Local P.D. What's in your speed dial?

A long time ago I reprogrammed the #9 speed dial on my cell phone from 911 (its default) to the dispatch for my local Police Dept., and it's come in handy more than once when I've needed to reach my local P.D., the most recent occasion being today.

I'd picked up my kids from school and was two blocks from home when the light at the intersection ahead of me turned Red.

Cool, I thought to myself, I'm first in line. I don't have to sit behind someone in the left lane and wonder if they're going to switch on their turn signal after the light turns green.

Just as I pulled up to the intersection an SUV on the cross street to my left tried to make a left turn in front of a car on my right. And the inevitable happened.

I stared at the two cars on front me and the mess of glass, and looked at all the cars backing up on my right (the direction from which most of the traffic was coming), and my first thought was of self preservation.

Crap, I thought to myself, they're blocking the intersection and now I'm stuck.

Then almost without thinking I grabbed my cell phone from under the radio (where it was charging), flipped it open and pressed & held 9 to engage the Speed Dial.

Then my light went Green and miraculously the cross traffic stopped, and thank heavens I have a little car because I had room to get around them, even steering with one hand, as I spoke to my local Dispatch who'd answered within seconds.

"Hi. We've got a two-car collision at..." I reeled off the intersection. "We're going to need at least one unit and possibly paramedics."

I could hear the quaver in my voice and the dispatch girl (it always seems to be the same girl) asked me to repeat the intersection, then started asking me about the accident, what cars were involved, their color, etc., then she thanked me for calling and hung up. I drove into the 7-11 parking lot right on that corner and pulled into a parking spot, got my kids out of the car, and hit 3, the Speed Dial for Home, as I walked over to the corner.

The young lady driving the sedan had got out practically as I drove behind her car, and she was now on the corner with her little brother. She was also on the phone, but she was obviously talking to her parents, and she was freaking out. By now I had calmed down, explained to Liz that we were going to be a tad late but if she wanted, she could come up to the 7-11 and pick up the kids. She declined. Before I'd finished talking to her we could hear the sirens, and it must have been a slow afternoon because we had two cars, a K-9 unit, a Fire Truck and the Paramedic's Truck all pull up.

They wasted very little time in assessing the situation and quickly had both vehicles moved out of the intersection and also parked in the 7-11 lot...fortunately beside, not behind my car. Then I noticed the 7-11 Clerk beside me. As we're both immigrants from British Colonies we have a bit of connection, so we chatted about the accident. He'd been on his break and seen it happen, too.

Eventually I gave my statement to one of the officers, and when he asked who'd been driving the SUV I said I thought it had been the guy. He asked if I was sure. I said I wasn't positive, and explained how the young lady had got out and been in the road as I drove around her, and after parking my car I was more concerned with keeping her out of the road as she tried to go back to her car. Apparently the couple in the SUV were saying the girl was driving, and maybe she was. I thought I'd seen her in the passenger seat of the SUV but I couldn't be positive, so I told the Officer I couldn't honestly say Yes or No either way, and he seemed satisfied with that.

Finally we were finished and I bundled the kids back into the car, and home we went.

And this is exactly why I like to have my local P.D. speed dialed into 9 on my cell, instead of the default 911. In California, if you dial 911 from your cell it doesn't go to the closest Emergency Dispatch Center, it goes to CHP. I've called 911 before from my cell, they're not always quick to answer your call. And in my case today they'd have needed to reroute my call to my local P.D., or notify them themselves, and that all takes time. Today, within seconds of dialing, I was speaking to my local Dispatch, and within minutes we had emergency services on the scene.

Isn't that the response time you'd like to see if(when) you have an emergency?