SAVANNAH, GA (May 26, 2015): Emergency communications officers at the Savannah-Chatham County 911 Center were surprised and a little bit gratified Friday when they received a hand-written, hand-delivered note from a sixth-grade student apologizing for a prank call.
In it, the youth apologized for the prank after he gave in to a dare from friends. His parents were not amused and ordered him to write the apology and then drove him to the 911 Center to read it aloud to the on-duty shift.
The 911 staff was impressed enough to accept his apology and to take him and his parents on a tour of the facility to turn the trip into a positive experience. His parents still have him on “lockdown” for the prank.
“I know this was stupid but I was not listening to myself, but I knew it was wrong,” he wrote, adding, “Please forgive me for what I said. I know there will be consequences … I will not complain about them.”
The visit gave 911 staff the opportunity to show them how they work, how prank calls interrupt that work, and how it puts the general public at risk by taking both dispatchers and first responders away from legitimate situations.
Lt. Jeff Olson was so impressed with the parenting skills that he called the parents to thank them. “Things like this prove that we do make a difference, one person at a time,” he said.
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