‘Butt Dial’ and Rap Music Lands SWAT at Chicago Middle School
- Posted on January 5, 2011 at 12:40pm by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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Oops.
That’s all a Chicago-area couple can say after the husband, a school employee, accidentally “butt dialed” his wife, who in turn somehow interpreted the garbled call as a hostage situation at his school. That led to a SWAT team deployment and a very embarrassed man and wife.
“You know how when you sit on your phone when it’s in your back pocket and it calls the last number that was dialed? His wife was the last number he’d dialed,” Winnetka police Chief Joseph De Lopez told the Chicago Tribune. “The conversation led her to believe there was someone holding him hostage.”
The wife quickly called 911. Soon, the Tribune says, “more than 30 gun-toting officers converged on Carleton Washburne School, which also houses the District 36 offices where the man works.”
So was it just garbled language that led to the misunderstanding? Apparently not. The school superintendent blamed the confusion partially on the man’s background music choice, which apparently included “gangster-like” lyrics.
“He was listening to music and he had, I don’t know, hip-hop … or music like that, where there were lyrics that were gangster-like,” explained Mark Friedman, interim co-superintendent of District 36, to the Tribune. “So there were lyrics on the radio as he was driving home, and she listened to it and became concerned.”
The Tribune explains what happened next:
Armed with automatic weapons and wearing bulletproof vests, SWAT team members circled the school about 5 p.m. Monday, searching for a reported gunman who might be holding a hostage. The all-clear sounded nearly three hours later, after the man was found safe at home by police. [...]
About 500 seventh- and eighth-graders attend the middle school, but they had left for the day when the call was placed.
As for the school employee, “he’s embarrassed,” the superintendent said.
“Who wouldn’t be? He’s taking it hard that it created such a response.”
(H/T: Gawker)
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reckless
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 7:08amHey, is there an app for that?
Report Post »sharitt
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 10:26pmWhat’s sad is that she felt her husband was in harms way in a school… Unfortunately our schools are not longer the “SAFE” place for our children or teachers.
Report Post »Houndfan
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 10:13pmSo how many taxpayer dollars were wasted on this stupidity?! Grrrrrrrrrrr.
Report Post »RightPolitically
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:50pmRap is the work of the Devil and all those who like it have real problems of limited brain function. This is a great story however……….just goes to show ya that Chicago is el numero uno in stupidity!
Report Post »dieselguy360
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:20pmHave you heard “Great Hang-up the cell phone”??? This teacher did not get that memo of it and have his buttocks make phone to home to make statement.
Report Post »emmanuel Goldstein
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 4:29pmMust. . .be. . .in. . .contact. . .25. . .hours. . .a. . .day. . .8. . .days. . .a. . .week.
Report Post »pamela kay
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 3:53pmTurn off the annoying cell phones and better yet do not listen to the crappy rap songs that are ruining our children. This man is an adult, why does he have that on his phone to begin with?
Report Post »reckless
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 3:22pmThis is so funny on so many levels that I don’t know where to begin. Tune in to Leno tonight for the latest.
Report Post »Aunt Nee Nee
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 3:15pmROWGUE my dear, he wasn’t talking. He accidentally called the last number he dialed when he sat on the phone (sigh. . .)
Report Post »va_magoo
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 2:04pm30 police officers occupied for over three hours on a false alarm!?!?!?!?! I know there “should” be a law against this sort of stuff. To have the man get away scot free after costing the tax-payers hundreds….. just doesnt seem fair to me. But hey…. Its Chicago, what do you expect?
Report Post »GhostOfJefferson
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 2:10pmA man? The guy’s wife was a man?
He didn’t call the cops, and he did nothing wrong, at all, in any context.
Report Post »LadyIzShy
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:34pmhmm I wonder what he will say to his wife tonight.. I also wonder who will pay for the swat team being sent out.
Report Post »conservativeme
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:27pmSee – I keep telling my kids that Hip-Hop is the devil . . . .
Report Post »eteme
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:03pmOver kill, could have been solved by the Wife calling the School front office, don’t they have proper protocol in those type situations…Com’on think McFly Think… Your wasting money here..
Report Post »snowleopard3200 {cat folk art}
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:09pmKey words to any answer “Proper protocol.”
Report Post »Aunt Nee Nee
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:00pmSigh. . . He wasn’t at work. The story said he was “driving home.” Apparently his wife thought he was still at work. No reason to turn off the cell phone while driving home. RONKO is right though. There should be some consequences for mobilizing the SWAT team.
Report Post »Rowgue
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:08pmYeah because driving while talking on a cell phone is a great idea.
Report Post »GhostOfJefferson
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 2:09pmWhy should there be consequences in a case like this? Consequences in a situation of “well, it was hard to tell” deters future callers who may not know fully if somebody is in danger. And then, people get to die. Due to deterrence.
Not every “problem” needs a “solution”, and not every “solution” addresses an actual problem. Maybe we should all pause for a moment before calling for yet more government “penalties and consequences”.
Report Post »MOM1st
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 12:59pmPoor Guy & Poor Wife!! Can you imagine the conversation at home surrounding that Butt dial??
