*77 - A Story About Safety

[Cissi Sherlock]

It was about 1:00 p.m. in the afternoon, and Lauren was driving to visit a friend. An UNMARKED police car pulled up behind her and put his lights on. Lauren's parents had always told her never to pull over to the side of the road for an unmarked car, but rather to wait until they get to a gas station, etc.

Lauren had actually listened to her parents advice, and promptly called *77 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. 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 *77 Cell Phone Feature, but especially for a woman alone in a car, you should not pull over for any unmarked car. Apparently police have to respect your right to keep going to a safe and quiet place. You obviously need to make some signals that you acknowledge them (i.e. put on your hazard lights) & call *77 like Lauren did.

Too bad the cell phone companies don't generally give you this little bit of wonderful information.

*Speaking to a service representative at ** Bell ** Mobility confirmed that *77 was a direct link to State Trooper info. So, now it's your turn to let your friends know about *77. Send this to every woman (and person) you know; it may save a life.

*77 is applicable in all ALL 50 states.

[Victoria Finch]

This is great information Cissi.Thanks for sharing

[Cissi Sherlock]

You're Welcome.

Thank you for helping the Rivers Family!

[Tricia Meyer]

Are you sure that *77 is available in Indiana? According to snopes, it maye not be:

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

[Cissi Sherlock]

I did a cut and paste. These facts are usually check by the person who sends it to me. If it were overlook, I apologize. If this is the case, we might need to rally around instituting this service in Indiana!

[Cissi Sherlock]

I did a cut and paste. These facts are usually check by the person who sends it to me. If it were overlook, I apologize. If this is the case, we might need to rally around instituting this service in Indiana!

[Tricia Meyer]

According to this site:

http://www.911dispatch.com/911/mobilenumbers.html

We're supposed to use 911 in Indiana or *11 if we are on the Indiana Toll Road. Not sure why the difference??

[Cissi Sherlock]

+++++++++Strange! Especially if it supposed to be a part of a nationwide alert system.

[James Ryan]

Good tip. Several years ago a friend of mine did not pull over at 2am until she got to a well-lit parking lot. The sheriff deputy who pulled her over gave her hell for driving about 1/2 mile to the safe place. Even though he was in a marked car, you have a right to pull over in a safe place.

[Cissi Sherlock]

Did she report this to anyone?

[Kirk Booher]

As a Life Safety Consultant, I find this article interesting. After a bit of research, this is what I found. According to Snopes and Urban Legends this info is a best partially true...mostly unverified.

I tested on my AT&T cell phone and *77 does NOT work.

My recommendation in a similar situation is acknowledge to the unmarked or marked police vehicle that you realize he is trying to pull you over by turning on hazard lights or turn signal. Perhaps motion with your hand for the supposed officer to follow. Drive to a public, well lit place if dark or desolate. Trust your instincts and be smart. Be prepared with self defense tactics and weaponry.

If you are interested in a good self defense training, I highly recommend www.anescapeplane.com. They offer classed, including one at the Jordan YMCA.





I was able to find this map, though I did not test in each State, appears to be credible

[Kristen Horton]

Always dial 9-1-1 for emergency services.

911: emergency services
811: underground public utility location or non-urgent health tele-triage / tele-health services (or telco business office)
711: TDD relay for the deaf
611: telephone company (telco) customer service and repair
511: traffic information or police non-emergency services
411: directory assistance
311: government services, non-emergency
211: community services

[Cissi Sherlock]

It has been noted that *77 does not work in Indiana.

I do appreciate the informative dialogue that has taken place on this topic. Kristen Horton's information should definitely be cut, pasted and shared.

Thanks for your input!