On New Year’s Eve, Montgomery County residents urged to call non-emergency line for fireworks

Bogging down 911 call center with less serious complaints makes county more unsafe, police say

December 28, 2023 10:57 p.m.

After an extremely high 911 call volume on Christmas Eve, Montgomery County Police urge people to call the non-emergency line, 301-279-8000, for fireworks or noise complaints.

On Christmas Eve, the county’s Emergency Communications Center received 893 calls, according to county police. On an average day, within a 24-hour time frame, the center receives an average of 1,400 to 1,800 calls, according to police.

Montgomery County Police’s 3rd District Commander David McBain said that people frequently calling 911 for fireworks prevents officers from being able to effectively respond to emergencies.

- Advertisement -

“It just creates a huge burden on the officers because we try to respond to all the calls to service, understanding that it’s quite possible we can’t make it to all of them, so we need to prioritize the seriousness of the call,” McBain said.

He said that on the Fourth of July, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, people call 911 multiple times to get their calls answered, which makes it harder to listen to and respond to serious calls.

“It makes the county [more unsafe] because we can’t get the 911 calls in and handle them as quickly as we would like to based on the volume,” McBain said.

He reassured people that if they use the non-emergency number instead of 911, they will still get an officer dispatched to the scene, it just will not be as quick.

“If you call the non-emergency number, the call is going to the same facility,” McBain said. “It’s just a matter of prioritizing the seriousness of it and obviously, violent crime will trump a fireworks call. It doesn’t mean we’re not going to come,” McBain said.

Sponsored
Face of the Week

The police department’s website has a “make the right call” page with more information, urging people to use different numbers for different scenarios.

According to the website, 911 calls are reserved for life-threatening situations, sexual assaults, immediate fears for personal safety or safety of others, serious crimes in progress (robbery, burglary, assault, etc), fires and medical problems that require an ambulance or immediate assistance.

The website says that the non-emergency number can be used for less serious crimes, like noise complaints and parking violations.

Digital Partners

Enter our essay contest