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
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