A 1-year-old child called 911 so many times that police eventually arrested the toddler’s mom. The baby called 911 sixteen times from her mom’s mobile phone.
Police in Astoria, Oregon eventually became so frustrated with Jessica May’s lack of control over her baby that they put the mother under arrest.
May was charged with improper use of the emergency reporting system.
Police warned Jessica that she would be arrested if she continued to allow her child to play with her phone. Despite a stern warning from officers, Jessica continue to hand over her mobile phone to her baby.
Following the police warning , the baby’s 911 calls continued, seven more times in fact.
Police had no choice but to arrest the mother for the sake of public safety.
Inappropriate 911 calls and “butt dials” have become a major talking point for many cities. As I reported in May 2012, New York City faces nearly 4 million “accidental” or “butt dials” every single year.
When an 911 dispatch operator is forced to answer a fake call, it can put a real callers life in danger. Every second longer it takes for the fire department or an EMT officer to reach their destination is another second that someone could be killed or die of a medical-related problem.
Jessica May has not responded to her arrest at this time. Perhaps she should have learned how to use the lock feature on her phone if she wasn’t going to take it away.
Do you think the mother deserved to be arrested after she failed to control her baby’s 911 calls?
