HANOVER TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Two people in northeastern and central Pennsylvania called 911 multiple times for non-emergency purposes.
According to releases from Lycoming and Schuylkill Counties, two individuals are facing charges for making non-emergency 911 calls.
A criminal complaint from Lycoming County says 36-year-old Jessica Baxter called 911 centers 12 times in a two-week span.
The complaint says Baxter made those calls while she was intoxicated and wanted someone to hang out with and talk to her.
A release from state police says 32-year-old Kelsey Kurtz called 911 centers in Luzerne and Schuylkill counties 23 times in a less than two-week period.
Most of these incidents required no emergency personnel. Both are being charged with communications with 911 systems.
Luzerne County Manager Romilda Crocamo says she's disappointed to hear about these cases.
"It's not funny. These types of situations are not funny. The work that they do. People just don't understand the intensity that they go through every single minute that they're on duty," Crocamo explained.
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She says calls like these pose a big safety risk.
"People who are making these jokes they think are diverting the resources from people who actually need it," Crocamo added.
The county is currently down 14 operators. The county's 911 center takes around 1,100 calls a day.
Bill Ives is the deputy director at the county's 911 Center.
"It gives you a little bit of frustration or even worse when you have that really tough call and then you get a prank call afterwards, it can be really frustrating on a call taker or a dispatcher," Ives told 28/22 News.
He says these kinds of calls can weigh heavily on the mental health of his staff.
"We never get any real closure on what's going on. We hear from the caller and then we hear the call get closed out by the fire or EMS or police. Every time you answer that phone, somebody's life could be on the line," Ives added.
Now, the county manager says, with this shortage, they're always looking for new applicants.
Crocamo also says that if cases like these happen in Luzerne County, they would be handled accordingly by the district attorney.
