TRACING CELL PHONE CALLS

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Dec 9, 2003 by Capital-Journal

Kansas emergency dispatchers need new technology to provide adequate public safety.

A disaster is waiting to happen.

Cellular telephone technology in the United States has outpaced the capabilities of emergency dispatch systems, and it's putting public safety at risk in both urban and rural communities.

It's an expensive problem to fix, but it's absolutely imperative that we do so. Literally, lives are at stake.

Here's the problem: Cell phone usage is growing by leaps and bounds, yet most of the state's 911 centers don't have the expensive technology necessary to track the location of a cell phone caller.

And it could be years before some counties can afford that technology.

One of the selling points for owners of cellular phones is that they can be used when there's an accident or someone is stranded. But if the caller can't pinpoint his or her location for emergency workers, help may be delayed too long.

The Kansas Legislature has balked at approving a 911 fee for cell phones similar to the one it has for regular landlines.

Nationwide, only about 15 percent of the more than 6,000 911 centers can trace such calls.

"We're up to our necks in this issue," said William Cade, 911 director for the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials. "Wireless was the great promise made to us. It would work just like our home phones. But it doesn't."

Harvey County's director of emergency communications, Ron Hoffman, says "it's frustrating to a dispatcher knowing someone is needing help and trying to get them calmed down. Many, many times, cell phone users are unable to provide you with their location."

Some counties have decided to invest in the technology, but most can't afford it.

While operators can determine which cell tower is transmitting a call and from what direction the call is coming, that doesn't narrow the search enough to locate the person in a timely fashion unless, of course, they know where they are.

It's time for the Legislature to get with the program. A 911 tax on cell phones would serve the public good and make it safer. It would provide the necessary funds for our emergency centers to invest in technology that will become more important as cell phone use continues to grow at a geometric rate.

Let's make this needed change in the 2004 legislative session.