Non-emergency calls on 911 lines a nuisance, possible threat to safety
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As Lt. Jim Hale (left) and dispatch operator Debbie Phifer (center) handle telephone traffic at the sheriff's department,
Beverly Newby (right), dispatch supervisor, checks in to ensure that everything is under control.
(Citizenphoto by Dale Ellis

Managing Editor  12 May 2003

Years ago, when the emergency 911 system was first conceived, the idea was simple; a nationwide, three digit, easy to remember telephone number for those in need of immediate emergency help.

Locally, dispatchers say it is a good system but is sometimes in danger of being overrun by callers who do not have legitimate emergencies and could be taken care of over the local telephone lines into the two law enforcement agencies, the White County Sheriff's Department and Searcy Police Department, that handle 911 traffic.

"911 is an abused system," said Beverly Newby, dispatch supervisor for the White County Sheriff's Department. "It's for emergencies but people will call in because it's toll-free and ask for phone numbers, directions, we get calls for loud music, they call for anything and everything."

Last month, Newby said a telephone service interruption in the county prompted a flood of calls to the 911 lines.

"We had 26 calls on one eight-hour shift from people telling us their phones were out of order," she said.

Sometimes, Newby said, people call just to hear a voice on the other end of the line. Often, they are intoxicated.

"We have some regular drunks who call and want to talk or they think they have a prowler," she said. "There was one female who used to get drunk and call and she was told if she called again a deputy would be sent to bring her to the jail. She called again and came to jail."

Currently, the sheriff's department, just like the Searcy Police Department, has three phones lines dedicated to 911 traffic, and both agencies said that if a line is tied up for a frivolous call at the same time the other two lines are in use, a person in need of immediate help may not be able to get that help in time.

"If that happened they could not get through," said Newby. "That's never happened to me, but it could conceivably happen when it gets really busy over here."

Lieutenant Dean Walker of the Searcy Police Department said the city's dispatch office runs into much of the same trouble, and additionally, has occasional difficulty with out-of-area cellular telephone calls being routed to Searcy.

"We get a lot of cell phone calls that are not in our area," he said. "The call goes to the nearest cell tower and is sent to wherever that tower is directed."

The problem that comes into play with cellular telephones is that there is no way yet to locate just where those calls come from.

"What the government is doing in phases is working on a triangulation system to locate cell phone users," Walker said. "It's coming, but we're not there yet."

On average, the Searcy Police Department receives about 1,500 calls over its 911 lines each month. Walker said the majority of those calls turn out to be either intentional or unintentional frivolous calls.

"Some people have a tendency to feel like their problem is the biggest problem in the world," he said. "To them it may be but to us, we have to prioritize that which is life-threatening over that which is annoying. We've actually had people call 911 wanting phone numbers."

Walker said there is one non-emergency use of the 911 lines that he would consider legitimate.

"When people are traveling out of their area and have a problem," he said, "say it is late at night or getting dark and they have car trouble, I would consider it appropriate to call 911 for assistance since no one can be expected to keep a record of every phone number they might need on their route. But someone sitting at home who is too lazy to look up a number? Now, that is not a legitimate use."

Both Walker and Newby were emphatic that emergency use of the 911 system is limited to events that threaten the lives or safety of the public or individuals, such as automobile accidents, fires, home invasions, and the like.

"If a person has a genuine fear for their own safety or the safety of another person," Walker said, "then, by all means, pick up the phone and dial 911. But if you need a telephone number or directions, call the regular lines or directory assistance."