Important info/warning

[elleng]

WARNING: Some knew about the red light on cars, but not Dialing 112.
An UNMARKED police car pulled up behind her and put his lights on. Lauren's parents have always told her to never pull over for an unmarked car on the side of the road, but rather to wait until they get to a gas station, etc.

Lauren had actually listened to her parents advice, and promptly called, 112 on her cell phone to tell the police dispatcher that she would not pull over right away. She proceeded to tell the dispatcher that there was an unmarked police car with a flashing red light on his rooftop behind her. The dispatcher checked to see if there were police cars where she was and there weren't, and he told her to keep driving, remain calm and that he had back up already on the way.

Ten minutes later 4 cop 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 guy from the car and tackled him to the ground. The man was a convicted rapist and wanted for other crimes.
I never knew about the 112 Cell Phone feature. I tried it on my AT&T phone & it said, "Dialing Emergency Number."
Especially for a woman alone in a car, you should not pull over for an unmarked car. Apparently police have to respect your right to keep going on to a safe place.

*Speaking to a service representative at Bell Mobility confirmed that 112 was a direct link to State trooper info. So, now it's your turn to let your friends know about "Dialing, 112"

You may want to send this to every Man, Woman & Youngster you know; it may well save a life.

This applies to ALL 50 states
PLEASE PASS ALONG

[NRaleighLiberal]

1. here is the Snopes entry on this - it is mixed

http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/fakecop.asp

[kentuck]

3. I don't know what to think of it?

It could be code for a terrorist group, for all I know? What's wrong with 9-1-1?

[pnwmom]

7. Nothing is wrong with 9-1-1 . 9-1-1 is better.

[radical noodle]

2. Here's some alternate (not fake)

facts about that idea. 112 apparently works only with certain providers and in some areas is taking up emergency call lines with people testing it.

Be sure you have a provider that uses the 112 number and only call if necessary.

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/facebook-posting-tied-jam-112-calls/242539666

If you have a real concern, just call 911.

[unblock]

4. 112 reroutes the call to 911, so calling 911 directly is faster.

You can try 112 as a backup in case you can't get through to 911, but generally 911 is faster and more reliable.

[tblue37]

5. I have read about women--especially black women--being abused and arrested

by cops for driving to a lighted, populated area instead of pulling over immediately. So, yeah, they are SUPPOSED to let you do that, but. . . .

[pnwmom]

6. Snopes says 112 does NOT link to State troopers most places. Better to call 911.

http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/fakecop.asp

Whether this particular tale is true or not, women driving alone have been sexually assaulted by rapists pretending to be patrolmen (and in certain rare cases by actual police officers), so the advice it gives about not pulling over in deserted areas when signaled to do so by unmarked police vehicles is well worth heeding. Turn on your flashers, slow down, and keep driving until you get to a well-lit area where there are other people about — though you might subsequently be cited for failing to heed a police officer’s commands, you will avoid the potential for harm. If necessary, call 911 to tell them what’s happening and ask them to relay to the officer in pursuit your intent to continue traveling until a populated area has been reached. Although in a few states calling #77 on a cell phone will immediately connect you to that state’s highway patrol, that code is far from universal. Some states use #77, but others use *55, *47, *77 or *HP, and some don’t have any special code at all. Rather than frantically try to figure out which one will work in the area you’re in, police generally recommend that the best approach is to get around the problem by trying 911 first:

“Just call 9-1-1,” said Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste. “There’s no reason to use another number. 9-1-1 is always the best way to reach the police when you need our assistance.”
(The phone number 112 is used as a global emergency phone number in a number of countries, primarily in the European Union. In some parts of the United States a call to 112 will roll over to the local 911 system, but since 112 is not implemented as a universal emergency number in the U.S., calling 911 directly is the better option.)

Police advise motorists to immediately pull over when signaled to do so, suggesting those concerned about their safety keep their doors locked and crack their windows to speak with those presenting themselves as officers of the law. They suggest sidelined drivers who are suspicious of their detainers’ demands should request to examine the officers’ photo IDs and ask them where they work, then place calls to 911 to verify their identities. While this would certainly be the right way to handle genuine police officers making bona fide traffic stops, this method fails to protect motorists from the ill-intentioned. The real bad guys carry guns, so locked car doors and cracked windows would avail little by way of protection.

[Historic NY]

8. Waste of precious time....

any enhanced 911 system will use your cell phone to locate you. Since Dec 2003 all cell phones sold have GPS capability.

[cwydro]

9. What odd advice. 911 is a sure thing.

This could be potentially harmful.