Life as a 911 operator is a stressful one. You receive the most desperate phone calls you could ever imagine and there is little more you can do once the call has been dispatched. Instead, you are left to hear tortured cries and agony from the callers on the line.
These 16 stories will break your heart as 911 dispatchers poor their hearts out and talk about their most intense calls. It really makes you appreciate the hard work that they do.
It Wasn’t A Murder He Was Reporting
In a completely normal tone, he replies, ‘Oh, no, I’m just telling you where to find my body and letting you know it wasn’t a murder.’
The dispatcher spent the next few minutes trying to talk him out of it, doing her best to either convince him not to do it or trying to at least stall him until the team gets there. The entire time, the man remains calm, almost cheery, like he was just shrugging it off. ‘Nope, I made up my mind, I’ll just be in the bedroom.’ The cops didn’t get there in time. The dispatcher heard him say, ‘Thanks, bye!’ before a booming blast and the man’s death rattle.
The cops arrived a few minutes later.
I think it was just weird how calm he was about it. I’ve heard of suicidal people having that sort of upbeat disposition when they finally make a plan to go through it, but actually hearing it really stuck with me.”
Calling 911 To Report Being Chased By…
“I answered a 911 call from a gentleman stating someone was chasing him. He had no idea where he was other than it was near the beach.
I used the phase 2 location from his cell phone to start officers on the way while I tried to get more information because English was not his first language and he seemed extremely panicked.
He’s in a vehicle and another vehicle was chasing him. I heard sirens in the background and asked him if he knew who was chasing him. He said yes, that it was border patrol and he was scared and refused to pull over for them. I convinced him to pull over for one of my officers and that was the end of it.”
Hearing The Brutality
“I had a woman call who was hiding in her closet and told me her ex-boyfriend was breaking into her house. She told me that they had a violent history.
I got her information and told her to do what she needed to do to stay safe and leave the line open no matter what. While officers were en route, I heard him come in through a window and start beating her. He heard sirens coming and took off. Luckily, since she left the line open, I was able to let the officers know when he took off and they caught him near the apartment.
I think the worst part was the two minutes after he left, I sat there listening to the woman weeping and not being able to comfort her because she was too far away to hear me.”
They Were So Sure The Caller Was Wasted
“This was at about 2:30 am, when the bars close.
Me: ‘911, what’s your emergency?’
Caller: ‘There’s a pig in the road. A big one.’
Me: ‘Sir, where are you?’
Caller: ‘At the stoplight. It’s the biggest pig I have ever seen. Get someone here now!’
This is a one-stoplight town, the bar is near the intersection.
Me: ‘How big is the pig?’
Caller: ‘About the size of a Volkswagen.’
Me: ‘How much have you had to drink?’
Caller: ‘I’m not inebriated! It’s a giant pig the size of a small car! What is wrong with you people?’
Officers showed up to find a full-grown hippo that had escaped from the local wild animal park. A very… big… pig.”
She Thought She Was Saving His Life
“Christmas Eve night, I answered a 911 call from a hysterical woman who was crying so hard she couldn’t breathe. I asked her what was going on, and she told me these exact words: ‘My boyfriend and I were watching a movie. I fell asleep. I woke up and he wasn’t here.’
I thought this was a little odd, so I said, ‘Okay ma’am, do you know where he may have gone?’
She wasn’t done. She said, What she said next made this call stick with me forever.