Ottawa Police Department

Communications Division

9-1-1 Don'ts

1. Don't hang up when you call 9-1-1 in an emergency, in the case of a serious accident or emergency, the 9-1-1 dispatchers can be busy getting information from other callers.

2. Don't hang up if you dial 9-1-1 accidentally. Dispatchers have to call the numbers back and if no contact is made police officers will be dispatched to your address to ensure your safety.

3. Don't play with 9-1-1 or make false calls. It is a violation of the law to do so.

4. Don't call 9-1-1 to ask when the power will be restored during outages or to report power outages.

5. Don't call 9-1-1 to ask for weather reports or road conditions

6. Don't call 9-1-1 for school reports such as closings.

7. Don't call 9-1-1 to ask about scheduled events in the City of Ottawa such as fireworks or the times for Halloween.

8. Don't call 9-1-1 for directory assistance, 4-1-1 is the correct number.

9. Don't call 9-1-1 to discuss legal problems, legal issues, or questions on laws.

10. Don't call 9-1-1 to ask for directions.