Minneapolis man concerned over 911 system after 10-ring call wait

A Minneapolis man said repeated delays when calling 911 left him worried about how quickly people can get help in an emergency.

Tom Chase said he called 911 a few weeks ago after his wife fell and hit her head. He said the call took about 10 rings to answer, or nearly a minute.

“It was just about 10 rings before they answered. I got to get her help. What am I going to do? Please answer,” Chase said. “Had to stand there quite a while; it rang and rang and rang.”

A few days later, Chase said he called 911 again after seeing someone stealing a catalytic converter. He said no one answered that time.

“It rang, I counted it 20 times, and there was no answer, so I thought they’re long gone now, so I just gave up,” Chase said.

Chase noted he later posted about the calls on the Nextdoor app.

“Several people said they had the same problem,” Chase sa...