WWW.LSSD.SAGOV.US Los Santos County Sheriff's Department News Release November 3rd 2023 "A TRADITION OF SERVICE" Sheriff Bobby Kirk |
- 911, How can you help?-
- We receive a multitude of 911 calls every day and provide our best efforts to aid our citizens and resolve these calls to ultimately make our County a safer place to live and visit. It's important to remember that information from witnesses is crucial to resolving these calls so we would like to take the time to inform you about when to call 911 and what information you can give to help us by a single phone call.
When to call 911?
- The 911 Emergency Line has multiple uses and is your direct line to report crimes and ask for medical assistance. Sometimes it can be daunting to call 911 however, we are there to help. We have responders who are constantly on shift ensuring the safety of the citizens of Los Santos. However, some individuals have neglected our emergency response line and this has resulted in numerous hoax calls.
If it is determined that someone deliberately called 911 as a prank or without the need for emergency services this could lead to you being issued a citation for Misuse of Government Hotline so please bear this in mind.
Questions for Deputies
- We took the time to ask a couple of our serving members of the Sheriff's Department their opinion about 911 calls. Their responses can be found here.
Deputy Sheriff II Zara Murray wrote:
In your opinion what makes a good 911 call?
I believe a decent 911 call is one that specifies all the important details of the situation in a summarized manner, so that the responders will have some idea of what they are responding to. This can greatly help first responders to react quickly when entering a situation
Is there any situation where you think calling 911 would be inappropriate?
I believe in most cases that people feel they need to call 911, they should do it. After all, it's better to be safe than sorry. However, there are a few times when calling 911 would be inappropriate, such as a simple verbal argument which is not escalating. Also, it goes without saying that prank calling 911 is something that must not happen and people need to understand the fact that 911 is an emergency number.
In your opinion what's the most important thing to remember when making an important 911 call?
In my opinion, It's important to get to the essential details as quickly as possible in a calm way. These details should include things that will help the first responders get to the situation with fewer questions in their mind or, even better, none. It might save a life sometimes or lead to a fast arrest, which is beneficial for everybody.
Deputy Sheriff II Leif Helgarson wrote:
In your opinion what makes a good 911 call?
Be concise, get all the relevant info you can into as short a sentence as you can.
Is there any situation where you think calling 911 would be inappropriate?
Any Joke call.
In your opinion what's the most important thing to remember when making an important 911 call?
Be honest, and be concise. Also if possible stay near the location of your call so we can make contact with you ASAP. Or at the very least keep your phone on.
What information to give?
- We understand that some situations can be critical and only a quick call can be made but information is our best tool. The type of information needed for the call will depend on the situation being reported.
If the call is about a person try to describe them as best you can and think about these things:- What are they wearing?
- Do they have a mask on?
- What is their approximate age?
- What colour hair do they have?
- Any noticeable tattoos and if so of what and where is the tattoo on the body?
- Are they wearing a bag or carrying a briefcase?
- Are they dressed in government worker clothing eg. Construction or Road working uniform?
Examples of 911 calls (Individuals)
- We will provide several examples of 911 calls we have received and aim to offer a comprehensive comparison between an informative call and a brief call that lacks essential details to address your concern.
Example 1: Please help someone shot and is running away from the scene
This is not the best 911 call as very little information is given. All we get from this call is there's someone in the area of the call with a weapon and had supposedly shot somebody. Now for a similar call
Example 2: Hello 911, I just witnessed a shooting, there's a male, looks early 20's, brown hair, white skull mask and a tattoo of a clock on his right arm, open button up grey shirt and suit pants. He was running south towards the Garbage area.
This is a much better example as we have information about the suspect and a bonus for a distinguishing tattoo that we can look for if we find someone that matches the description of the suspect that escaped the area.
What to remember when reporting a vehicle
- If a vehicle is involved think about this:
- What model of vehicle?
- What colour is the vehicle and does it have a livery?
- Does it have neon or underflow?
- Can I see or describe the driver?
- Can I get the license plate or at least a section of it?
- What direction were they heading?
We interviewed several civilians to inquire about their approach to making a 911 call to provide information about this vehicle. Your task is to assess their responses and determine which one appears to be the most useful.
Civilan wrote:It was a pink truck with four big wheelsCivilan wrote:I have just spotted a pink camo open-top truck heading north up Great Ocean Highway.
One of our deputies was asked the same question and what he would like to see when someone is reporting a vehicleCivilan wrote:A pink-painted military-style truck with camouflage patterns, license plate DWSFW3 occupied by two people wearing masks.Deputy wrote: My Black Sentinel Classic has just been stolen, the driver was wearing a grey hoodie and a red skull mask, they went north on LS Freeway, it has red under glow and the LP is 0W33NRL3
The most valuable information that can be given when it comes to reporting a vehicle is the license plate. The reason why this information is useful is because we take that information and it allows us to search through our MDC which increases our chances of recovering your vehicles.
Examples of 911 calls (Vehicles)
- Example 1: Hey some guy just stole my car from Roadworkers HQ please help.
This once again doesn't give much of a description and we don't have enough to go on to search for this stolen car.
Example 2: My vehicle has been stolen. It's a Blue Washington with white underglow and was parked at Bayview. The LP is DGGHE32 and we saw it pass us going West towards the Single Tolls on Great Ocean Highway.
This once again is much better as we have a clear description of the vehicle, the license plate and where it's headed. The more information you give the better, even if you think it may not be necessary, still include it as we could potentially use it.
So as a final note we would like to remind you that whilst getting this information is important, it's not worth risking your life over it. Use your judgment carefully and only get the information if its safe to do so. Once you feel like you have the information you need, leave the area go to a safe place and give 911 a call. Thank you.
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Contact Information
Probationary Communications Assistant Dave Spencer
Los Santos County Sheriff's Department
(909) 5313461 [email protected]
Sheriff Bobby Kirk
(909) 596-1688 — [email protected]
Sheriff's Information Division
Los Santos County Sheriff's Department
Procopio Promenade 1, Paleto Bay
Los Santos, SA, 909