Emergency Tips: When To Call 9-1-1

The following is information about when to call 9-1-1 as provided by the Newark Police Department

Examples as to when to call 9-1-1 for assistance:

1. Life-threatening situation
2. In-progress crimes or crimes when the suspect is still in the area.
3. Traffic accidents where one or more parties are injured.
4. Hit-and-run traffic accidents.
5. Any crime involving bodily assault.
6. Any domestic violence crime.
7. Motor vehicle theft.
8. Bomb, terrorist or hate-bias threats or acts.
9. Burglary
10. Suspicious persons, vehicles or circumstances when in-progress or suspects are still in the area.
11. Fires or possible fires.
12. Emergency medical or medical transport needs.

Do NOT call 9-1-1 for:

1. Do not call for directions or phone numbers.
2. Do not call for information about animal control issues unless the animal has bitten someone, or is currently acting aggressively. Contact Animal Control at 578-4361.
3. Do not call to find out if someone is in jail or to get information on someone in jail. The Alameda County Jail Roster is available online at http://www.acgov.org/sheriff_app/inmateSearch.do for this information. You may also call the jail at (925) 551-6593.
4. To report a crime after the fact, (e.g. Lost Property, Vehicle Burglary, Harassing Phone Call, Identity Theft, Theft and Vandalism) which do not require an officer please visit https://secure.coplogic.com/agency/newark/start-report.html . This reporting option is to be used when there are no known SUSPECT INFORMATION or OBVIOUS INVESTIGATIVE LEADS. This service is for documentation purposes only. There will be no further investigation into the incident you report.

Tips for calling the Newark PD Communication Center:

1. Stay calm
2. State the problem briefly
3. Know where you are and your telephone number. This is very important information. If you don’t know the exact address, provide a hundred block, an intersection or a landmark to help the call-receiver to understand where you are.
4. Answer the call receiver's questions and stay on the line until the call receiver terminates the call. Help can be sent while you talk.
5. When providing information about an incident, be as descriptive as possible. You may be asked to give identifying information about any persons or automobiles involved in the situation.
6. Inform the call receiver if you do not want your name and address given to responding units. Inform the operator if you want to be contacted directly by the officer(s) or emergency responders.
7. TTY users may press any key after dialing 9-1-1 to indicate that a TTY is being used. However, "silent" calls are handled as a potential TTY call.
8. If the situation changes before help arrives, call 9-1-1 again and then give the call receiver an update.

If you dial 911 by mistake, or if a child in your home dials 911 when no emergency exists, do not hang up—that could make 911 officials think that an emergency exists, and possibly send responders to your location. Instead, simply explain to the call-taker what happened.