Earlier this summer, 911 dispatchers in New Jersey, perhaps a bit bored, decided to listen to a call from someone who had clearly butt-dialed the emergency number. Two male voices appeared to be hatching plans to break into houses, empty drawers, and steal watches. Later that day, authorities received a call that was not a butt dial about a break-in. The homeowners reported that all their dressers had been raided, and $1,355 worth of jewelry had gone missing. The police quickly found out that the butt dialer was New Jersey man Scott Robert Esser. After following Esser through several towns, police pulled him over and found said jewelry, a handgun, and burglary tools in his car — which now gives 911 dispatchers everywhere a chance to argue that listening to butt dials is not only entertaining — but also a civic duty.
