Posted by LKT/CA on 7/6/13 6:40pm
Msg #475814

Important Info Regarding 911

I was a 911 emergency dispatcher. 911 is one of two ways to report an emergency and get help from police, fire or medics. The non-emergency dispatch phone number will take emergency calls. Let me explain how it works. The police dispatcher sits at a CAD (computer aided dispatch) center. The computer monitor is divided into three sections: On the left are incoming 911 calls, in the middle are lines for inter-department calls (i.e. records, detective's desk, forensics, etc.); the right side are lines for receiving citizen's calls - the non-emergency calls.

When you call 911, one of several lines on the left side of the screen lights up. When you call the non-emergency number to dispatch, one of the lines on the right of the screen light up. The dispatcher sitting at that computer just moves the mouse until the arrow goes on the line lighting up and answers the call. 911 and the non-emergency dispatch number go to the same place. The ONLY difference is when you call 911, your phone number and address appears. If you call the non-emergency dispatch number, your phone number and address do not appear - though that could have changed since I was a dispatcher.

All you need to do for an emergency for someone in a different city/area is google "City, State Police Dispatch Phone Number". My mom lives in Norfolk, VA......I googled "Norfolk, VA police dispatch phone number" got the official PD website....clicked on that and saw the non-emergency dispatch number on the right. Both 911 and non-emergency number go to the police dispatcher who takes the emergency call.

A couple of years ago, we are doing some backyard demolition and hit a gasline. I called 911 and was switched to the fire department. The FD dispatcher quoted my address back but it was incorrect....it was my previous residence - we kept the same phone number when we moved. I gave him the correct address and he told me to contact the phone company to correct it which I did. A few months later, I wanted to make sure the correct address was connected to my phone number. What if someone in my household was choking and couldn't speak and was calling 911? I'd hate to think of that outcome!! Anyhow, I called Upland Police Dispatch non-emergency number and explained the situation. The dispatcher told me she can check it by having me hang up and call 911. I hung up and called 911 and the same dispatcher answered and told me the new address was connected to the phone number. Problem solved!

911 or non-emergency.....goes to the same place. Remember: City, State, police dispatch phone number.

Reply by Yoli/CA on 7/6/13 7:07pm
Msg #475819

Great info, Lisa! Thanks. n/m

Reply by Karla/OR on 7/7/13 3:53am
Msg #475828

Who knew?!!! Thanks so much!!! n/m

Reply by Marian_in_CA on 7/7/13 4:01pm
Msg #475851

"911 or non-emergency.....goes to the same place"

This isn't necessarily true... especially if you call from a cell phone. My husband was in law enforcement, so he knows this all too well.

In small smaller communities where there is a city police department and you call to a land line? Yes...this is likely true. For example, when my husband worked for a university police department, any 911 call that originated on campus was sent to the dispatcher on duty at the university police department. They were able to tell a regular call vs. 911... and there was usually only one or two dispatchers on duty there, and they handled all of the incoming phone calls, desk-walk-ins and 911 calls. Pretty typical of a mid-size University police department.

But, if somebody called 911 from one of the sororities/fraternities, right off campus? That isn't covered by the school police. Those calls wen to the city/county 911 dispatch center, and the call was rerouted to the city police or fire, depending on the situation. It got really confusing because people would be upset thinking that the police department was, literally, about 1/2 mile away, when in reality the call center they were connected to was on the other side of town.

If you call from a cell phone? You never fully know where that call will go.

Here's a great example. I was on the 14 freeway heading north from Los Angeles to Kern County. I called, from my cell, to report an impaired driver. My call didn't go to the CHP. It went to the City of Los Angeles emergency dispatch center. That shouldn't happen, but when there's an overflow, it happens. All cellular 911 calls in CA should go to the CHP.

I tried to describe where I was. As I was on the call, I passed over form LA to Kern County. I know from my husband's time with the CHP, that meant the jurisdiction of the CHP passed to a different office. The City of LA dispatcher was completely clueless, even though I specifically told her where I was and who I needed to talk to. In fact, she was totally confused as to why my call was patched to their office anyway. I even used specific key words my husband told me to use. That dispatcher transferred me to San Bernadino County CHP dispatch.... and they couldn't help me either. I was then sent to the LA county CHP dispatch. There, I knew exactly who I was talking to. I said, "Look, you are at the building in Glendale right off the 2 and the 134, right?" She said, "Yeah, how'd you know?" I explained and said, "Now that I've crossed over to Kern County, I need to be transferred to the CommCenter in Bishop."

She said, "Oh yeah... you know!"

By the time I got to the right communication center, I'd say a good 5-8 minutes had passed. Fortunately, it was only an impaired driver report, not anything more life threatening, like a brush fire or a burning vehicle.

If you're in CA, it's important to know that if you call 911 from a cell phone they have NO IDEA where you're calling from, and it's quite likely that you've been connected to a CHP communication center that can't help you. You should know which division you're traveling in, and be sure you reach the right one.

See: http://www.chp.ca.gov/html/cellular911.html

And here are the specific dispatch centers and the areas they cover... you may be surprised at where they are.

http://www.chp.ca.gov/depts_divs_offs/dispatchcenters.html


And, if you're not on a freeway, you may be in an area covered by another agency, such as a county sheriff or city police. If you call 911 from a cell phone, you will likely still be routed to a CHP office, who will then route you to the right agency. If you don't know where you are, specifically, they may have a difficult time helping you. You should always know exactly where you are, and if possible have a list of all the numbers. For mobile service professionals, this is really important!

Reply by ikando on 7/7/13 9:47pm
Msg #475880

Marian, it came to my attention this weekend that here in Oklahoma, we have similar issues. When a person realizes all the permutations of where the calls must go to get to someone who can assist, isn't it amazing that anyone is actually helped in an emergency?

Reply by LKT/CA on 7/7/13 11:26pm
Msg #475885

When I was a dispatcher in 2002, yes, calls from cell phones automatically went to CHP, which would ask the caller where they were, then transfer the call to the appropriate agency. Today's technology means 911 calls from cells CAN and DO go to a dispatch center of the jurisdiction the caller is in - just like a landline - and not the CHP. And when I was a dispatcher back in 2002, they were THEN saying that in the near future, cell calls would display the callers info and by GPS, the caller's location. Whether or not that was implemented, I don't know.....but that was the talk back then - 11 years ago.

What I meant by "911 and non-emergency....goes to the same place" - see prior post regarding how the CAD monitor works - 3 sections.