Phony 911 Calls Tie up Lines

By Jacqueline Sit, NEWS 9

ENID, Oklahoma -- In emergency situations, people call 911 for help, but the hotline also receives phony calls which waste their time and resources.

"If we're busy answering phone calls that are not emergency in nature, we're taking away time that could be used if someone's actually calling 911," said 911 Division Commander Lt. Eric Holtzclaw of the Enid Police Department.

In March, a woman in Florida called 911 three separate times claiming she wanted a refund after a popular fast food chain ran out of chicken nuggets.

Those types of calls also happen in Oklahoma.

In Enid, emergency crews were chasing one emergency after another when a 12-year-old made 24 bogus 911 calls in just a few hours.

The boy reported there was an accident with injury. Emergency crews and an ambulance responded to the scene only to find the call was a hoax.

"I don't think he realized the gravity of the situation until later on," Holtzclaw said.

The boy could now face fines up to $1,500.

Officials said call the non-emergency line for other concerns, and you can also call 211 to get basic information around the state.