Why are calls FROM the police 'blocked'?

[mom2bee]

Last summer we got a call from a "BLOCKED". I remember the number registered as blocked because we discussed not answering the phone at all but did so anyway at the last minute. It was the police and my aunt had been in a bad traffic accident, was disoriented and the only number she could remember was my moms.

 

I just got a call that registered on caller ID as "BLOCKED" and I almost didn't answer except half the family is out of town right now and I remembered about the last time. Sure enough, it was the police calling. Fortunately they had the wrong number, unfortunately they still have to reach someones family tonight for whatever reason

 

It got me wondering: Why are numbers from the police blocked? When they call for the fund raising drive, the number is not blocked. It registers as City Police Dept. However, when they call to notify people of bad news the number is blocked?!

 

Does anyone have any light to shed on this situation.

[LucyStoner]

I think because they want people to pick up. Also, patrol officers carry cell phones now but they probably don't want just anyone calling that exact number back. You have to call the station and leave a message for that officer to call you.

 

I have received a number of calls from the police, the DA and a public defender lately due to the situation with my brother. Most of the time the numbers show up as blocked, unless the person who is calling me is calling from the station or is whatever crabby unhelpful person they dragged up to work the records office that day.

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

Sometimes it's to prevent return calls to that number, the number they fall from may not be set up to receive calls.

[Guest submarines]

Maybe it is similar to why doctors' offices are blocked when they call to share confidential information? If the intended person can't pick up the phone, they won't be questioned later re "why do you have police calling you?"

[regentrude]

In an emergency, I'd guess the officer may be using his cell phone. There is no need for anybody to have the officer's cell phone number; people should call the official police station phone or 911. In fact, it may be for the officer's safety that the number is not disclosed when he makes a call.

[redsquirrel]

It is for a couple reasons, the first has been mentioned, to prevent people from calling them back or having the number. The second is to protect people who might be getting called. If you called the police for some reason and got a call back, it might put you in danger if someone saw an incoming call from the police on your phone.

 

So it about privacy on both sides, that of the police and that of the people getting called

[mom2bee]

Just seems strange because if you miss the call, you 1) won't know who you missed and 2) won't know that somethings amiss with a loved one.

But what you guys said does make sense.

[LucyStoner]

Weird. I was totally not on this thread when I hit reply and posted about a different topic.

[regentrude]

Just seems strange because if you miss the call, you 1) won't know who you missed and 2) won't know that somethings amiss with a loved one.

But what you guys said does make sense.

 

I assume they would try to reach you in other ways. Or leave a message to call a certain number.

What seem strange to me is people not answering their phone if they don't know who is calling.

[regentrude]

I think being able to work if needed is critical. Because I stay connected to my past profession with the very PT gig and volunteering, I know that if the shit hits the fan here and my husband's income is gone, I would most likely be able to land a managment position within 1-3 months. I still get feelers from people looking to hire and I have been out of the full time workforce for more than 2 years. If I didn't stay involved though, I could pretty much count on a pretty steep barrier to reentry after 2+ years totally out of the local market, to say nothing of 10-20 years out.

 

Are you responding in the wrong thread? i can't seem to figure out the connection with the OP

 

[mom2bee]

:D

:D !glitch! :D

 

[LucyStoner]

See above. I swear I was on a different thread, lol.

[mom2bee]

I assume they would try to reach you in other ways. Or leave a message to call a certain number.

What seem strange to me is people not answering their phone if they don't know who is calling.

Really? If I don't recognize the name or number of a person calling then 90% of the time, I don't answer.

If it hadn't been for my aunts accident last summer I wouldn't have thought anything of letting the phone ring because a lot of spam-machines call from a number that registers as blocked/not available/private.

 

[LucyStoner]

Really? If I don't recognize the name or number of a person calling then 90% of the time, I don't answer.

If it hadn't been for my aunts accident last summer I wouldn't have thought anything of letting the phone ring because a lot of spam-machines call from a number that registers as blocked/not available/private.

 

I figure if it is spam, I can hang up pretty easily. Or just tell them to stop calling.

[regentrude]

Really? If I don't recognize the name or number of a person calling then 90% of the time, I don't answer.

If it hadn't been for my aunts accident last summer I wouldn't have thought anything of letting the phone ring because a lot of spam-machines call from a number that registers as blocked/not available/private.

 

I am no longer even paying for caller ID. I would find it much more annoying letting the phone ring than answering it and recognizing within a few seconds if it is spam. Also, I can not be absolutely sure that everybody who is trying to reach me does have caller ID himself.

And really, how many phone calls do you get? I get one or two calls a week max.

[mom2bee]

I figure if it is spam, I can hang up pretty easily. Or just tell them to stop calling.

Huh, true enough. Funny how I never really thought about that. I was more likely to just hit 'off' to make the phone stop ringing than answer when I think its a stranger/spam-machine. But telling them to stop calling doesn't really work.

 

I'll probably be adopting a new Answer-Hang Up policy now, because quite honestly, I'd hate to find out about an emergency later rather than sooner simply because I didn't pick up.

[LucyStoner]

I skipped a call because I thought it was a robo call from the school district (which they do inviting people to attend events and such) but it was the nurse at my nephew's school and he needed to be picked up. I answer all calls unless I am screening out someone in particular.

