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Old cellphone can still dial 911, officials say

County dispatchers have handled 1,318 misdials  to 911 since January.

Diana Wear takes emergency calls at the Springfield Communication Center on Thursday. Officials want the public to know that cell phones without service can still dial 911 so long as it contains a working battery. Staff photo by Marshall Gorby

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By Valerie Lough, Staff Writer 10:53 PM Thursday, April 7, 2011

SPRINGFIELD — As part of the launch of National Telecommunications Week for public dispatchers on April 10, local officials want the public to know more about their cellphones.

Specifically, that even when your old cellphone is disconnected from service, it can still dial 911.

County dispatchers have handled 1,318 hang-ups, open lines and misdials to 911 since January, said Mike Combs, Clark County Sheriff’s Office.

Another 1,049 such calls came into the Springfield Communication Center.

Those calls have to be taken seriously, said Diane Wear, Springfield Communication Center supervisor.

“We have to stay on the line and try to call back to make sure there isn’t a problem,” said Wear.

That’s time taken away from calls dialed during actual emergencies, but Wear said officials understand that misdials are inevitable. “We’d just like people to stay on the phone so they can tell us that there is no emergency, that it was dialed by accident,” said Wear.

Calls from cellphones can be difficult to track. Sometimes dispatchers can pinpoint the location, but often that information is vague.

Some of the calls are the result of child’s play, literally.

“People sometimes give their old cellphones to their kids to play with,” said Wear.

Officials offer the following tips to avoid “pocket dialing” or misdialing of 911:

• Always remove the battery from your old cellphone. As long as the battery is in the phone and is charged, the device can still place a call to 911.

• Put a lock on your cellphone’s keyboard before putting it away to avoid pocket dialing.

• If parents want to give their kids an old cellphone to play with, remove the battery first.

• If you do accidentally dial 911, don’t hang up. Stay on the line so you can tell the dispatcher that there is no emergency.

• Dispose of your old cellphone, but don’t throw it in the trash.

The following resources are available to take back or recycle your old cellphone:

• Sprint Project Connect.

• Verizon HopeLine.