From a 911 operator, if we don't hear apperant signs of distress and you don't press any buttons to signal that you are on the line, we assume it was a butt dial. We will call you back and leave a message if you don't answer but we won't send any help to you Front page edit: thanks guys! Also to clarify, this only applies to cell phone calls or calls from unverifiable addresses. If we know you need help we will send someone to the area where your phones location is showing us. If we hear nothing of concern and think it's a pocket dial we won't send anyone. This could vary by department and country/region. Cell phones have caused an explosion of accidental 911 calls, most departments don't have enough officers to send to all of the 911 open line calls they get. Just do something to alert us that the call was intentional!