TV broadcast of Amber Alert draws 911 calls from angry viewers

[spaminator]

TV broadcast of Amber Alert draws 911 calls from angry viewers
By Terry Davidson, Toronto Sun
First posted: Monday, March 07, 2016 06:58 PM EST | Updated: Monday, March 07, 2016 07:02 PM EST
Confucius called compassion one of man’s three universally recognized moral qualities.
That is, unless something good is on TV.
Emergency 911 operators were flooded with complaints Sunday night after the OPP broadcast a provincewide Amber Alert over the possible abduction of an Orillia child, cutting into television programs airing at the time.
An OPP official said the TV alert, the first of its kind, was broadcast every 10 minutes between 9:54 p.m. and 10:53 p.m.
Witnesses had reported seeing a man forcibly place a child inside an SUV. Police launched an investigation and the Amber Alert was issued.
Officers later discovered the boy had been picked up by a family member — not kidnapped.
However, the OPP confirmed Monday there were a “significant number” of people who called the force’s “provincial communication centres” to complain that the alert disrupted their viewing of popular TV shows such as The Walking Dead and Downton Abbey.
“There was concern that the show they were watching was interrupted, and they were expressing ... displeasure with respect to that,” said Sgt. Peter Leon, who defended the televised Amber Alert. “We are sorry for the inconvenience ... But we won’t apologize for using all the tools available to help us find (a) missing child.”
Leon stressed that calling 911 to complain about missing a TV program is not a good use of the emergency line.
“Our call volume was above where it normally would be,” he added. “You’re utilizing a 911 line ... that could be used in the event of somebody having an emergency that they need to report ... Each of our communications centres only have so many 911 lines.”
Leon said the alert was also broadcast on radio, at lottery terminals, and on highway message boards.
“It gets people’s attention, whether you’re driving in a vehicle or ... watching television.”
tdavidson@postmedia.com
An Amber Alert message that appeared on cable TV in Toronto Sunday, March 6, 2016 just before 10 p.m. (Toronto Sun)

TV broadcast of Amber Alert draws 911 calls from angry viewers | Ontario | News

 

[Angstrom]

First world problems.

 

[Johnnny]

People who are complaining about this need a good slap

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Are they complaining about the interruption of their stories, or about the OPP's incompetence?

 

[SLM]

TV broadcast of Amber Alert draws 911 calls from angry viewers

However, the OPP confirmed Monday there were a “significant number” of people who called the force’s “provincial communication centres” to complain that the alert disrupted their viewing of popular TV shows such as The Walking Dead and Downton Abbey.

Petty, stupid, self-involved people like this just disgust me.

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

I got some of the alerts as alerts on my phone. In my opinion an alert that says: "Boy aged 8-13 possibly abducted by unknown male in Orrilia" is a pretty useless alert. No description of boy, no description of abductor and no confirmation of an actual abduction. They didn't even have a name. Completely useless. If they have an actual alert, no issue with using TV or radio to broadcast. Not sure why it couldn't have been run along bottom of screen.

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Just because the Sun and the OPP say folks were objecting to the interruption of their stories don't make it true. I already pointed out maybe the bulk of these calls came in after the alert was cancelled and the OPP was shown up as incompetent, and as Ski said, maybe a lot of them were about the alert and the information it did or didn't present.

The fact that OPP decides to characterize 100% of the calls as self-absorbed, heartless Canadians more concerned about their stories than about a boy that wasn't abducted don't make it true. Cops lie. Specially when they're caught wrong.

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

Just because the Sun and the OPP say folks were objecting to the interruption of their stories don't make it true. I already pointed out maybe the bulk of these calls came in after the alert was cancelled and the OPP was shown up as incompetent, and as Ski said, maybe a lot of them were about the alert and the information it did or didn't present.

The fact that OPP decides to characterize 100% of the calls as self-absorbed, heartless Canadians more concerned about their stories than about a boy that wasn't abducted don't make it true. Cops lie. Specially when they're caught wrong.

They didn't even have a confirmed abduction or a missing person when they issued the alert.

A side note: ever notice how these alerts and emergency broadcasts NEVER interrupt a commercial? Amazing co-incidence.

 

[Kreskin]

That is outrageous. Unless it interrupts a Golden State Warriors game there is no reason to complain!

 

[JLM]

Petty, stupid, self-involved people like this just disgust me.

And then there was the woman who called 911 for advice on how to get her kids to go to bed! Not a direct descendant of Einstein I don't think!

 

[Jinentonix]

Then there were all the morons who called 911 when Facebook was down for a couple of hours last year.

 

[Frankiedoodle]

Or the guy that called 911 because his wife wouldn't make his breakfast.

 

[Liberalman]

Petty, stupid, self-involved people like this just disgust me.

It was a major inconvenience because it was loud and the information was incomplete according to the Red Cross "Alert Ready system that TV viewers saw is normally reserved for mass evacuations, industrial accidents, bio-hazards or events involving communities as opposed to one person"

Amber Alert should not have interrupted your TV show | AM900 CHML | Hamilton News

http://www.citynews.ca/2016/03/07/did-the-opp-overreact-by-sending-out-a-red-alert-sunday-night/

 

[Johnnny]

People are idiots... 3 minutes not even was the length of the broadcast not even. Who cares if it was vague next time it won't be. This country is just full of goofs who like to cry around because they missed 2 minutes of their precious TV shows. Goofs...

 

[Murphy]

If one more complainer complains about those other complainers complaining, I will eat this baby!

Hah! You're pretty slow, aren't you? I've already eaten a baby!

 

[Frankiedoodle]

There would be no complaints about an Amber Alert if it was their kid or another member of their family.

 

[RTSyHNsq]

The OPP “will not apologize for using every tool at [its] disposal” to annoy Ontarians with a false alarm. Presumably OPP is in the absolutist, every-life-is-priceless camp, along with Frankie and the if-it-were-your-child-you-would-feel-differently crowd. Note that no one is talking about the usefulness of this tool (or lack thereof).

Another day, another budget-inflating moral panic. Critical thinking has left the building.

For the benefit of those unable to think clearly when a life might be involved, consider:

• Why stop at provincial boundaries? Perhaps there is a person in Vancouver who knows something about this Orillia child: interrupt BCTV, too. Better safe than sorry!
• Why only interrupt TV broadcasts? Radio broadcasts will reach even more people!
• What about Internet streaming? That might help!
• The loud-speaker trucks of my youth would reach the slumbering suburban masses! Wake'em up, I say!
• Phone calls could be interrupted, too. We have the technology!

The life-is-so-precious mentality shouldn't stop with Amber Alert. Think of the budget-extending possibilities for the medical lobby. Oh, yeah, and for law-enforcement. Does anyone care whether or not this stuff is effective? Not really.

Fortunately, this particular moral panic is self-limiting. Advertisers simply will not pay for a tuned-out TV audience. That is, until the absolutists force people to watch. Coming soon.

Would I feel differently if it were my child? I hope not. Without rational thinking there is no hope of child recovery. Or of justice.

 

[DaSleeper]

Dunno about cable, but getting rid of the alert system broadcast on expressvu seems fairly easy...
Just switch channels temporarily, and it turns off the alert....

 

[Jinentonix]

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

View attachment 6554

The issue I have is @ 3AM, someone asleep is not going to be of any assistance. It should respect the Do Not Disturb settings of your phone.