cigarettesHow hard is it, really, to understand that 911 is only meant to be called in cases of true emergencies? Considering how many asinine requests emergency operators get for reasons that are significantly less than life-threatening, it must be a fairly difficult concept to grasp. And I'm not talking about the occasional accidental pocket-dials, I'm talking about demands made by people like 48-year-old Linda White of Granbury, Texas, who called 911 at approximately 1 a.m. on February 11 because she was desperately in need of ... cigarettes.

"I need some cigarettes," she said.

But when the cops showed up, it wasn't to deliver a carton of smokes -- it was to arrest White and book her on a charge of abusing 911. Whoops!

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At least White apologized later, explaining:

"We were just kicking it in the backyard -- a few beers too many," she said. "Next thing you know, we're out of cigarettes. Well, I didn't want to drive to town ... I was drunk, you know, but in my backyard. Who's the safest person to call? Your police department, I thought."

Believe it or not, cigarettes aren't the craziest reason ever for calling 911. Here are a few more seriously dumbass demands made of emergency workers:

1. To be connected to Tim Tebow.

2. To order up a husband with more of a sex drive.

3. To complain about a broken iPhone.

4. To be rescued from a ... corn maze.

5. To report a baby lion on the loose (guess what? It was a dog with a funny haircut).

Have you ever called 911 for a non-emergency reason?


Image via Michelle/Flickr