It happened again. This time in Elk Grove, California. Someone used the California Relay Service to phone in a phony crime to police. A SWAT team, hostage negotiators and even a helicopter were sent to a house where a caller had reported a man shot and killed his son. But it was a hoax.
Unfortunately, Police have no way of knowing if the call is authentic or not, so they have to respond. Advocates are concerned these kinds of false reports will make law enforcement more likely to be suspicious and less trusting of the deaf and heard-of-hearing who call in a real crime. And that's not including the cost to the community.
