Latest news with #911
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
Calgary family wants changes after video catches neighbour waving hatchets, shouting racial slurs
A Calgary family is concerned after a neighbour they usually get along with was caught on camera holding weapons, destroying property and shouting slurs. Disturbing actions from a next-door neighbour have a Calgary family calling for action from police and policymakers. 'I just don't want someone to get hurt, that's all. I don't want him to get hurt or he can hurt someone else,' said Joffrey De Villa. When De Villa's truck was vandalized outside his southeast Calgary home in October, his family installed security cameras, which months later captured video of their neighbour on their driveway holding hatchets and shouting racial slurs, then chopping into their planters. De Villa called 911 but said the responding officer called it a mental-health incident and never followed up with them. 'It's not too big of a value to me, but it's an indication that he is trying to destroy or damage property or, worse, can hurt someone one day,' said De Villa. On July 11, he called 911 again when video caught the same neighbour kicking De Villa's garage while cursing. He called 911 another time that night when the family woke to loud sounds and saw video showing the neighbour with hatchets outside their front door, once again cursing and shouting slurs. A Calgary family is concerned after a neighbour they usually get along with was caught on camera holding weapons, destroying property and shouting slurs. 'Oh, it was terrifying. Like I don't really get scared, but that scares me,' said De Villa. De Villa thinks the government needs better policy for mental-health matters. He gave an officer his videos and days later got a text that they were still investigating. CPS said it received four reports about disturbances, property damage and uttering threats in this case. 'While the behaviour is concerning to police, there is currently insufficient evidence to support criminal charges. Investigators continue to actively gather information, and should further evidence meet the threshold for charges, they will be laid accordingly,' said a statement from CPS. Officers work closely with mental-health specialists. 'Once individuals are supported and addressed, these behaviours should be mitigated, but it's tough. I do empathize with these situations,' said Sgt. Chris Warren. But one legal expert says Calgary police need to step up in this case. 'When you have a neighbour standing in front of your front door with two hatchets, spewing racial epithets, that's an offence in the Criminal Code of Canada,' said Doug King with MRU. 'Police are dealing with fire here. The police have got to up their game here.' 'I just don't want someone to get hurt, that's all,' said Joffrey De Villa. De Villa, his wife and their 15-year-old son have lived in the home for 12 years. De Villa said they have previously had only pleasant interactions with the neighbour and understand there are mental-health issues, but he wants action—and not just for his family. 'I wish our leaders, politicians, (would) do something about it; there's a lot going on like this right now. It's a crisis,' said De Villa. 'There's a mental issue involved; of course they need help. But us, too. We need help. We need peace of mind. I want my house to be my sanctuary.' Instead, the family is frustrated and is considering moving even though they don't want to leave. 'This is really home for me, so it's kind of hard,' said De Villa. De Villa said there is also no guarantee that another place couldn't have the same issues. Police say anyone in a similar situation should get away from the threatening person and into their home, take notes and video about what's happening and call 911. Legal experts say homeowners in situations like this could file complaints against police. They could also get a restraining order for property damage concerns, but it can take months and could include legal fees.
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
18-year-old accused of making false 911 call, brandishing gun in Monroe, Michigan
An 18-year-old man was arrested early Monday morning after authorities say he made a false 911 call and brandished his gun in Monroe, Michigan. According to the Monroe Public Safety Department, police responded after a man reported that a teenager pointed a gun at him during a conversation near East Lorain Street and Michigan Avenue. They also received an anonymous tip that the gun was thrown in a dumpster. The investigation led police to a drainage ditch where they found the 18-year-old hiding. Police uncovered a 9mm handgun with the man and the phone that was used to make the 911 call. The man was taken into custody at about 2 a.m. on Monday and is charged with carrying a concealed weapon, brandishing a firearm and misuse of the 911 system. Police said no one was hurt. An investigation is ongoing.
