When seconds count, the police are ...

[RHenriksen]

You know, that reminds me - I've often wondered about the location tracking abilities as well. In my line of work (IT), we're cynical: we don't believe something works until it's been tested, and even then we don't trust that it will continue to work after that test unless there's some way to monitor its ongoing functionality.

Is there any way to do a 911 test call without getting charged with making crank calls, or whatever the misdemeanor is to place non-emergency calls to 911?
Thanks!

Yes, if being done to make sure the system is working. Your best bet is to first contact the local 911 dispatch center through the local police non-emergency number and ask to speak to the 911 supervisor. Advise them who you are with and what you are needing to verify and they will tell you how to proceed to test the location capabilities.

Another issue that can arise if you are a station off of a PBX. There can be problems with it not displaying the number you are actually calling from, but the main billing number for the system. It will show an address, but may not show the exact location you are calling from in the building or on campus. This can be a MAJOR safety concern for these types of systems.

Wonderful, thank you. Never thought about the PBX issue before.

[chasfm11]

I'll ask her and respond with what she says. Previously, she has said that the ability to find an address is dependent on the provider. Some cell companies must have better setups than others. She has not specifically talked about VOIP but in general about non-land line phones.

You know, that reminds me - I've often wondered about the location tracking abilities as well. In my line of work (IT), we're cynical: we don't believe something works until it's been tested, and even then we don't trust that it will continue to work after that test unless there's some way to monitor its ongoing functionality.

Is there any way to do a 911 test call without getting charged with making crank calls, or whatever the misdemeanor is to place non-emergency calls to 911?
Thanks!

Yes, if being done to make sure the system is working. Your best bet is to first contact the local 911 dispatch center through the local police non-emergency number and ask to speak to the 911 supervisor. Advise them who you are with and what you are needing to verify and they will tell you how to proceed to test the location capabilities.

Another issue that can arise if you are a station off of a PBX. There can be problems with it not displaying the number you are actually calling from, but the main billing number for the system. It will show an address, but may not show the exact location you are calling from in the building or on campus. This can be a MAJOR safety concern for these types of systems.

I just finished a long conversation with our dispatcher daughter on this subject. She said
- she has a lot of 911 calls to verify what address appears. Several apartment complexes with PBXs call many times per week. AT&T also can call 50 times in a day as they try to work through cell phone system issues.
She recommends dialing 911 and immediately saying "this is not an emergency. Please verify the address that you have for this call."
- "Phase 2" is where Lan/Log information can be displayed. If the dispatch center is not on Phase 2, non-land line information can be sketchy at best.
- obtaining address information from cell companies is sometimes difficult and can be impossible. Not all companies will provide that information even to police departments because of Bill of Rights concerns. Sometimes they require FAXs from the PD which can take time to process on both ends. Even with Phase 2, the address can be many houses off (it is usually within about 100 yards which, depending on the density of the houses can leave multiple choices.)

She suggested that several other things went wrong with the specific subject 911 call.
- the victim should have been able to provide the address and should have tried hard to do so when asked.
- if there was a history of violent behavior at that address, one of her police supervisors would likely have authorized kicking in the door upon arrival. She said that with violent family situations, they risk getting in trouble for kicking the door but that most of her supervisors will normally risk it. It is individual department policy.
however. This assumes that they knew the specific address and could correlate the history to it. The cell phone location problem may have been a significant factor in allowing this to happen.
- she said that she typically rolls all available units if she detects any hint that a physical violence situation in progress. Her clues are hearing other voices besides the caller, especially raised one or a caller report of stabbing or hitting. She did say that they get over 100 crank calls every week and that it is sometimes difficult to tell those from the real situations.