Some People Mistakenly Dial 911 Instead of GET-CLUE

If you think you have the LAPD’s number, you may be only partially correct. Too many callers are clogging 911 with problems that are hardly life-threatening.

Lillian Brock, a senior police service rep, ticked off three recent inappropriate 911 calls:

* “A person called and said his parents had divorced and moved back to Asia and left him behind. He wanted to know what to do. The operator asked him how old he was. He said, ‘I’m 34.’

* “A woman said she had been robbed a couple of days earlier and the robbers threw her wig on the roof. She wanted the Fire Department to get it off.

* “A man called and said the manager had deliberately let a rat into his apartment.”

The third caller, by the way, wasn’t concerned only for his own welfare. Recalled Brock: “He said, ‘You need to see this rat. It’s really scared.’ ”

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DON’T FEED THE POLITICIANS: Seal Beach’s Leisure World was in the news some weeks ago when residents complained of wild rabbits eating everything in sight.

Now, one complex in the retirement community has gone to war against another pest, with more success. It has banned all campaign signs.

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SHOPPING GUIDE: Here are some reminders to comparison-shop when thinking of buying an auto (see accompanying).

David Ianforno of Long Beach found a carwash where they give away cars.

And be leery of servicing claims. Jene Hamilton has her doubts about one dealer who said the transmission on its cars could go 2 1/2 millenniums between checkups.

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Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LATIMES, Ext. 77083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A., 90012 and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.