Selects: 911 Is Not a Joke

What It Covers

Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant trace the full history of the 911 emergency system in the United States, from its 1968 origins in Haleyville, Alabama through its current technological limitations with cell phones, covering call volumes of 240 million annually, dispatcher training, racial disparities in response times, and the next-generation VoIP upgrade underway.

Key Questions Answered

• •Cell Phone Location Gap: When calling 911 from a cell phone — which accounts for 80% of all 911 calls — dispatchers cannot automatically identify your location. The current system, based on a 1996 FCC rule, only provides the nearest cell tower address and approximate GPS coordinates, meaning callers must verbally state their location, just as they did before the 1970s enhanced landline system existed.
• •Accidental 911 Calls: If you dial 911 accidentally, stay on the line and immediately explain the error rather than hanging up. Disconnecting triggers an automatic callback and potentially a physical welfare check dispatch. Identifying yourself calmly as a non-emergency accidental caller prevents unnecessary resource deployment and avoids being flagged as a potential prank or swatting attempt.
• •When Not to Call 911: Reserve 911 for fires, medical emergencies, serious car accidents involving injuries, and crimes in progress. For noise complaints, lost animals, power outages, or speeding ticket questions, use your local police non-emergency number instead. Misuse of 911 is a criminal offense, and prank calling or swatting — falsely reporting hostage situations — has resulted in deaths.
• •Racial Disparity in Response Times: A 2013 ACLU study of Chicago found that residents in the predominantly African American neighborhood of Grand Crossing waited 11 minutes for police after a priority 911 call, compared to 2.5 minutes in the predominantly white Jefferson Park neighborhood — a response time gap 4.5 times slower, reflecting documented systemic bias in emergency service deployment.
• •Next-Generation 911 Upgrade: The current 911 infrastructure runs on landline-era telecommunications. The planned Next Generation 911 (NG911) upgrade transitions to secure VoIP and internet-based systems, enabling dispatchers to receive photos, video, and precise multi-floor building location data. A dedicated wireless broadband network called FirstNet will give first responders a separate channel that remains operational even when public networks fail during disasters.