Call OPP Using *677 Urban Legend or Real?

Call OPP Using *677 Urban Legend or Real?

The Ontario Provincial Police, more commonly known as the OPP by Ontario residents, wants you know that *677 is real and not urban legend, as is the story that follows. Using *677 can help keep you safe.

Women in particular should take note of this true story. It has importance on many levels.

When To Call 911

Call 9-1-1 to:

stop a crime

report a fire

save a life

in any EMERGENCY situation whenever police, fire or ambulance assistance is required immediately

If you are unsure, call 9-1-1 and the communicator will make the final determination

Do NOT Call 9-1-1 to:

report a hydro outage

check weather or highway conditions

obtain government information

for directory assistance

for information about school closings, road conditions, directions, etc.

Use these numbers instead:

1-888-310-1122 - O.P.P. 24 hr toll-free

1-800-222-TIPS (8477) - Crimestoppers

1-800-268-4686 - MTO Road Info.

4-1-1 - Directory Assistance

1-888-310-1133 - O.P.P., TDD/TTY telephone for the deaf.

Your 911 call will be answered ...

"911, Do you require Police, Fire or Ambulance?"

When you reply with one of the above you will be instantly transferred to the agency you requested.

When you call 911 to report an emergency, the Communicator will ask you these basic questions:

"Where is this happening?"

"When did this happen?"

"What is happening now? why?"

"Who is involved?"

"Did you see any weapons or any mention of weapons?"

It was about 1:00 p.m. in the afternoon, and Lauren was driving to visit a friend. An unmakred police car pulled up behind her and put its lights on.

Lauren’s parents have always told them never to pull over for an unmarked police car on the side of the road, but instead proceed to the nearest gas station or other safe place.

So Lauren listened to her parents advice and promptly called *677 (star OPP) on her cell phone, which connected her to the nearest OPP Communications Centre. She proceeded to tell the dispatcher that there was an unmarked police car with a flashing red light on his rooftop and that she was not going to pull over right away.

The dispatcher checked to see if there were police cars where she was and there weren’t, so he told her to keep driving, remain calm and not to stop. He told her that back up was already on the way.

Ten minutes later four police cars surrounded her and the unmarked car behind her. One policeman went to her side and the others surrounded the car behind. They pulled the driver from the car and tackled him to the ground. The man was a convicted rapist and wanted for other crimes.

Police departments are okay with you not stopping right away, instead waiting for a safe place to pull over. You just need to give them a sign that you know they are there. Your emergency flashers are a good way to do that. And you should call *677 right away and to check that everything is on the up and up. This is especially helpful for women travelling alone. Of course 911 is also available and if you have an emergency it should always be your first choice.

The United States has a similar program that uses *77 but it is available only in some states. If you are travelling to the US you should do a little research about where *77 works.

So if you live in Ontario remember *677 will connect you to the OPP dispatch (from a land line, use 1-888-310-1122). You should add *677 to your cell phone’s contact book, use the words Police Dispatch as the name.

CarTest.ca. Posted Nov. 7, 2009. Article based on information provided by www.cellarama.com and the OPP.

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