A 911 dispatcher took a fake pizza order from a woman, who was the victim of a domestic abuse attack in order to get the help that she needed. Keith Weisinger, a former 911 dispatcher from Colorado shared the story during an Ask Me Anything chat on Reddit.
A 911 dispatcher deciphered a fake pizza order in a domestic abuse call. Keith Weisinger, who used to work as a 911 dispatcher in Boulder, Colorado shared the unique call that he received over 10 years ago.
Weisinger revealed that when the woman insisted on ordering a pepperoni pizza, he immediately assumed it was a prankster wasting his time. But while on the phone with the lady, he pulled up her address and realized that there were numerous domestic violence calls made from that home.
That is, when this strange yet very serious conversation occurred between the 911 dispatcher, and the victim of domestic violence:
“911, where is you emergency?”
“123 Main St.”
“Ok, what’s going on there?”
“I’d like to order a pizza for delivery.” (oh great, another prank call).
“Ma’am, you’ve reached 911”
“Yeah, I know. Can I have a large with half pepperoni, half mushroom and peppers?”
“Ummm…. I’m sorry, you know you’ve called 911 right?”
“Yeah, do you know how long it will be?”
“Ok, Ma’am, is everything ok over there? do you have an emergency?”
“Yes, I do.”
“..And you can’t talk about it because there’s someone in the room with you?” (moment of realization)
“Yes, that’s correct. Do you know how long it will be?”
“I have an officer about a mile from your location. Are there any weapons in your house?”
“Nope.”
“Can you stay on the phone with me?”
“Nope. See you soon, thanks”
A police officer rapidly went to the home, where he discovered that the woman was seriously injured by her drunk boyfriend. The abuser was arrested and the victim was taken to a local hospital.
The unnamed woman explained that her boyfriend had been abusing her for a long time and was happy that Weisinger took her seriously.
According to the former dispatcher, having a clever domestic abuse victim disguising a pizza order for a 911 call, is the most memorable thing that ever happened to him on the job.
Keith Weisinger worked as a 911 dispatcher from 2004 to 2006, he is now an environmental attorney for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Weisinger does not know what happened to the woman afterward.
National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