Cosmopolitan
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
Beyoncé's Unreleased Music and Tour Plans Stolen in Atlanta
While Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter Tour has proven to be instantly iconic thanks to its setlist, looks, and visuals, it's equally chaotic, thanks to recent prop malfunctions and a reported cease-and-desist from The Sphere in Las Vegas. The most recent development in the ongoing saga: the theft of Bey's unreleased music and top-secret plans for her tour. According to a police report obtained by People, the 35-time Grammy winner's choreographer Christopher Grant and dancer Diandre Blue called 911 on Tuesday, July 8, to report that two suitcases holding her personal belongings were stolen while their Jeep Wagoneer was parked at Atlanta's Krog Street Market. During the 911 call published by TMZ, one of the dancers revealed that there was 'really, really important information' in the computers belonging to a celebrity of 'high status' without sharing Beyoncé's name. Stolen materials include laptops, clothes, designer sunglasses, and a pair of AirPods Max headphones. The report also shared that flash drives containing 'watermarked music, some unreleased music, footage plans for the show, and past and future set lists' were also taken from the car. On Monday, July 14, a public information officer with the Atlanta Police Department released a statement to People, which noted that investigators have secured an arrest warrant for the outstanding suspect who has not yet been identified. At the time of this report, none of the material on the drives has been leaked. Beyoncé wrapped up four sold-out shows at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium on July 10, 11, 13, and 14. She's closing out the tour with a two-night run at Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium on July 25 and 26.
Fast Company
a day ago
- Climate
- Fast Company
How this Florida county is using new 911 technology to save lives
When an emergency happens in Collier County, Florida, the 911 calls go to one of the most high-tech communications centers in the U.S., where callers can send text and video from the scene to dispatchers. Moving to what's known as an NG911 — or Next Generation 911 — system is a journey Sheriff Kevin Rambosk and Bob Finney, the county's director of communication, have been on for much of the past decade. It's a long way from Feb. 16, 1968, when Alabama's then-House Speaker Rankin Fite made the nation's very first 911 call in Haleyville, Alabama, on a bright red, rotary-style landline telephone. That ceremonial call came just 35 days after AT&T announced plans to use 911 as a nationwide emergency number. Today, most calls to 911 originate with cellphones, with dispatchers in upgraded centers using geo tracking to get accurate geographic locations from callers. But the response time in an emergency depends on the type of technology being used at any of the 6,000 emergency communications centers in the U.S. that receive 911 calls. There is no uniform emergency system in the U.S., so individual cities, counties, states or geographic regions are responsible for operating their own 911 call centers. While some states have fully updated to NG911 systems, others are still using legacy 911 systems that rely on antiquated equipment. 'We're just reminded in these last two weeks, with the flooding in Texas, just how important the work of 911 is,' said Michael Martin, CEO of RapidSOS, which provides infrastructure that passes critical data to emergency centers across the United States. The future is now for 911 The Collier County Sheriff's Office covers 911 calls from an area of about 2,030 square miles (5,258 square kilometers) that stretches from sandy beaches at the southernmost tip of the Gulf Coast on Florida's peninsula inland to the Everglades. It's a region that has been ravaged by hurricanes this century, including Hurricane Irma in 2017 and Hurricanes Ian and Milton most recently. That's why Sheriff Rambosk wanted a high-tech emergency operations center. 'We just believe that when we can reduce the response time using technology, it will improve safety and survivability of those calling in,' said Rambosk, who has been sheriff since 2009. 'And that's really what we're all about, keeping people safe and rescuing them when they need it.' Today 61 full-time employees and three part-timers staff two emergency operations centers around the clock. They rely on data that RapidSOS collects from connected buildings, devices, vehicles and even smart watches to send first responders to emergency scenes. The baseline data is provide free of charge to all 911 centers, Martin said. Mixing technology with emergency response As Hurricane Helene was tracking toward north Florida last September, forecasters were predicting it could hit Tallahassee as a major Category 3 storm. Officials in Leon County, which serves the state's Capitol and nearby counties on legacy 911 equipment, reached out to Collier County, some 430 miles (692 kilometers) to the southeast, to see if they could take over emergency calls if the storm knocked their center out. Helene moved to the east of Tallahassee, but Collier County was prepared to help if needed. 'Because of the partnership with Rapid SOS, they were able to create a map to where not only did we see our own calls, but we could see exactly where the calls were coming in Tallahassee,' Finney said. Collier County has also partnered with Charleston, South Carolina, as a backup 911 center. Each region is fully prepared to take on 911 calls for the other in case their emergency system goes down for any reason. It's a similar story in North Carolina, where legislation in 2017 helped establish funding for a next generation 911 system, said Pokey Harris, who serves as president of the National Association of State 911 Administrators and executive director of the North Carolina 911 Board. Harris said Hurricane Helene provided validation for the upgraded system by being able to direct 911 calls from areas that were devastated by the storm to other parts of North Carolina that were not affected. 