On Saturday, Bloomington police told residents to dial 911 for just about everything after the city’s non-emergency phone lines went down, according to a social media update from the department. Officers directed people to use 911 for assistance until further notice and apologized for the inconvenience. The update did not say when the regular non-emergency lines would be back.
The advisory went out on the Bloomington Police Department’s Facebook page, where officials repeated the instruction to call 911 until further notice and again apologized for the disruption. You can see the department’s full message in its Facebook post, and check the City of Bloomington police page for the department’s usual non-emergency contact details once service is restored.
What To Call If You Need Help
If you are facing a life‑threatening emergency, call 911 immediately. That part does not change, outage or no outage.
For less urgent situations, Hennepin County lists a 24‑hour non‑emergency number for county residents at 952‑258‑5321. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety also notes that text‑to‑911 is available statewide as a backup option when a voice call will not go through, with more details available through the state’s 911 program.
Why Non‑Emergency Outages Matter
When non‑emergency lines go down, people with routine concerns can end up flooding 911, which is supposed to stay clear for fires, medical crises and other life‑threatening calls. That extra volume can make it harder for dispatchers to get to the most serious emergencies.
Similar non‑emergency outages have cropped up in other communities recently, with local coverage from broadcasters such as WHIO noting that 911 service remained functional even as routine lines went dark.
Bloomington police said they will update residents through their official channels as they work to get the phones back to normal. Until then, keep 911 for true emergencies and keep an eye on the City of Bloomington police page and the department’s social media for the latest on the outage.
