Cell Phone Users

For nearly 25 years, all wireless 9-1-1 calls in California have been routed to the nearest California Highway Patrol (CHP) dispatch center. After screening the calls they were routed to the appropriate agency for service. Locally this was done through the CHP office in Vallejo, California. The explosion of cellular telephone use in the 1990s greatly overwhelmed CHP resources resulting in many calls not being processed in a timely manner causing delays of up to 20 minutes before they reached the appropriate agency.

In 2000, the State passed Assembly Bill 1263  which allows local Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP) to receive wireless  9-1-1 calls directly. In addition to this bill, Federal Communications Commission Mandate 94-102 requires Wireless Service Providers (WSP) to implement technology to aid in this effort in two phases. Phase I allows calls to be routed to a PSAP by cell sector and will provide the caller's telephone number and the location of the cellular tower. Ultimately in Phase II, technology implemented by the WSP will provide the latitude and longitude of the caller.

Beginning in May 2004, the Santa Rosa Police Department began receiving wireless cell phone
9-1-1 emergency calls from Verizon customers. As the months passed, AT&T, Cingular, and Sprint were added. Customers of these wireless service providers may use 9-1-1 for any emergency in Santa Rosa, and existing technology should route the call to the appropriate law enforcement agency. Other wireless service providers will be adding as their technology becomes compliant with wireless 9-1-1 parameters. The 9-1-1 calls received directly by the appropriate agencies are being handled more efficiently by eliminating unnecessary delays caused by rerouting calls.

Anyone calling for non-emergency police response should call (707) 528-5222. For non-emergency fire or medical response, citizens should call (707) 528-5151. 9-1-1 callers will continue to be routed to the CHP office in Vallejo when calling from a cellular phone in which their service provider is not yet 9-1-1 compliant.

When Dialing 9-1-1 From Your Cell Phone:

• Use 9-1-1 only for immediate police, fire or medical emergencies.
• Be prepared to provide your location and any essential information the dispatcher may need.
• Your phone number and location may not be available to the dispatcher. Know your surroundings (street address, landmarks, mileposts) when calling 9-1-1.
• Stay on the line until told to hang up. You may be transferred to another agency.

Help Reduce Unnecessary Calls:

• Program your cell phone with the urgent police and fire/medical non-emergency telephone numbers for your area. The urgent police number for the Santa Rosa Police Department is (707) 528-5222; the fire/medical non-emergency telephone number for Sonoma County is (707) 528-5151.
• Do not call 9-1-1 for non-emergency incidents. Using 9-1-1 in non-emergency situations prevents critical emergencies from being attended to.
• If you dial 9-1-1 by mistake, do not hang up. Stay on the line and inform the dispatcher of the error. Hanging up only creates additional work for already busy dispatchers and prevents them from answering additional incoming lines.
• Do not pre-program 9-1-1 into your cell phone speed dial. This can lead to accidental calls.
• Teach your child how and when to dial 9-1-1 from a cell phone. Train them to press 9-1-1 and the “send” button only in an emergency.
• Even cell phones without active service can dial 9-1-1. Take batteries out of cell phones before recycling them or giving them to a child to play with.