In the United States, regardless of the emergency situation you encounter, you can call 911 for assistance. The 911 service in the United States is comprehensive, handling police, fire, and medical emergencies, similar to the combination of 110, 119, and 120 in your home country. When calling 911, the operator must clarify two things: what exactly has happened and the location of the caller, so that the police can provide effective assistance.
When you call 911 from a landline, the call is directly connected to the command center of the local police precinct. The police precinct will route the call to the appropriate first responders, such as patrol officers, ambulance services, fire departments, SWAT teams, bomb squads, and helicopter units, based on the nature of the call. The police department's phone system can display the exact address of the landline based on the incoming number. If you are calling from a mobile phone, the police department's system will determine the general location of the caller through the cell tower that relays the mobile signal, even in critical situations where the caller may be restrained or unconscious. Since not all mobile phone locations can be pinpointed using GPS satellites, if you are calling from a mobile phone, do not forget to inform the operator of your exact location.
Some police departments advise residents that if they are in an emergency situation where it is inconvenient to speak (such as being held hostage), they can call 911, leave the phone off the hook, or simply hang up. This type of disconnected 911 call will be treated as a high-alert situation by the police, who will quickly respond to investigate once they determine the location of the call. It is strongly recommended that you remember the English phrase "HELP ME," pronounced [h?lp mi], which translates to "救救我" in Chinese, as it could save your life in critical moments!
In addition to medical emergencies and encounters with criminals, you can also call the police for disturbances, which is one of the common reasons Americans call the police. If you have a neighbor who frequently makes noise and does not respond to requests to stop, you can record the noise with your mobile phone or digital camera and report it to the police. The police will issue a citation to that person, and they will have to appear in court for it.
In fact, there are many situations that do not qualify as "emergencies" according to the police in the United States. For example, there have been cases where someone was startled by a large dog that suddenly approached in a park, causing them to drop their digital camera, and when the dog owner refused to compensate, the caller dialed 911, only to be told by the local police that this matter was not under their jurisdiction and should be taken to court. There are also instances where a person's car suddenly stalled in a parking lot and would not start, and when they called 911 for help to move the car, the police advised them to contact the parking lot staff instead.
In the United States, it is essential to remember not to call 911 frivolously. California has enacted legislation that imposes a fine of $250 for each instance of prank calling 911. In 2009, a man in Colorado was arrested for calling 911 while intoxicated to report a plane crash, and he was subsequently fined $30,000 for making a false report. Each state in the United States has detailed legal provisions regarding the misuse of the 911 service.
