The LaSalle Police Service wants the public to be more aware about things like "pocket dials" to help prevent a rise in unintentional 911 calls.
Since Aug. 1, the LaSalle Police Service has responded to 113 accidental 911 calls.
LaSalle Police Service Senior Constable Terry Seguin says a lot of people panic when they see 911 being dialled and try to hang up quickly.
"If it even rings once, it's going through. The 911 caller taker in North Bay will take it, transfer it to us and tell us whether there was voice contact or not," he says. "Regardless, the communicators have to spend time trying to contact the person to make sure everything is okay. Whether or not they make contact, we send an officer to make sure everything is okay.
Seguin points out that between the 911 communicator trying to contact the caller and the officer going to check on the caller, it ties up a lot of resources.
"There's only so many 911 lines available, so if those lines are tied up, it is potentially preventing another person with an actual urgent emergency to get through," he says.
Police dispatcher working at console. (Photo courtesy iStock/HHLtDave5)
Seguin says they ask people to talk to the 911 communicator and let them know what's going on.
"It just takes away some of the anxiety from people who are responding, from not know what they are going to realizing it was likely, legitimately a mistake," he adds.
Police say the majority of unintended 911 calls originate from mobile phones, often due to changes or updates in operating systems with emergency features.
Many devices trigger the Emergency SOS feature through simple actions, like pressing the power button multiple times or simply holding it down.
If it's the result of a "pocket dial," or in the hands of a toddler, these buttons are easily pressed, say police.
Everyone is advised to deactivate the feature in your phone’s settings to help prevent these accidental calls.