Atlanta 911 dispatchers getting calls to move pillows, find out game scores and more

ATLANTA — Atlanta E-911 say they are dealing with an influx of non-emergency calls to the 911 Center. They say those calls are tying up resources to deal with real emergency calls.

They’re receiving calls like a homeowner asking for help to move pillows from one couch to another. Another call is someone asking for a score to the game.

Those are some of the most recent calls, that the Atlanta 911 Center told Channel 2′s Larry Spruill they’re receiving regularly.

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The problem is these calls are not emergency calls.

“We have a large number of calls that should not be received in the E-911 Center,” Atlanta E-911 Director Desiree Arnold said.

Arnold said when they receive those calls into the 911 Center, it affects everything.

“We receive multiple calls of just regular requests, like can you assist me with finding my keys, things of that nature that tie our call center employees up and then we’re unable to get to other calls,” Arnold explained.

Channel 2 Action News has reported several times on 911 center wait times and delays.

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According to Atlanta E-911, in 2023 they answered more than 1.3 million 911 calls. Those calls include both emergency and non-emergency calls. That’s over 3,700 calls per day.

Atlanta E-911 said roughly 60% of the calls that come into 911 are non-emergency.

“For a long period of time, people have been told to call 911 about everything. Anything that happens, just call 911, because we’re always here and we always answer the phone. There are so many other resources available now. There are so many things that you can google. If you want to know where your loved one is in jail, go to the jail website, you don’t have to call 911 for that. That’s where we are now, we’re trying to educate the public on when is the correct time to call 911,” Arnold said.

Inside the city of Atlanta city limits, Atlanta E-911 can receive text messages from citizens. Just text the numbers 9-1-1 as you would any other number.

Texting 911 is useful for things like:

• Reporting non-emergencies that don’t require officers to meet with you. (i.e. illegal parking, noise ordinance violations)
• Texting when a voice call would otherwise be unsafe. (i.e. hidden within your home during a burglary or domestic violence situation.
• The capacity of the caller to speak, for any number of reasons is diminished.

The 911 center is also hiring.

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