Wednesday, June 30, 1999
Highway patrol to stop getting most cellular 911 calls
The Associated Press
COLUMBUS — When most cellular phones were car phones, it made sense that cellular 911 calls were routed to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Now cell phones are everywhere, and most of the cell phone 911 calls the patrol gets are not traffic-related.
So beginning Thursday, most Ohio patrol posts will no longer handle 911 calls from cellular phones, and a majority of the calls will be routed to police or sheriff's offices.
“Ten years ago, we were seeing 9,000 to 10,000 cellular calls a year,” said Sgt. Gary Lewis, of the Columbus patrol post. “Now, we are handling over 100,000 cell phone calls a year.”
“Our primary function is providing highway safety,” he said. “With the local sheriff offices handling the calls, callers have a better opportunity to get whatever service they need much more quickly.”
Sgt. Lewis said the state patrol will still handle 911 cell phone calls in counties that don't have the capabilities to handle those types of calls.
In the Columbus area, “The calls will automatically go to the sheriff's office closest to the cellular tower receiving the call,” said Sgt. Bob Stoney of the Franklin County Sheriff's Department.
People with nonemergencies can still reach the state patrol by calling (877) 7PATROL.
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