HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2016-03-09, Page 15Wednesday, March 9, 2016 • Huron Expositor 15
Seaforth Manor donates big Valuable police resources wasted on non -emergent 9-1-1 calls
(From left to right)- from the Seaforth Manor Nursing &
Retirement Home, Cathy Stewart (General Manager, Marilyn
Kramers, Patrick Newington and Dorothy Dillon (all retirement
home residents) and Janelle Bondi (Retirement Home
Manager). The residents photographed either donated their
time or money to the cause of collecting food to donate to the
Seaforth & District Food Bank. They also asked staff, family
members, friends and community members to donate what
they could.
POLICE
BRIEFS
IMPAIRED CARE
& CONTROL
CHARGE LAID
(HURON EAST, ON) —A
32 -year-old from Huron East
will be making a trip to court
this April following an inci-
dent that took place in Sea -
forth this past weekend. At
approximately 2:00 a.m. on
Sunday, February 28, 2016
a Huron County Ontario Pro-
vincial Police (OPP) officer
observed a white GMC Sierra
pickup truck parked at the
Seaforth Agriplex located
on Duke Street. The officer
pulled up to the pickup truck
and observed the engine run-
ning and a driver occupying
the driver's seat. The officer
watched as the driver quickly
exited the truck and began to
walk away from the pickup.
The officer approached the
male and began to question
him. Upon speaking with the
male the officer noted the
driver to have alcohol on his
breath. Additionally, the driver
displayed several signs that
indicated his ability to drive
was impaired by alcohol.
He was placed under arrest for
Impaired Care & Control and
was taken to the Huron OPP
Detachment for breath tests.
He subsequently provided
two samples of his breath to
a qualified lntoxilizerTechni-
cian and both readings reg-
istered over the legal limit.
As a result, the 32 -year-old
from Huron East has been
charged with care or control
while impaired and care or
control over 80 milligrams of
alcohol. He has been released
from custody with a court
appearance scheduled for
the Ontario Court of Justice —
Goderich on April 4. He also
received an automatic 90 -day
driver's licence suspension
and his motor vehicle was
impounded for seven days.
A Tea Party &
Storytelling Afternoon
for Children
featuring Marie Black
Sat. March 19,1:30-3:00 p.m.
St. Thomas Anglican Church, Seaforth.
Come dressed in your favourite fairytale costume.
• Cupcakes, Tea & Juice • Donation Appreciated
Pocket dials from cell
phones and accidental 9-1-1
misdials continue to be a
problem for many police ser-
vices including the OPP. Over
five per cent of Huron County
OPP's calls for service in 2015
were for 9-1-1 calls that were
non -emergencies.
A closer look at Huron
County OPP's nearly 1000
non -emergent 9-1-1 calls
identifies pocket dials and
accidental dials as the main
source. Pocket dials and acci-
dental 9-1-1 calls accounted
for a staggering 75% of these
calls. Children playing on the
phone, line transmission
problems, callers looking for
other agency numbers & road
condition updates accounted
for the remaining 25%.
"Pocket dials and acciden-
tal 9-1-1 dials continue to be
an issue for emergency
responders. Everyone needs
to know that the misuse and
abuse of the 9-1-1 system may
result in a slower OPP
response to a real emergency,
risking the safety of people
who may need urgent help.
And furthermore, a significant
amount of our valuable and
limited resources are utilized
every day responding to
pocket dials and accidental
9-1-1 calls. With some addi-
tional education and
awareness on this issue, we
are hopeful to see a reduction
in these ill placed calls, sai
Inspector Jason Younan,
Detachment Commander
for the Huron County OPP.
A large number of the acci-
dental calls to Provincial
Communication Centre
(PCC) are attributed to people
trying to call overseas, check-
ing voice mail or touching a
pre-programmed 9-1-1 but-
ton on their phone. In one
case, a caller reported her cat
stepped on the phone to make
the emergency call.
Be advised, once the call is
placed it is absolutely impera-
tive to stay on the line and tell
the call taker what happened.
If you hang up the phone an
operator will call back to
ensure the caller's safety.
Also, an OPP officer will be
dispatched to every identifia-
ble location of all 9-1-1 calls to
ensure the safety of the person
who made the call. Don't
hang up if you dial in error,
Stay on the Line.
Pocket dials are those calls
that occur when a cell phone
is left insecure in a location
such as a pocket, handbag,
purse or backpack. These fre-
quent calls often result in
officers spending a significant
amount of time trying to track
down the caller, particularly
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