An “emergency” is an event that poses immediate, significant threat to life and/or
property. The following are examples of an emergency:

• A heart attack or stroke is an emergency; a skinned finger is not.
• A teen threatening his/her parent is an emergency; a child refusing to go to school in a non-threatening manner is not.
• A noise from your neighbor that sounds like a violent physical encounter is an emergency; a noisy party is not.

• Report a crime in progress. Or call the ten-digit emergency number (408) 277-8911.

• Report a situation which requires a police officer at the scene (e.g. assaults, kidnappings, burglaries, domestic disputes, terrorist threats, robberies, vehicle theft that has just occurred, vehicle or hit and run accidents with known or suspected injuries, gang related disturbance calls or any disturbance call involving a weapon, etc.).

• Request a paramedic for medical assistance.

• Report a fire. To report a hazardous chemical spill, smoke in your house or building, sparking electrical hazards, or fire/smoke detector or carbon monoxide alarms are sounding.

• Report suspicious criminal activity (e.g. alarms, shots fired, shouts for help, sounds of breaking glass, unfamiliar person(s) carrying items from a house, an occupied suspicious vehicle).

• If the situation changes before help arrives call 9-1-1 again and give the call taker the updated information.

• Directions.

• To determine if someone is in jail. The Santa Clara County Department of Corrections is available online for this information at https://eservices.sccgov.org/OVR/FindInmate/Find. You may also call the jail at 408-299-2306.

• To report city issues not of a police, fire or medical nature, dial 3-1-1, or check the City of San Jose 3-1-1 website.

• (408) 277-8900 is used to report Police non-emergency incidents. We realize the term "emergency" can have a different meaning to different people. We encourage you to use your own judgment when determining the nature of your situation. When in doubt you can always call 9-1-1. If you have determined that your particular situation falls in the non-emergency category, you may call the San Jose Police Department at (408) 277-8900.  Some examples of situations that would be appropriate for the non-emergency number would be:

  • Non-injury traffic accidents
  • Loud music or loud party complaints
  • A civil stand-by
  • Non injury hit and run accidents
  • Juvenile complaints of a non-threatening nature such as skateboarding at a school or mall, etc.
  • Parking Complaints
  • Abandoned vehicles, unless suspected stolen

When to Text 911

Text to 9-1-1 is now available in San Jose. If you need help, but can't safely speak on the phone or are unable to speak, use your mobile phone to send a text message to 911 (no dashes or spaces).
View information about how to Text to 911.

• Most importantly STAY CALM. Help CAN be sent while you are answering questions.

• Give the location. If possible provide the full address of where the problem is occurring, include apartment number or suite numbers if you know them. If you don't know the address, provide an intersection or a landmark.

• If you are reporting a crime in progress, emphasize that point with the call taker. Answer the call taker's questions, and stay on the line until the call has been terminated.

• Inform the call taker if you DO NOT want your name and address given to the units responding. If you DO want to speak to the officer, please inform the call taker of your request.

• When providing information about an incident, be as descriptive as possible. You may be asked to give identifying information about any person(s) or automobile(s) involved in the situation. The more information provided, means the more information Dispatchers will be able to relay to the responding units.

Note:  The Police non-emergency telephone number is (408) 277-8900.  In 2020, SAN JOSE 311 was transferred to provide City of San Jose, General City services & information.

When you call 9-1-1 or the Police non-emergency number (408) 277-8900 you will be asked to:

• Briefly explain the nature of your emergency or complaint.
• The address of where the incident is occurring.
• Your name, address and telephone number.

Why do we ask questions in a particular order? The location of occurrence is so we know where to send the help. That might be the first question a Dispatcher or Call Taker will ask you. WHY? If we get disconnected, or there is a phone problem, the location of the incident is the minimum amount of information needed to send help. Since the address has such great importance, please be sure to give a full description of your location. For example;

• Provide an apartment number or building number if you live in a large apartment complex.
• Provide a suite number and business name if it is occurring in a business complex.
• At a park, give us a description of where you are within the park. Be specific i.e. Are you near the restrooms, the baseball diamond, near the front entrance, in the back of the park by the picnic tables, etc. If you are driving to your destination, and call about something you saw on the way, provide the closest cross streets where the incident is occurring. For example; Santa Clara St between 1st St and 2nd St, or Tully Rd. at White Rd right at the corner.

Why do we ask for your name and address next? Once an officer arrives at the location you originally provide, it is not uncommon for the situation or location to have changed. We will often use your address as a starting point to search for what you reported. We will typically send two officers to calls. One officer will go in one direction from your address, while the other will go in the opposite direction. Both are searching for the incident you called about. If they are unable to find anything, they may respond back to your address and talk to you, for additional information. But only if you want contact.

Once we have the very basic information we need to send help, the Dispatcher or Call Taker will start asking more questions such as;

• Who caused the problem, when the incident occurred?
• Why do you think the situation happened?

If the problem you are reporting occurred 5 minutes before you called, the questions we ask will be different then if the situation occurred the night before. If the incident you are calling about just occurred, or 5 to 10 minutes prior, the next set of questions we ask may be about the person you think is responsible for causing the problem or the situation.

When we give a suspect description to an officer, we describe that person in a certain
manner. We start from the top of their head and work our way down to the toes. For example we might say something like this:

• White male adult about 5’ feet 7”tall, blond hair, blue eyes, with a mustache and goatee.

For the clothing description we start from the outside and move in towards the body from the top of the head and moving down to the toes. For example;

• The subject is wearing a red jacket, blue flannel shirt with a white t-shirt underneath, black belt with a rodeo type belt buckle, blue jeans and brown cowboy boots.

How would one give information to the Dispatcher or Call Taker if a vehicle was involved? There are certain questions asked, and in a certain order for a vehicle description. The reason we ask these questions in this way is because the officer responding to the call may spot a similar vehicle on the way to your call, the same color or year or the same make or body style. If possible, we would like the license plate too.

So here is a list of questions the Dispatcher or Call Taker may ask about the description of a vehicle:

Color >> Year >> Make >> Body Style >> Miscellaneous information (does it have a ski rack on the roof, or there is a huge sticker in the rear window) >> License Plate.