I just returned from vacation and discovered that someone attempted to break into my car while I was gone. It’s not an emergency, so whom should I call?
Go ahead and call 911. If the report can be taken over the phone, the dispatchers will do that, otherwise they’ll dispatch an officer. Obviously, somebody’s whose life is in immediate jeopardy, those calls are the highest priority and those will go to the top of the list. Calls where residents have come home and found that somebody tried to break in and there’s nobody there and it’s probably been several days, those will be put lower on the list. Calls like that could end up being dispatched right away if no other calls are holding, and even if officers are heading to something such as that, and a shooting or other major crime is called in, the dispatchers will pull people off the lower priorities and send them there. Residents are not holding up anything by calling 911. They may have to wait awhile, especially if it’s a Friday or Saturday night, but they’re not holding up anything.
