Pranks can go wrong . “Deez nuts” is not likely to be a phrase 911 operators hear very often. In an age where almost everyone either has a cell phone or land line with caller ID, making prank calls is likely to get the caller in trouble, especially if that caller happens to be a sixth grade student from Savannah, Georgia, and especially if that student prank calls 911.
A sixth-grader in Savannah did exactly that. He called 911, shouted “Deez nuts!” at the emergency dispatcher, and hung up. When his parents found out, they were understandably not happy with their son. He was grounded, and they made him hand-write an apology letter to the emergency dispatchers. In his apology letter, the student wrote he was dared by his friends to make the “deez nuts” 911 call but that he “knew it was wrong.”
The boy wrote in his letter, “I know this was stupid but I was not listening to myself, but I knew it was wrong. Please forgive me for what I said. I know there will be consequences for my actions and I will not complaine [sic] about them.”
After he finished writing his apology for the “deez nuts” prank call, his parents weren’t satisfied. They drove their son to the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department so he could read his letter to the staff on duty. The 911 dispatchers and first responders were impressed and accepted his apology.
Deciding to turn the incident into a learning opportunity, the staff at the 911 Center gave the student and his family a tour of the facility , showing them what they do and how things work there. They wanted the boy to fully comprehend how making his “deez nuts” prank call to 911 took valuable time away from people in true emergency situations where every second counts.
The Huffington Post reports the police said the boy being grounded by his parents was an adequate punishment. The fact that his parents took it a couple of steps further will drive home the point that making prank calls to 911 is never a good idea. Not even a “deez nuts” call.
Lt. Jeff Olson was impressed with the way the boy’s parents responded to their son’s “deez nuts” prank call. He said, “Things like this prove that we do make a difference, one person at a time.”
What do you think about the way the sixth grade student’s parents handled his “deez nuts” prank phone call?
[Image via SCMPD ]