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Doorbell @ 3:43 AM!

6K views 42 replies 36 participants last post by  old grunt 
#1 ·
So, last night (early this morning) my wife and I are asleep in our bed. Little one staying at grandma's house. 3:43 AM, (I checked twice) the doorbell rings. Condition Red. Pull on pants, throw a shirt over my head and SR9c is in my hand as I approach the front door as I hear some soft knocking. Through the stained glass, on the well lit porch, I notice a lone man. Closer to the door, I notice a uniform, a badge and a two way radio. Its a local policeman. So, I pocket the Ruger, and slowly open the door.

Is there something wrong officer?

We had a 911 call from this address, is everything ok?

Well, only myself and my wife are home, and we are both sleeping, add to that, my two house phones are both cordless, and have not been plugged in for weeks. (they always come unplugged, and NOONE calls here but telemarketers and people looking for donations. We are strictly a cell phone family, but I plan to go pick up a couple of cheap-o corded phones now)

LEO calls dispatch, and has her read back the phone number that called, sure enough it was mine. He said they tried to call back and got static.

We scratch our heads for a minute about how the heck it happened, and he asks again if everything is ok, then apologizes a few times for waking us up. I let him know not to be sorry, I'm very glad he came by.

He canceled the second car from coming to back him up. My wife and I spend the next hour and a half trying to calm our imaginations to get back to sleep.

Would you have done anything differently? Would you have had him clear the house? (I would have known if someone had broke in, probably, and IFFFF someone had broke in, why would they have then CALLED THE COPS!!?)

Anyone out there able to shine any light on HOW this could have happened? The phone company lady was confused and had never heard of this. She checked around with her co-workers and decided to tell me that somehow the phone modem had dialed out, and just happened to randomly pick 911 to call. Said to unplug modem and replug it in. Sounds like a "we have no idea what happened" answer.

Your thoughts?
 
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#9 ·
I just read up on swatting.. wow, what a form of entertainment... whats wrong with people?!! Only thing they could have done was the caller ID spoofing. But I can think of NO reason someone would want to use my number/house for their fun.
 
#10 ·
My neighbor had essentially the same thing happen to them several years back. A deputy showed up at his door one Saturday morning, inquiring about them making a 911 call. He told the deputy they hadn't even used the phone that day. The deputy asked him if he could meet his wife. He did, and of course there was nothing wrong with her. Finally the deputy mentioned that they do sometimes get a sort of phantom 911 call for some reason, maybe some bug in the system?
 
#14 ·
Phone company closed the account and recycled your number?
 
#18 ·
First time I've heard of this. Could have a real bad outcome if not handled the way you did. What possible "kick" could someone have from doing this to someone 100 or a 1000 miles away? No feedback for them, they can't see or hear the action. Stupid knows no bounds.
 
#19 ·
Most cordless phones communicate with a base station that's plugged into an AC outlet and land line. Even if the cordless handsets are dead, that base station is still active, and someone could hop on the frequency and call anyone they wish. It's not easy to do, but possible.

Just a thought.


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#20 ·
Back in '89 or 90 I had a "Uniden" cordless phone that when the battery was dying it would dial 911. It happened twice before we figured out what it was. That phone went "by-by" real fast!
 
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#21 ·
For a prank (or to get someone in trouble) at many houses it would be very easy to open the phone company interface box on the side of the house, plug in a cheep handset and away we go. 911 would see your number since the call really came from your line.
 
#23 ·
Sometimes electrical noise on a phone line may cause a signal to the 911 dispatch center from your number. The operator answers and gets static, or nothing. If thay are capable they do a reverse 911, and treat it as a 911 hang up. They must create a job, and dispatch an officer.
 
#24 ·
Having worked in communications for the last 17 years I may have the simple non nefarious solution for you. This is a somewhat common problem on landline copper wire. It's what we call a trip ring and is caused by a ground on your copper pairs coming from the central office. It will be a sporadic condition that gets worse during times when there's high moisture. Funny thing is it usually will set up a 3 digit call almost exclusively (411,611,911 etc.). Of course the reason being the odds of setting up a seven or eleven digit call is probably astronomical. You should put a ticket into your local service provider and have them test your line.
 
#26 ·
I think I would have called the police station, to actually verify that it was indeed, one of theirs standing on my porch, instead of a phony tony, ready to pull a strong arm on you.
 
#27 ·
Not challenging you, this is a question. If you're worried about a phony cop on your porch, how do you contact the station without tipping off the BG? I would think voicing the fact that you think they might be fake would cause the situation to blow up pretty quickly. Ask them if they can wait on the porch a minute while you... go change out of your pajamas?
 
#29 ·
Make sure outside phone box is secure. Anyone can plug in a phone and place a call from this box or listen to a landline call. Any bad neighbors who are low enough to do this?
 
#38 ·
Not a bad idea. I have been installing business telephone systems for over 12 years and I still see things from the carriers (at&t, Frontier, Timer Warner, Charter) that I have never seen before-no offense to anyone that works for one of them. On several of my installations I have found live phone lines that don't belong to the customer. They just never had the lines removed. I hook up a test set and dial a cell phone (or the private line ID numbers) and it displays a number that was used by the business that had the previous lease and moved away, or a business that is across the street. If you have ever seen an open phone pedestal out on the side of the road, you would be amazed that any of lines actually work.
 
#31 ·
Not much you can do about the false 911 call on the line. Telephone equipment does some crazy stuff sometimes.

The only thing I would have done differently besides head to the door was while I was getting some clothes on, I would have flipped the TV in the bedroom over to show the video camera and see who was at the door. Seeing an officer would make me feel a bit better. If you are still unsure, a quick real call to 911 and question if they have an officer dispatched to x address would be reassuring if you had doubts as to whether or not it was an impostor.
 
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