Girl, 4, called 911 nearly 300 times

[Ban Hammer 13,346]

CARPENTERSVILLE, Ill. - Authorities tracked down a 4-year-old girl who called 911 nearly 300 times last month by offering to deliver McDonald's to her suburban Chicago apartment.

Unbeknownst to her mother, the girl used a deactivated cell phone to call dispatchers 287 times in June — sometimes as often as 20 times a shift.

Dispatchers heard the child's voice but could only track the phone's signal to the apartment complex.

So authorities used a ruse to pinpoint her.

"We asked (the caller) what she wanted. She said she wanted McDonald's," said Steve Cordes, executive director of QuadCom's emergency center, which covers Carpentersville.

"We talked with her and we convinced her if she told us where she lives, we would bring her McDonald's," he said. "She finally gave us her address. So we sent the police over — with no McDonald's."

After police arrived, the girl's mother took away the phone, Cordes said.

Under federal law, deactivated cell phones still must be able to access 911. Many deactivated phones will contact an emergency call center if the user holds down the nine key

link

heck i didn't know that!

[LaL 418]

i still have a car phone (a bag phone) in my trunk from 1993 when I was traveling back & forth to NYC for university. It STILL works even for local calls, I just use a cc! the ####### won't die!

[Lance27 19]

LOL I found this story funny... She is 4 years old atleast her family now know that she can call 911 if she ever were in trouble.

My daughter dialed 911 twice in a month and hung up on them while playing with the phone she was 13 months at the time.

they called right back

911 operator: Did you just dial 911... a squad car will be dispached immidiately.

Me: Sorry it was my daughter she was playing with the phone.

911 operator: Well tell your dauther dialing 911 is only for emergencies.

Me: she is 13 months old.

911 operator: Laughs and says thats ok have a nice day sir.

Edited July 6, 2007 by Lance27

[eric&gen 0]

Heck no how do you dial 911 on a cell phone???

[Clarky and Tarah 0]

CARPENTERSVILLE, Ill. - Authorities tracked down a 4-year-old girl who called 911 nearly 300 times last month by offering to deliver McDonald's to her suburban Chicago apartment.

Unbeknownst to her mother, the girl used a deactivated cell phone to call dispatchers 287 times in June — sometimes as often as 20 times a shift.

Dispatchers heard the child's voice but could only track the phone's signal to the apartment complex.

So authorities used a ruse to pinpoint her.

"We asked (the caller) what she wanted. She said she wanted McDonald's," said Steve Cordes, executive director of QuadCom's emergency center, which covers Carpentersville.

"We talked with her and we convinced her if she told us where she lives, we would bring her McDonald's," he said. "She finally gave us her address. So we sent the police over — with no McDonald's."

After police arrived, the girl's mother took away the phone, Cordes said.

Under federal law, deactivated cell phones still must be able to access 911. Many deactivated phones will contact an emergency call center if the user holds down the nine key

link

heck i didn't know that!

That story was hilarious. I think it's scary, though, that someone can lure a child into giving them their address...

[dalegg 143]

That story was hilarious. I think it's scary, though, that someone can lure a child into giving them their address...

I was thinking the same thing. Also now everytime she gets a hankrin for a happy meal, she's going to call 911 for delivery. You think Mcdonald's will use this in their advertising?

Edited July 6, 2007 by dalegg

[KaiserD 12]

Also now everytime she gets a hankrin for a happy meal, she's going to call 911 for delivery

But when they came, she didn't get her Happy Meal!

[trueimage 0]

I went through this with my kids when they were little too. Apparently in Pre-K (at 4 years old), they teach the kids how to call 911 in emergencies. It was a nightmare. 911 always called back immediately and after I tried to assure them that everything was ok, they still dispatched a cop every time. They said it was standard procedure for every 911 call. I have 4 stairstep kids (all grown now) so the cops knew our house well. They never really got angry though (just really annoyed). They would talk to the guilty child and after receiving a (false) promise to never do it again, they'd leave....until next time, which might even be the same day. These were all landline calls.

[MHandMB 0]

My husband accidentally called 911 the other day. He transposed the numbers of my mom's cell phone by accident. He was shocked when a cop arrived at our door!

Now he knows to be more careful when dialing...

[Nessa 23]

Bad cops, didn't bring the poor kid a happy meal

[Ron/Sharon 0]

That poor child will never trust a police officer for the rest of her life, their lied and are dishonest.

This would never happen in Quebec, when they try and dial 9-11 they can never find the other 1.

[^KK^ 3]

This is a great story!!