“…I was just trying to keep you safe, honey…”
Report Post »GeorgieJo
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 12:56pmAnd we wonder WHY Chicago is BROKE?
Report Post »Ronko
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 12:52pmIts an honest mistake but he still should have to pay the police for coming out to the school.
Report Post »Tipdog
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:37pmWhy? He didn’t call them. He did absolutely nothing wrong.
Report Post »RugDog
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 7:36pmYou’re kidding right?
Report Post »Plankchapel
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 12:48pmComedy of errors!
Report Post »Avidmonkey
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 12:47pmI wish someone would make a cellphone that actually “locked” and would keep pocket calls from happening. My phone lock only keeps ME from dialing. Always pocket dials the worst possible person, too.
Report Post »heavyduty
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:27pmThey do make them were they can’t make pocket calls. It’s called the power button. Turn it off. I can’t to life of me figure out why anyone would want to carry a phone next to their butt crack. Then stick it up to their face.
Report Post »untameable-kate
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 12:43pmMaybe people could just TURN THEIR PHONES OFF at work. I don’t understand this love affair people have with their cell phones.
Report Post »Rowgue
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:04pmIndeed. Most people have no real need for a cell phone in the first place, and certainly have no need to have them on while at work. There are very few people that actually can’t wait until the next time they get to a landline to make or receive calls. It’s just a status symbol and techno-gadget epeen contest for everyone else.
Of course they’re great for emergency situations, but that accounts for about 0.00001% of cell phone calls.
Having said all that though, how old is the cell phone this guy has that it still has an exposed keypad. They realized this was a problem back in like 1999 and almost every phone produced since has some method of covering the keypad when not in use. There are still a few models made with old style unprotected keypads, but it’s not saying much for your intelligence if you decide to go that route when you keep your phone in your pocket. Not exactly a good sign for the kids this guy teaches.
Report Post »snowleopard3200 {cat folk art}
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:08pmGood suggestion, I will never have one of those things for as long as possible. They are an absolute annoyance most of the time. Especially when eating out and all around you are phones and such going off, people raising their voices to high levels, and any kids they have running around or crying for the parents attention on something when the parents are stuck on the phone for most of the time they are there.
Report Post »heavyduty
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:25pmMy wife drives over a hundred miles to work round trip. I know when she leaves the house, and then she calls me when she gets there. Then the phone is off until she returns to the vehicle and turns it back on. Then she calls me to let me know when she is leaving. This way I know that she is on the road and how long it is going to take her to get home.
Report Post »My kids are constantly getting phone calls from their friends. If they put me on hold then I just hang up and won’t return their calls.
Cell phones were suppose to free up people that couldn’t be around a landline all day. But kids now days live on their phones. I agree with you Untameable-Kate.
SusansSS
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:29pmRead the WHOLE article next time…
“”“So there were lyrics on the radio as he was driving home, and she listened to it and became concerned.””"
The police went to the school, but he was in his car listening to the radio on the way home.
Report Post »Camo Pants
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 2:02pmIf my teachers phone rings in the middle of the class, a student gets to take it to the office. It’s so funny, because yesterday a kid had his taken away, along with the teachers. XD
Report Post »GhostOfJefferson
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 2:06pm@Kate
“Maybe people could just TURN THEIR PHONES OFF at work. I don’t understand this love affair people have with their cell phones.”
As is turning out to be the case the more and more I see you post, we’re in complete sync.
I would like to note however that I find calling in a SWAT team appropriate action against every act of musical vandalism that we jokingly refer to as “rap”. :)
Report Post »fangbanger
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 2:34pm@rowguetouch screens are the worst for dialing. mine is ALWAYS either calling someone, trying to text someone, trying to post and sometimes successfully posting on facebook etc. touch screens are horrible for this. id rather have to phone i had in 99. there was no butt dialing then. no regular dialing then either cause minutes cost so damn much
Report Post »brotherhiram
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 3:37pmread the article… “So there were lyrics on the radio as he was driving home, and she listened to it and became concerned.”
he wasn’t at school
Report Post »RugDog
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 7:35pmYou don’t have to understand it. Mind your own business please. This is still America isn’t it? Land of the…FREE?
Report Post »untameable-kate
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 8:08pmRugDog
Report Post »Gosh did I say something you found objectionable? This site is made to comment on, if you don’t like my comment then go ahead and disagree, you don’t have to be rude. Troll.
walkwithme1966
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 1:24amNeither do I – people have them on all the time. If I even take mine with me, I keep it turned off and just check occasionally for messages. Often I forget about it – but then I am much older than this group probably is. I am glad we agree on something! http://wp.me/pYLB7-uK
Report Post »nchewning
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 4:28am“Maybe people could just TURN THEIR PHONES OFF at work. I don’t understand this love affair people have with their cell phones.”
Or… Maybe people could just READ THE WHOLE DAMN STORY before they post. I don’t understand this idiocy and laziness running rampant in this country that makes everyone believe they have a right to gripe about everything when they know nothing about the topic.
Report Post »Armed Patriot
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 8:46amI dont understand butt dialing. My phone has a dial lock. Never need to butt dial again. Good thing he wasnt messing around with his girlfriend… He would be getting divorced now.
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