Emergency dispatchers say they’ve been inundated with what they believe are 911 calls from children playing with cellular phones.
Lt. Marty Hodge, communications officer for the Marion Police Department which runs the emergency dispatching center, said countless calls are creating potentially hazardous situations. The number of “911 hang-up calls” is increasing and Hodge thinks it’s because there are so many old cell phones lying around the home and toddlers find them interesting.
Federal law requires cell phones to be able to dial the emergency 911 number even if they have been de-programmed or had their memory card removed.
“We have had about 40 calls from one child,” said Paula Miniard, a dispatcher in Marion.
Cellular phone calls to 911 show up on the computer screen at the call center, but because the phone is normally no longer programmed, it’s not traceable.
“We can’t figure out where it’s coming from,” said Police Chief Ray O’Neal.
By policy, if dispatchers receive a 911 hang-up call, they immediately try calling the number back to see if a real emergency exists.
O’Neal said new technology is coming to Marion’s communications center that should improve the police’s ability to pinpoint calls, even from disconnected cell phones.
Hodge said police are asking citizens to remove and properly dispose of batteries from used cell phones.
“Simply taking the SIM Card out does not disable the phone’s ability to dial 911,” he said.
