Accident or Not, Norwood Police Respond to 911 Calls

When someone picks up the phone and dials 911 in an emergency, they probably expect a response.

That's almost a no-brainer, but what happens on the other end when a call is abruptly hung up — or if the call is an accident?

"It doesn't matter if you make a mistake or not," Norwood Police Spokesman Kevin Grasso said. "The technology pushes the call through regardless."

In 2010, the Norwood police department received 564 hang up calls and and 186 accidental calls. And in the year prior, 264 hang up and 285 accidental calls were placed. Whether a call fits one particular category or the other is up to the dispatcher, Grasso said.

The police log — frequently published on Norwood Patch — lists the highlights of the latest crime and community happenings around town, according to editorial discretion. And almost each day, the log lists these sorts of 911 calls. 

Grasso said in any week, they receive about two calls each day that either are deemed "911 hang up" or "accidental 911." This past weekend, for example, the log listed about three such calls.

Calls amounting to more than a couple hundred in a year might seem excessive, but Grasso said they're about average compared to years' past. Even so, he said each is investigated as officers always are on the streets, hopefully giving some peace of mind to the town.

"We respond to all of them because we don't know if anyone is in distress, has a medical need, (or they're) unable to speak," Grasso said, adding, "We at the very minimum call that telephone number back."

If it happens that a call is placed by mistake, either by a child or a business who first has to dial "9" to get out, the person is reminded of the emergency response technology in place. 

"We're not the boogie man," he said. "We want to let people know that the system works."