Selects: 911 Is Not a Joke
Episode of Stuff You Should Know · June 6, 2026 · 54 min
Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant explain the history, technology, and problems of the U.S. 911 emergency system, from Haleyville, Alabama to Next Generation 911.
Summary
In this 2020 episode, rebroadcast as a Saturday Select introduced by Chuck Bryant as the start of a series revisiting the COVID year, Josh Clark and Bryant discussed the 911 emergency system. They began with what should and should not prompt a 911 call, with Bryant arguing that the "suspicious person" category is fraught with racial bias and Clark suggesting callers ask whether they would call if the person were of a different race. They also covered swatting, prank calls, and what to do after an accidental 911 call.
The hosts traced the history of emergency numbers from London's 999 system in 1937 through U.S. proposals by fire chiefs, the National Academy of Sciences and a presidential commission, AT&T's selection of 911, and the first U.S. call in Haleyville, Alabama in February 1968. Clark noted the role of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grants in rural adoption and that 911 became the official national number only in 1999.
They then explained how the system works technically, including public safety answering points, Enhanced 911 with automatic number and location identification, and the difficulties cell phones created. Clark described the system as antiquated and outlined Next Generation 911 and the FirstNet responder network, while Bryant highlighted text-to-911. Bryant argued that dispatchers deserve recognition as first responders, and Clark discussed burnout, PTSD and lack of closure in the job. Bryant cited a 2013 ACLU study of Chicago response time disparities. The episode closed with myths such as the pizza-order code and listener mail about race relations in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Chapters
- 1:47
Selects introduction
Chuck Bryant introduces a series of 2020 episodes, starting with this pre-COVID episode on 911.
- 3:09
When to call 911
The hosts list legitimate and illegitimate reasons to call 911 and debate the suspicious-person category and racial bias.
- 19:16
Swatting and accidental calls
Josh and Chuck explain swatting as a crime and advise staying on the line after accidental 911 calls.
- 22:32
History of emergency numbers
The origins of London's 999, U.S. proposals, AT&T's choice of 911, and the first call in Haleyville, Alabama.
- 30:32
Nationwide rollout
How 911 spread slowly through the 1970s–1990s, aided by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grants, becoming official nationwide in 1999.
- 37:40
How 911 works and Enhanced 911
PSAPs, caller ID and location identification, and the problems cell phones created for locating callers.
Linked moment · 46:32Skip to 46:32 using a listen link in the info box.
46:32Texting and Next Generation 911
Text-to-911, the planned NG911 internet-based system, and the FirstNet responder network.
- 51:25
Dispatchers as first responders
The skills, failures, and psychological toll of 911 call takers, plus racial disparities in response times.
- 57:10
Myths and fun facts
The pizza-order myth, the UK's silent-call 55 system, text bounce-backs, and old phones dialing 911.
- 1:00:37
Listener mail
A Marine veteran describes racial camaraderie in the military.
Key points
What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.
- Josh Clark
Clark argues the U.S. 911 system is hopelessly antiquated but still generally works and should not deter anyone from calling.
“the 911 system that we currently use in the United States is hopelessly antiquated. And they're working on improving it”
- Chuck Bryant
Bryant argues that the 'suspicious person' category is problematic because it depends on human perception, which can be racially biased.
“that's where it gets dodgy because that comes down to a human being's perception, which can be very tilted”
- Josh Clark
Clark suggests callers pause and ask whether they would call 911 if the suspicious person were of a different race.
“would I call 911 if this person were white? Right. Or if you're a black person doing this, say, would I call 911 if this person were black?”
- Josh Clark
Clark explains that swatting involves spoofing a caller's number and falsely claiming to be holding hostages at a target's home.
“you can disguise the number that you're calling from to make it look like you're calling from a house that you want the cops to go to”
- Josh Clark
Clark advises that anyone who accidentally dials 911 should stay on the line and explain rather than hang up.
“If you ever call 911 accidentally or say your kid does or whatever, you do not want to hang up the phone”
- Chuck Bryant
Bryant says London was the first city to create a three-digit emergency number, 999, in 1937 after a fire where callers were put on hold.
“they were the first city in the world that created the three-digit model”
- Josh Clark
Clark notes there is no national 911 system; every system is local or at best regional.
“There's no national 911 system. Yeah. Everywhere in the United States, 911 reaches an emergency dispatcher or an emergency operator. But each system is local, regional at best”
- Josh Clark
Clark says the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's grants were key to bringing 911 systems to rural areas.
“started handing out grants to rural areas to set up their own 911 systems”
- Josh Clark
Clark explains that calls from cell phones still do not automatically give dispatchers the caller's number or precise location.
“When you call 911, still to this day, from a cell phone, it does not come up what your number is, or where you are in any specific way”
- Josh Clark
Clark describes Next Generation 911 as moving to internet-based VoIP so dispatchers can receive video, photos and precise location data.
“911 is finally abandoning landlines. Landline Telecom. That's what they're dealing with currently. They're going over to VOIP”
- Josh Clark
Clark argues that FirstNet, a dedicated broadband network, will keep first responders connected when public networks crash in disasters.
“this separate broadband network just for first responders won't crash in the event of a disaster”
- Chuck Bryant
Bryant argues that 911 call center employees should be recognized as first responders given their training and role.
“I think it's kind of time we join certain people in saying call center employees are first responders”
- Josh Clark
Clark says a major psychological burden for dispatchers is the frequent lack of resolution about what happened to callers, contributing to burnout, PTSD and turnover.
“The problem for 911 operators is that there can very frequently be no resolution”
- Chuck Bryant
Bryant cites a 2013 ACLU study finding much slower police response times in Chicago's Black Grand Crossing neighborhood than in white Jefferson Park.
“waited 11 minutes for a cop to come after a priority call, two and a half minutes for the predominantly white neighborhood of Jefferson Park”
- Josh Clark
Clark says the pizza-order code is a myth, but in the UK a silent 999 caller can press 55 to confirm an emergency.
“if you press 55, you will be confirming that, yes, there is an emergency and you just can't talk right now, and they will send people out”
- Chuck Bryant
Bryant argues text-to-911 is valuable for people who cannot speak, such as those in domestic disputes, the hearing impaired, or kidnap victims.
“there are plenty of cases where you can't talk. You're maybe in a domestic dispute. Or if you're hearing impaired”
People
In the conversation
- Josh ClarkCo-host of Stuff You Should Know
- Chuck BryantCo-host of Stuff You Should Know
Discussed
- Dave RoosWriter who researched the episode for the hosts
- Halle BerryAmerican actress who starred in The Call as a 911 operator
- Brad AndersonAmerican film director of The Call and Session 9
- Ken JenningsJeopardy! champion
- Bill ClintonU.S. president Jiang associates with the Washington Consensus and Oslo peace process
- Kurt VonnegutAmerican novelist quoted on fire trucks and humanity
- Matthew ApplewhiteListener and Marine veteran who wrote in about military race relations
Topics
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From the publisher
Josh and Chuck delve into the world of 911 in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on September 29, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.