Drivers urged to stop calling the wrong number to fight their parking tickets – officials reveal who to contact instead

In order to avoid jamming phone lines, drivers have been advised to refrain from phoning the incorrect number in an attempt to contest their parking charges.

Last year, one operator reported receiving 200–300 lost calls each day.

A public awareness campaign was started in Washington, DC, the nation’s capital, as worries about the improper use of emergency phone numbers increased.

According to data from the city’s Office of Unified Communications, around 25% of 911 calls during the most recent fiscal year had nothing to do with emergencies.

Additionally, the organization determined the top five reasons why people made erroneous emergency service calls.

They were:

1. Parking enforcement
2. Noise complaints
3. Lost, found or stolen property
4. Crimes that had occurred in the past, with no injury or suspect present
5. Illegal dumping

Throughout the year, operators received hundreds of thousands of these calls, diverting vital resources from actual crises.

In fact, the OUC discovered that almost 300,000 of the 1.2 million calls might have been handled by other organizations.

NBC Washington spoke with Tenaj Gueory, a 911 call handler: “[People ask] how do I pay my parking ticket?

In what way may I challenge the parking ticket?

“I had a guy the other day who said, ‘I need to file a complaint because I received eight parking tickets from the same officer, and you guys need to take action.’…”

“We need to save our resources for people who are in life-or-death situations.”

Gueory claimed to be able to handle up to 300 of these calls by herself each day.

Because of this, 911 has started a program called “Make The Right Call” to educate people about when it is and is not appropriate to call them.

Call the non-emergency hotline 311 instead if your call fits into any of the aforementioned categories.

The line has direct communication linkages with the police and is manned around-the-clock, every day of the year.

Operators can investigate your question or refer you to the appropriate organization.

“It is definitely not lost on me that we have neighbors and visitors who are hesitant to call 911,” said Heather MacGaffin, head of DC’s 911 call center.

“I always advise individuals to contact 911 if they are unsure.

“But if we tell you that it’s not in need of an emergency situation, go with us on that.”

Additionally, she gave certain instances of when dialing 911 is absolutely appropriate, such as:

• Any crime in progress where the offender is still on the scene
• Fires
• Medical emergencies
• Home and business intruders
• Vehicle crashes involving personal injury, major property damage or traffic tie-ups
• Sightings of wanted criminals

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