To The Editor, Metropulse,

I was interested in answering Mr. Sanabria’s [Feb. 9 Incoming] question, “The next time I call 911, will anyone come?” To begin with, the police were not required to respond to your call. There is plenty of case law that proves this to be true. In one such case, a court went as far as to say that it is “the fundamental principle that a government and its agents are under no general duty to provide public services, such as police protection, to any particular individual citizen” (Warren v. District of Columbia, 444 A.2d 1—D.C.App.1981).

Such rulings defeat the purpose of calling 911. Dealing with issues such as medical emergencies, self-defense and car wrecks are not the government’s responsibility, but your own.

Chris Fortner
Knoxville