Just What You Want From 911 - A Dispute Over Who Will Take Your Call

A recent news report about crimes in the Northlake area featured a resident who spoke about her belief that a city would be better prepared to police the community and keep her neighborhood safe. However, just today FOX News is reporting a mix-up at the 911 center that actually resulted from confusion over city vs. county boundaries. The more cities that are formed, the more frequent these types of mix-ups will become.

Take a look at this report about an argument that occurred between jurisdictions on a carjacking call that took place while the victim stood there, helpless.

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The nation's 911 emergency response system, built in 1967, was based on the expectation that calls for help would come from land-line telephones. Cell towers are not needed to support a communications system that is based upon land-line service.

Cell towers support cellular communications which is a for-profit industry, not a public utility or a public infrastructure requiring the aid of pubic funds. In fact, cell phones are actually problematic for 911 dispatchers and responders.

Cellphone users "almost assume that they are going to be located — and that's not a fair assumption," says Brian Fontes, CEO of the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), which focuses on 911 emergency communications.

Calls that originate from a land line can immediately tell dispatchers the address where the call is coming from and pinpoint the location on an overhead map without the person on the other end having to say a single word. Here is a story about a woman in Greater Atlanta who might have lived if she had called 911 from a land line instead of using her cell phone.


We wrote about this same issue back in May 2012. To read our post entitled, "Debunking the claim that we need more cell towers for 911 coverage," click here.