I have seen so many posts sharing the above info – and tweeted the Edmonton City Police to confirm. This would be a wonderful and easy feature, especially if you are in a panic, have kids in the house, think someone is breaking in, if you are being followed, etc etc etc. But – so simple – too good to be true, unfortunately.
I sent the above tweet to the Edmonton City Police this afternoon, with the screen shot of the post that has been going around, and got a response within minutes, as shown below:
As confirmed in this tweet back from the EPS this afternoon, this just isn’t how it works, unfortunately. They have stressed that this does NOT send a ping to the nearest police station, and no one will dispatch an officer to your location. Please come up with another emergency safety plan if you ever feel the need for emergency services – they suggest dialing 911 and providing your information. Hopefully in the future, easier and faster contact will be available (instead of waiting for the emergency ping on your phone alerting you that you are calling 911, then waiting for the automated message, then choosing a call pass, then waiting for an operator to answer…) That one minute is stressful to think about in an emergency, but for now, that is the way to go, so stick to the old tried and true method, and please let anyone sharing this info know that it will not do anything for them, or anyone else in an emergency. Stay safe, everyone!