Old cell phones cause problems for 911 dispatchers

Old cell phones in the wrong hands are causing problems for emergency dispatchers. That's because they can still call 911 even if they don't have service. The service can help people in need, but children playing with old phones are calling 911 and people are also using them to prank dispatch centers. This function is a safety measure. According to the Verizon Wireless the 911 surcharge that is on everyone's cell phone bill goes to provide this service. Most people do not know that deactivated cell phones can still call 911.as long as the deactivated phone has a sims card.

At dispatch centers, normal cellphone calls show up with a number and general location, but on old phones, that valuable information is missing. Yesterday alone there was 30 Non-Emergency calls into Butler Police Dispatch from kids playing with old phones. They have no idea who the person is, no idea where they are and we do not have a phone number to call back. This becoming a more ongoing problem trying to decide weather its a valid emergency or kids playing.

If you, or your children do accidently call 911 do not hang up but stay on the line and tell the dispatchers that the call was made in error. If the caller hangs up the dispatchers then have to go through the process of tracking down the caller to determine if it is an actual emergency or not. Currently, the dispatchers often receive innocent "hang-up" calls, that are made from deactivated cell phones in error but they are then distracted from their duties in determining if it was an emergency or not. This can be avoided if the caller stays on the line and explains that the call was made in error. No harm done.