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When to Use 911
When to Call 911 (Emergencies)
- When lives are in danger, and immediate action is required, such as a burning building or vehicle, serious injury or medical condition (such as heavy bleeding, heart attack, etc.), or an in-progress serious crime (i.e. a shooting, rape, armed robbery, etc.) is occurring.
- When there is a good chance of arresting an unknown crime suspect who may evade capture unless the police arrive quickly;
- Or of preventing escalation to a serious crime situation by reporting suspicious persons, vehicles or circumstances;
- Or when there is danger of violence or injury, or disturbances or actions which, if not controlled quickly, could lead to an emergency.
Information You'll Need to Provide
Be prepared to clearly give the following information in this order:
- Location of the incident (street address or nearest intersection)
- What is occurring (shooting, stabbing, fire, etc.)
- Who is involved (detailed information including names and descriptions)
If the information you just read doesn’t apply to your incident, call the Non-Emergency Number: 937-333-COPS (2677)
When to Call 937-333-Cops (Non-Emergencies)
To report an incident to the Police Department that does not require the immediate dispatch of an officer to the scene, or when some time has elapsed since the occurrence of the incident, such as reporting a burglary, theft, criminal damaging, which has already occurred and the suspect is gone.
Other kinds of calls that are appropriate for this non-emergency number would include nuisance complaints such as noise, parking, etc.
Report a crime using one of these online tools.