Police advise against 911 alternatives
The Henderson Police Department is concerned about a long-running Internet rumor that recently resurfaced urging people to dial 112 in an emergency as opposed to the nationally recognized 911.
Despite encountering no incidents of people trying to call 112, public information officer Keith Paul said the department is not taking the matter lightly.
“In the event of an emergency, every second can matter, so I urge all who need emergency help to call 911,” Police Chief Patrick Moers said in a press release.
Member states of the European Union commonly use 112 as the standard emergency number, and some cellular carriers in the U.S. reroute such calls to 911.
However, Metropolitan Police Department public information officer Laura Meltzer said, “ There is no guarantee a person will be rerouted to an emergency number.”
“It is the same then as it is now,” she said. “The best way to get help in an emergency is by calling 911.”
The issue of calling 112 was recently posted on Facebook, Henderson police said. The post mentioned a “college student who was being pulled over by an unmarked car ... didn’t want to stop and allegedly called 112 to contact the police.”
“It’s an urban legend,” Paul said. “These things just float around.”
Contact Paradise/Downtown View reporter Nolan Lister at nlister@viewnews.com or 702-383-0492.
A GUIDE TO CALLING POLICE
- Call 911 when there is a current threat to a person or property; when someone is injured from an accident or from being the victim of a crime; when a crime occurred or is in progress; when there is serious illness, smoke or fire.
- Call 311 for a crime that involves no immediate threat to life or property, including disturbances involving loud parties or music or a break-in or vandalism that has already occurred, and the suspects have left the scene.
