My next-door neighbor recently asked me if I recognized the car parked in front of our home. She noticed that the window had been broken and hoped it wasn’t going to ruin someone’s visit. I told her I didn’t recognize the car, but I would get the particulars and give the City a call.
My quick investigation resulted in these details: The car had two windows broken out. A pair of jumper cables were in the back seat. There was a license plate on the vehicle. And I could see the VIN number on the dashboard.
I wrote down the specifics and was unsure of the next step. Call 911 (is this a stolen car?) or 311. I called 911 and stated that I might have a stolen car in front of my house. The 911 operator was very helpful and to the point:
- “Is this an emergency? Are there people in the vehicle?” I confirmed that it was not an emergency and no one was in the car.
- “Please call 311 as we only take emergency calls on 911.”
I called 311 next and provided the information on the car. I explained that I did not see when the car was parked there. The operator wanted to make sure that the car did not look familiar (no) and was not blocking the traffic flow (no), and the operator then provided the next steps.
- A notation would be put on the car indicating that the car would be towed in three days if not moved by the owner.
- After the three-day waiting period, a truck would come and pick up the car if still there.
The car was picked up within two days, but we did not learn if it was recovered by the owner or another police group that needed to process the vehicle.
So the answer to the question is easy – If there is an emergency, call 911.
Anything else related to city functions or non-emergency crime, the calls should be routed through 311.