It’s probably obvious to many, but calls to 911 are reserved for emergencies and not to complain regarding having received too sweet a coffee in a store.
Ottawa police reported on Monday some of the most outlandish calls received by their 911 call center workers to raise awareness regarding what is not an emergency.
In particular, an employee said he had already dealt with a person who had called the emergency number to loudly demand the arrest of a barista who had dared to sweeten his coffee.
Another time, a woman called 911 to report her husband who, it seemed, didn’t want to meet the agreed upon schedule to find out who would be lucky enough to sleep alone in the master bedroom of their house.
For her part, a 5-year-old girl dumbfounded an attendant by calling to complain regarding the lack of cleanliness of her 3-year-old sister. The child had also refused to pick up his father, claiming that he was cutting the grass.
Communications Inspector Russell Lucas called on the public to call 911 in the event of an emergency. “But we also urge residents to use their common sense,” he added.