...try to do it in Coronado, CA. My wife once spotted a homeless guy walking down the street in San Diego, yelling and carrying a big axe. She called 911 on her cell, it got sent over to the CHP where she sat on hold for five minutes before she finally gave up and called SDPD directly and was talking to a dispatcher in 30 seconds.

Today we saw a kid on her bike get hit by a car and I dialed 911 thinking it was useless because I'd never get through. Instead Coronado PD picked up on the second ring and had an ambulance, fire truck and a CPD officer there in about two minutes.

(The kid was fine. The collision happened behind another car so I didn't see it but I'm thinking she hit the driver's side door judging from the condition of her bike. She hurt her arm pretty good, probably how she stopped herself. There was a moment between the crunch and when she got up that was terrifying. All I could hear was her Mom screaming "OH NO! OH NO! OH NO!" will stay with me for a while, I think.)