4,000 calls to 911 from mentally impaired man ends with a nice twist - vid @ link-

I like these kinds of stories. People doing nice little things for others. Clearly it had an effect on the Father too (can we just ignore the comments about law enforcement and be happy people did something nice?).

Emergency dispatcher Kari Bueno once wanted the person clogging up their lines with false 911 calls to get into a lot of trouble.

"At first, I admit it, we were pretty mad. 'We've got to find who this person is. This is ridiculous,'" she recalled saying. "'What are we going to do? We are so mad.'"

In less than a week, someone had made more than 4,000 calls to 911. At one point, Bueno was receiving three to four calls a minute — all of them from the same number, which traced back to a disconnected cellphone.

"It ties up all your 911 operators. We have to answer every call. We have to track down every call," she said.

About three weeks ago, West Jordan police finally tracked down the person making those calls.

Turns out this guy was using an old disconnected cell phone to listen to music, and as many of you are aware even a disconnected phone can call 911. If you were unaware of that, now you know to keep an old cell phone charged in your car and maybe home just in case, advice I should really follow.

Bueno and other dispatchers didn't intend for VanBibber to have his music taken away. But they couldn't have him continually dial 911, either.

The day the cellphone was taken away, Bueno came up with the idea of raising money among the dispatch center employees to buy an iPod Nano and a $100 iTunes gift certificate for him. On Wednesday, VanBibber and his family were invited to Valley Emergency Communications Center and were presented with the gifts.

Good on you! I dated a dispatcher for awhile and know they aren't exactly pulling in a ton of money.

I really like the whole pay it forward idea, doing nice things for others starts a chain reaction in my opinion.

Link

Well. At least the didnt beat, taze, or shoot the guy eh?
It isnt pay it forward, this is actually being nice..

originally posted by: ThichHeaded
Well. At least the didnt beat, taze, or shoot the guy eh?
It isnt pay it forward, this is actually being nice..

Ugh.

a reply to: Domo1

Touching tale that hits close to home. Thanks for sharing!

a reply to: Swills

It's always weird when a story happens close by. If you know someone, I bet you can relate to the father's feelings. I think he was incredibly touched that other people saw something in his son that he's used to seeing alone. Other people see some retarded guy, but that father sees someone that's kind, gentle and loving. That's his son, and he's proud, and to have a group of people go out of their way to say they love him too or care about him must have been a wonderful feeling.

People that take care of loved ones with disabilities are unsung heroes. We hear stories all the time about someone doing something kind (I actually just posted one), but we never hear about the parents and families that sacrifice so much to care for someone they love. There is some real beauty there, loving and caring for someone that society so easily forgets.

a reply to: ThichHeaded

Now I know where you get your name from....

a reply to: Domo1

Starred!

Brings new meaning to spooky fone calls!

I am very glad it all ended with a happy song and dance for all concerned!

Stevie Wonder - I Just Called To Say I Love You!



Very nice story to read during the happy holiday season!

originally posted by: ThichHeaded
Well. At least the didnt beat, taze, or shoot the guy eh?
It isnt pay it forward, this is actually being nice..

At least there was a thread that barely, hardly, minimally pertained to law enforcement that made it past 5 comments without a comment about beatings, Tasers, and shootings.

Oh wait, there isn't.

Awesome story. Dispatchers are often some of the lowest paid people, with a ton of stress in their jobs, so this is a great story. S/F

a reply to: Domo1

I thought that story would end differently.

Good on them for understanding this man's mental issues and trying to help him through it.



Great story to read first thing in the morning, thanks Domo.

~Tenth

a reply to: tothetenthpower

Great story to read first thing in the morning, thanks Domo.

It made me smile.