone?

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is encouraging citizens with cellular phones to report drunk or reckless drivers, accidents, or other emergencies by dialing 911. You will be connected directly to CHP dispatch, and the call will be routed to the proper jurisdiction if necessary. The types of calls that CHP considers "emergencies" include:

• Crimes-in-progress
• Drunk or reckless driving
• Fires
• Medical emergencies
• Stranded drivers in need of assistance
• Traffic accidents or other road hazards

8. What if I don’t speak English?

911 allows emergency calls to be transferred to an interpreter who can interpret other languages. Interpretation is accessible from every telephone, including home and business phones, coin-operated, and phones equipped with Tele-communication Device for the Deaf (TDD). In addition, the police department has several bilingual dispatchers.

9. Why do dispatchers ask so many questions?

It’s important that we attempt to get as much information as possible so that our officers are better prepared to handle any type of call. For example, if you are calling to report a suspicious vehicle the dispatcher will want to know what kind of vehicle it is, what color it is, a license plate number, and also if it’s occupied. The more information we have the better the chances we have of finding the vehicle or individuals and possibly preventing a crime.

10. How are calls prioritized?

Calls are prioritized depending on the level of urgency. If we receive a noise complaint regarding music and we receive a call of an injury traffic collision, we will dispatch the traffic collision before the noise complaint even if the noise complaint comes in first. We make every effort to handle calls as quickly and efficiently as possible. However, emergencies do arise and we must handle those first.