[mom2bee]

I am no longer even paying for caller ID. I would find it much more annoying letting the phone ring than answering it and recognizing within a few seconds if it is spam. I usually just hit 'off' or 'cancel' and the phone will stop ringing/disconnect the call. I would go crazy just letting the phone ring. Also, I can not be absolutely sure that everybody who is trying to reach me does have caller ID himself. Its eery to me how little thought I put into some things sometimes. I've been lucky thus far in that I haven't missed any "emergency disaster" calls, but I guess I'd better pick up from now on just to be sure.

And really, how many phone calls do you get? I get one or two calls a week max.

Only 2 calls per week?! The house phone rings off.the.hook.

People who are not in my contact book probably call my cell about 4 times a week during the semester, a lot less when school is out. How do you get people to leave you alone?

 

[regentrude]

 I usually just hit 'off' or 'cancel' and the phone will stop ringing/disconnect the call. I would go crazy just letting the phone ring.

 

Only 2 calls per week?! The house phone rings off.the.hook.

People who are not in my contact book probably call my cell about 4 times a week during the semester, a lot less when school is out. How do you get people to leave you alone?

 

I have to actually get up and walk to the phone at home.

I do not give anybody my cell phone number except DH and kids. I have no desire to be reachable all the time and everywhere. If I am at home, they can call me at home. If I am not at home, I am obviously doing something, and only stuff from my kids and DH could be so urgent that it can't wait until I am home. I don't need anybody to call me when I am working, shopping, walking, or driving.

 

How I get people to "leave me alone"? I work. My friends work or have families to take care of. Nobody has time to chit chat on the phone. Anybody who needs to contact me can email or message me on facebook. I prefer these methods of communication because it means I can choose to answer when it is convenient to me. Answering a few hours later is usually plenty; most things are not actually urgent.

Most weeks the only phone call is the one I make to my parents overseas.

 

ETA: Please keep in mind that we are at very different stages in our lives, and so, I assume, are our respective friends. My college student DD is constantly texting with her college student friends (though they don't usually use the phone to talk).

[gardenmom5]

police will have a few non-emergency numbers that are available to the public. those are NOT the numbers they are calling out on when they are calling people.

they aren't the only service people I've encountered with blocked numbers. (the most recent that comes to mind was the school district)

 

incidently - I had an ER call and leave a message on my answering machine that my daugher was there (back when she was in high school) . . . it was a wrong number.

[TeacherZee]

It could also be because they are routed through an exchange

[kiwik]

It could also be because they are routed through an exchange

I'm not sure about the police but the hospital here comes up as "private" which I guess is the equivlent. I have always assumed because it comes through an exchange.

[Mnemosyne]

My local police force blocks all numbers from the officer's work cell phones, to avoid them getting a lot of calls back, harrassed, etc. The landline phones usually aren't blocked, I believe.

[swellmomma]

I am no longer even paying for caller ID. I would find it much more annoying letting the phone ring than answering it and recognizing within a few seconds if it is spam. Also, I can not be absolutely sure that everybody who is trying to reach me does have caller ID himself.

And really, how many phone calls do you get? I get one or two calls a week max.

Really only 1-2 phone calls a week? I get more than that in a day.  Currently we are using the corded phone which has no caller id so we answer more often, but if using the cordless phones we do not answer unknown/blocked calls typically, I let the vm get it and then call back if it is someone I want to talk to.  

 

 

[KidsHappen]

I never answer a "blocked", "private", or "unknown" number. Nor do I answer any number that I do not recognize. 

 

ETA: Oh and I get 3-5 unsolicited calls per day even though I am on the "Do Not Call" registry. Very few leave messages.

[Night Elf]

Really only 1-2 phone calls a week? I get more than that in a day.  Currently we are using the corded phone which has no caller id so we answer more often, but if using the cordless phones we do not answer unknown/blocked calls typically, I let the vm get it and then call back if it is someone I want to talk to.  

 

 

THis is what I do too. I get a dozen calls a day. My cable/internet/phone service has a caller id that pops up on my tv screen so I can see if I want to get up and answer. I don't answer any numbers/names I don't recognize because it's always spam. I've never thought about an emergency service having a blocked number. That would be a problem I guess. To me, that's a stupid way of handling phone calls these days when caller id is so common.

[dirty ethel rackham]

I assume they would try to reach you in other ways. Or leave a message to call a certain number.

What seem strange to me is people not answering their phone if they don't know who is calling.

 

 

I am no longer even paying for caller ID. I would find it much more annoying letting the phone ring than answering it and recognizing within a few seconds if it is spam. Also, I can not be absolutely sure that everybody who is trying to reach me does have caller ID himself.

And really, how many phone calls do you get? I get one or two calls a week max.

 

Wow!  I must get 20 calls per day from telemarketers, politicians, charities, surveys, etc. every single day.  It has gotten to the point that I don't answer the phone unless the number looks familiar.  I try to keep an handset somewhere near me so that I can check to see if it is something I want to answer.  I refuse to take that much time out of my day telling people to leave me alone, knowing full well that no matter how many times I tell them to take me off their list, I will still get calls from them.  Although we have voicemail, I have an answering machine so I can screen calls.  It goes to the machine after 4 rings, so I can ignore that many.  I have missed some important calls, but if it were really that important, they would have left a message.  How would I know that something was important if it looks exactly like "Rachel for card services" or "some storm chasing roofer who cannot read the Do Not Call list?"  As an introvert who doesn't like talking on the phone anyway, I think it is perfectly reasonable for me to ignore all these calls.  I am home most of the day, so there isn't anyplace to escape this nonsense.