Over 100,000 911 Calls Misrouted in D.C. Last Year, Investigation Shows

 Designed in the landline era, the 911 emergency response system quickly identifies the source of a call and sends help. With an increasing number of callers relying on cell phones, the 911 network is struggling to pinpoint the origin of the call and dispatch appropriate help. An investigation by WRC-TV in Washington, D.C. reports, by their very nature, mobile calls are more difficult to handle and can result in lost response time when a location is misidentified and calls are transferred.
 
Outdated technology can identify the nearest cell tower to a caller, but does not necessarily contact the right 911 jurisdiction. In an area like Washington, D.C. where multiple jurisdictions and states converge, a significant number of emergency calls require at least one transfer to summon the correct response unit. When questioned by WRC-TV, 911 hubs in the D.C. metro area said that approximately 100,000 calls per year that routed through their five centers had to be transferred to other jurisdictions. Continue Reading