'During Helene, if a citizen could reach a dial tone, even though their local 911 center may have been impacted because of infrastructure devastation, another center somewhere in the state could answer their call,' Harris said. No federal funding for next-generation systems Next Generation 911 systems aren't cheap. 'There has been no federal funding for 911,' Martin, of RapidSOS said. 'It has been in various draft formats as long as I've been doing this and it's never gotten through Congress.' There is also no federal oversight of 911, he said. 'It's really quite remarkable how well 911 works despite those challenges,' Martin said. 'I think it's a testament to the people of 911, not the technology.' —Freida Frisaro, Associated Press
The Independent
2 days ago
- Climate
- The Independent
A Florida county leads the way with a high-tech 911 system that improves emergency response
When an emergency happens in Collier County, Florida, the 911 calls go to one of the most high-tech communications centers in the U.S., where callers can sent text and video from the scene to dispatchers. Moving to what's known as an NG911 — or Next Generation 911 — system is a journey Sheriff Kevin Rambosk and Bob Finney, the county's director of communication, have been on for much of the past decade. It's a long way from Feb. 16, 1968, when Alabama 's then-House Speaker Rankin Fite made the nation's very first 911 call in Haleyville, Alabama, on a bright red, rotary-style landline telephone. That ceremonial call came just 35 days after AT&T announced plans to use 911 as a nationwide emergency number. Today, most calls to 911 originate with cellphones, with dispatchers in upgraded centers using geo tracking to get accurate geographic locations from callers. But the response time in an emergency depends on the type of technology being used at any of the 6,000 emergency communications centers in the U.S. that receive 911 calls. There is no uniform emergency system in the U.S., so individual cities, counties, states or geographic regions are responsible for operating their own 911 call centers. While some states have fully updated to NG911 systems, others are still using legacy 911 systems that rely on antiquated equipment. 'We're just reminded in these last two weeks, with the flooding in Texas, just how important the work of 911 is,' said Michael Martin, CEO of RapidSOS, which provides infrastructure that passes critical data to emergency centers across the United States. The future is now for 911 The Collier County Sheriff's Office covers 911 calls from an area of about 2,030 square miles (5,258 square kilometers) that stretches from sandy beaches at the southernmost tip of the Gulf Coast on Florida's peninsula inland to the Everglades. It's a region that has been ravaged by hurricanes this century, including Hurricane Irma in 2017 and Hurricanes Ian and Milton most recently. That's why Sheriff Rambosk wanted a high-tech emergency operations center. 'We just believe that when we can reduce the response time using technology, it will improve safety and survivability of those calling in,' said Rambosk, who has been sheriff since 2009. 'And that's really what we're all about, keeping people safe and rescuing them when they need it.' Today 61 full-time employees and three part-timers staff two emergency operations centers around the clock. They rely on data that RapidSOS collects from connected buildings, devices, vehicles and even smart watches to send first responders to emergency scenes. The baseline data is provide free of charge to all 911 centers, Martin said. Mixing technology with emergency response As Hurricane Helene was tracking toward north Florida last September, forecasters were predicting it could hit Tallahassee as a major Category 3 storm. Officials in Leon County, which serves the state's Capitol and nearby counties on legacy 911 equipment, reached out to Collier County, some 430 miles (692 kilometers) to the southeast, to see if they could take over emergency calls if the storm knocked their center out. Helene moved to the east of Tallahassee, but Collier County was prepared to help if needed. "Because of the partnership with Rapid SOS, they were able to create a map to where not only did we see our own calls, but we could see exactly where the calls were coming in Tallahassee,' Finney said. Collier County has also partnered with Charleston, South Carolina, as a backup 911 center. Each region is fully prepared to take on 911 calls for the other in case their emergency system goes down for any reason. It's a similar story in North Carolina, where legislation in 2017 helped establish funding for a next generation 911 system, said Pokey Harris, who serves as president of the National Association of State 911 Administrators and executive director of the North Carolina 911 Board. Harris said Hurricane Helene provided validation for the upgraded system by being able to direct 911 calls from areas that were devastated by the storm to other parts of North Carolina that were not affected. 'During Helene, if a citizen could reach a dial tone, even though their local 911 center may have been impacted because of infrastructure devastation, another center somewhere in the state could answer their call,' Harris said. No federal funding for next-generation systems Next Generation 911 systems aren't cheap. 'There has been no federal funding for 911,' Martin, of RapidSOS said. 'It has been in various draft formats as long as I've been doing this and it's never gotten through Congress.' There is also no federal oversight of 911, he said. 'It's really quite remarkable how well 911 works despite those challenges," Martin said. 'I think it's a testament to the people of 911, not the technology.'
