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Dialing 911 on a Cell Phone?

KenK/84Bravo
Just Curious.

I was picking up some Chinese Buffett on the way home. Apparently there was a medical emergency going on. The Owner was saying "Call 911." Everyone was on a Cell phone.

I have the Sherriff, local Cops, various other jurisdictions I travel through, programmed in to my phone.

What happens if you call 911 on a Cell Phone? Do they locate you, and route to the nearest Emergency resource?
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Comments

13 comments

Date Votes
  • jimdeere
    It?s magic:
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enhanced_9-1-1
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  • jwb267
    it depends on how your cell phone is related to the towers near you.
    my cell (tracfone) will connect me to martinsburg, which is 75 miles away from me.(local 911 is 15 miles in any direction) the dispatcher will then transfer the call to your local 911 dept.
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  • Ricci Wright
    You just push the little buttons and the stuff from the phone goes real fast way up in the air and looks around for a Oh never mind. :mrgreen:
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  • wpageabc
    The agent in the call center will verify your location. From a land line they can derive location information if it come in on a hard wired line. IP type phones lack location data even if land lines.

    Only general location information from cell towers can be derived from your cell phone. Unless they really want to get you..
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  • montanajoe
    • Community moderator
    Yesterday?? Locally?? Nothing will happen. Local 911 center had problems from Verizon yesterday. Could not get calls on 911. Calls had to be made/switched to the long non emergency number(s). Thankfully they got it taken care of.
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  • Alpine
    wpageabc wrote:
    The agent in the call center will verify your location. From a land line they can derive location information if it come in on a hard wired line. IP type phones lack location data even if land lines.

    Only general location information from cell towers can be derived from your cell phone. Unless they really want to get you..

    A swing and a miss.
    Every cell phone activated in the USA has to have a GPS chip. If you dial 911 from a cell phone the call is directed to a law enforcement agency. The location (lat and long) appears along with the number on their screens. Every 911 call goes through even if you have no bars (reception). Some departments can even process 911 SMS.
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  • remingtonoaks
    Alpine wrote:
    wpageabc wrote:
    The agent in the call center will verify your location. From a land line they can derive location information if it come in on a hard wired line. IP type phones lack location data even if land lines.

    Only general location information from cell towers can be derived from your cell phone. Unless they really want to get you..

    A swing and a miss.
    Every cell phone activated in the USA has to have a GPS chip. If you dial 911 from a cell phone the call is directed to a law enforcement agency. The location (lat and long) appears along with the number on their screens. Every 911 call goes through even if you have no bars (reception). Some departments can even process 911 SMS.

    Winner winner chicken dinner
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  • SW0320
    In my area 911 calls on cell phone go to State police who then route to the appropriate local police.
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  • wpageabc
    More info on cell type 911 routing...
    link https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/02/22/cellphone-911-lack-location-data/23570499/
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  • nmyers
    I believe that the correct answer is....it depends.
    It depends upon when your cell phone was manufactured.....
    It depends upon the cellular network in your location....
    It depends upon the equipment being used by local emergency services at your location

    Neal
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  • Alpine
    nmyers wrote:
    I believe that the correct answer is....it depends.
    It depends upon when your cell phone was manufactured.....
    It depends upon the cellular network in your location....
    It depends upon the equipment being used by local emergency services at your location

    Neal

    A swing and a miss. By federal law no cell phone can be activated in the USA unless it has a GPS chip.
    All those extra little fees you pay every month go towards buying the equipment to receive and process those 911 calls. If local law enforcement that the call is routed to has Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) then the calls are automatically displayed with the calling number, lat/long , and map position. Calls are routed to state police if local police does not have the proper equipment.

    No if ands or buts.
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  • Mr. Perfect
    bottom line: know your location.
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  • KenK/84Bravo
    As stated in the OP, I have all my Local LEO's phone numbers programmed in to my phone, and those whose jurisdictions I travel through.

    Why trust routing, and/or State Police re-routing in case of Emergency.

    You are either prepared, or you are not.

    Which are you?
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