On October 3, a woman in Middletown, Connecticut, called 911 and hung up. Police rushed to the scene, which was a familiar one since the caller had already dialed 911 more than 70 times this year, mostly for the types of everyday emergencies that are usually resolved without law-enforcement intervention. This day was no different.
The woman’s cell phone had inexplicably disappeared, a problem that likely seems far more dire when you are drunk, as the police report said she was. When pressed for more details, she told them that they were no longer needed: “Oh, yeah. My phone. I found my phone, so I’m all set.” According to NBC Connecticut, police told her that “needing help finding a cell phone when you are intoxicated is not a reason to call 911.” It was not clear whether the woman was aware her landline has the ability to call numbers other than 911, like the number of the cell phone she lost.
“Whatever,” she responded. She waited five days before calling the police again for the 76th time, at which point she was arrested for misusing a 911 system and misdialing 911. The only thing that seems clear about this case, based on past precedent, is that she definitely meant to call 911, although police likely have to be creative in instances where “serial questionable judgment” is not a criminal offense.
