Thread: Girl, 4, called 911 nearly 300 times

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.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070706/ap_on_fe_st/odd911_caller;_ylt=AhZkwVfpy63lGR5nsolr600sQE4F

Pretty creative way of catching the little girl.
Good thing it was the police tricking he rout of her address instead of some pedophile.

Did I read that right?

A "deactivated" cell phone?

How does that work?

"baumy300" wrote:

Did I read that right?

A "deactivated" cell phone?

How does that work?

It would help if you would finish reading the article

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.

"baumy300" wrote:

Did I read that right?

A "deactivated" cell phone?

How does that work?

As long as it still powers on it can technically make a phone call.
The service provider just needs to enable the phone when you purchase a contract.
Apparently it is law to allow the phone to make emergency calls regardless if you are a paying customer with a contact.

I see what they did there.

You still think that after the first few calls they would catch the little b*stard...

"baumy300" wrote:

I see what they did there.

You still think that after the first few calls they would catch the little b*stard...

For sure...300 seems a little excessive.