Some cities to charge 911 callers
To the Editor:
If the populace at large has been paying attention to the nightly news of late, they should be aware that
several cities in California are beginning to charge callers for calling 9-1-1.
These are not just penny-ante charges either; they are in the $300 to $400 bracket. I wonder how many
people are going to die because when a loved one has a life threatened, those with them cannot afford the
$300-$400 charge? This is not to mention the stranger that sees someone dying or in a serious accident will
just say, “Screw ’em, let ’em die, I don’t feel it is my responsibility to pony up $300 to $400.”
The damage has already been done to the 9-1-1 system and cannot be cured by just repealing the
ridiculous ordinances, as the fear has already been put in people that they will be dunned by the responding
emergency jurisdiction. Ergo, people are going to die because the government is trying to balance the budget
over the dead bodies of its citizens.
If the populace at large has been paying attention to the nightly news of late, they should be aware that
several cities in California are beginning to charge callers for calling 9-1-1.
These are not just penny-ante charges either; they are in the $300 to $400 bracket. I wonder how many
people are going to die because when a loved one has a life threatened, those with them cannot afford the
$300-$400 charge? This is not to mention the stranger that sees someone dying or in a serious accident will
just say, “Screw ’em, let ’em die, I don’t feel it is my responsibility to pony up $300 to $400.”
The damage has already been done to the 9-1-1 system and cannot be cured by just repealing the
ridiculous ordinances, as the fear has already been put in people that they will be dunned by the responding
emergency jurisdiction. Ergo, people are going to die because the government is trying to balance the budget
over the dead bodies of its citizens.
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| George C. Pommerenke |
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