Can suicide line operators trace your call and send the police?

Question

A girl told me that she nearly committed suicide - she had no one to talk to. I asked if she tried a suicide help line and she said she was paranoid that they would trace her call and send the cops -

Is this true? Can they do that?

Answer 1

I imagine the person would have to be quite unstable and erratic to warrant tracing the call.

"I'M GONNA F-CKING DO IT....ANYTIME NOW...I DARE YOU TO TEST ME!"

That's when I would call the cops, but not for some teeny bopper that's depressed her friend Suzy the w***e stole her boyfriend.

Answer 2

Suicide help lines are mostly confidential help lines in which counselors talk to the person with an issue. There should be no reasons for them to send your friend to the cops when your friend do the right thing by calling the help line in the first place. They can only arrest your friend if your friend does not get help or did some crimes in the past. Hope this help.

Answer 3

Yes, I can even get the address as to where you are useing your computer if you are serious about suicide.

Answer 4

No, they don't have the authority to do that. most hotlines are run by charities and not the government (mostly religious groups)

They can notify the police if the person mentions killing someone else though and the police can then trace the call.

Answer 5

Yes, yes they can.

Answer 6

Sit and talk to your friend and make sure shknowsws you are there for her and that she really needs to sit and share her problems with her parents

If she will not than you need to be a friend and help by sitting down and speaking to Your parents about this young lady so that they can speak to her parents Suicide threats even for attention is Nothing to play with.

Answer 7

No, they cannot trace a call.  They can and will, however, send the police to your friend's residence if she does not follow the steps provided by the counselor and is intent on committing suicide.  The counselor obviously has to know where your friend is.  Contrary to popular opinion, you are not in any kind of legal trouble when the police arrive.  They simply want to take you to a facility where you can receive the help that is needed.  If you threaten to kill yourself or another human being, it is no longer a confidential matter, where the police are concerned.

Answer 8

Most have caller I.D. just like we all have. They do NOT have the caller I.D. that dispatch centers have.  

Our local one will only call if there is danger to life, i.e. I just took a bunch of pills and am scared I am gonna die. And then only with the supervisors approval. They really try to keep it confidential.

BTW please get your friend some help, pastor, school counselor, or just be there to help. And if it gets too bad, don't be scared to get help. Better a live friend that dosen't like you then a dead friend.  

Answer 9

Most DO trave calls with caller ID. However, they'll still treat people anonymously. I doubt they'll anything as drastic as calling the police, to keep up the anonymous factor. Though many trace, a hotline doing something as noble as talking to person about suicide would also be noble enough to respect another person's privacy.

Plus, in most states, suicide isn't against the law. Only the law of heaven.