Number, Please *

In our line of work we place telephone calls to police agencies frequently.  In virtually every one of these calls, an automated system answers.  These systems typically ask us to enter an extension number if we know it, or offer choices that can be made by entering a number.  It’s just like calling most any business or organization these days.

Except the first choice is always about a police emergency, something you won’t encounter at other businesses or organizations.   “If this is an emergency,” a typical greeting will say, “hang up and dial 9-1-1.”

But there is one municipal police department that we call from time to time that does it differently.  Instead of inviting callers to hang up and re-dial, this agency’s greeting says “if this is an emergency, dial Zero now.”

This strikes us as a better way.  If the emergency situation is one where seconds count, such as serious injury or imminent danger, a quick push on the zero key will be faster than having to hang up, re-dial, and re-connect.  We are surprised that so few agencies do it this way.

* If you don't understand why "Number, Please" is the title of this post, it's only because you are young.  "Number, Please" is what a telephone operator would say to you when you had to speak to an operator to place any phone call.  You'll see evidence of this in old movies, where a person will pick up a two-piece phone and bark into the handset, "Get me the police!"