Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Emergency cell phone number proves misleading urban legend

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2003 01:13:56 -0500

Emergency cell phone number proves misleading urban legend

by Danielle Gordon
News Writer
February 04, 2003

Spawned by a single e-mail sent by one concerned parent,
many e-mails saying that dialing #77 on cell phones will connect users to a
police dispatcher have been circulating WMU"s campus.

This is an urban legend.

Although dialing #77 in some states will connect cell phone users to that
state"s highway patrol, it is not universal, according to urban legend Web
site www.snopes.com.

Other states use *55, *47 or *HP, but in Michigan the only emergency
number is 911.

The e-mails came about because people wanted a way to determine if a
police car pulling them over is actually a police car and not an impostor.
Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety Officer John Shubnell said police in
Kalamazoo do not utilize unmarked cars for traffic stops.

"In Kalamazoo we don"t make traffic stops with unmarked cars; 99.9 percent
of the time it"s a uniformed officer in a marked or semi-marked car,"
Shubnell said.

A semi-marked car is a police cruiser with lights located in the back dash
area and in the grill rather than outside of the vehicle.

There"s no need for a number other than 911 in Kalamazoo because officers
don"t make traffic stops in unmarked cars, Shubnell said.

If someone is pulled over by an unmarked car, or if a police officer fails to
provide a badge or identification, Shubnell recommends going to the nearest
lighted gas station and calling the police.

"The problem with cell phones is that most of the time you get the state
police," Shubnell said.

To avoid this, Shubnell said he recommends that cell phone users program
the local dispatcher"s number into their cell phones.

A new technology being offered by many wireless providers is also expected
to aid this problem.

Enhanced 911, or E911, is an upcoming capability that enables the 911
dispatcher to determine the location of the caller within a number of feet. If
the caller is unable to speak due to the situation, he or she will receive
police assistance without saying a word.

This capability may soon be possible with a Global Positioning System or
GPS chip embedded in many of the newer wireless phones that provide the
caller"s location.

"These capabilities are going to be phenomenal," said Kate Miller, director of
marketing and corporate affairs for Roe-Comm, a Nextel Communications
retailer.

Miller expects E911 to be in service later this year.

Verizon Wireless is another wireless provider with the E911 capability. By
Fall 2005 all of its phones in service will have the GPS chip and by the end
of this year all phones it sells will have the GPS chip, according to Michael
McDermott, director of state public policy for Verizon Wireless.

In order for the E911 system to work, the 911 dispatch centers also need to
have technology installed to read the information obtained from the GPS
chip, McDermott said.

"This equipment isn"t going to be provided to anyone but emergency
personnel," McDermott said. The GPS chip can also be deactivated for
privacy issues.

Other companies that offer or have plans to offer the technology include
T-mobile, Sprint PCS and All-Tel.

Many wireless providers also offer a monthly roadside assistance plan for a
fee that provides services for towing, tire change, fuel delivery, battery boost
and lockouts. Insurance companies sometimes offer these services as well.

To be prepared for roadside emergencies, the following numbers may be
helpful if programmed into a wireless phone:

o Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety 337-8994

o Kalamazoo County Sheriff 383-8821

o Kalamazoo Township Police Department 343-0568

o Portage Police Department 329-4567

"These are not emergency numbers," Shubnell said. "Always try 911 first."
http://www.westernherald.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/02/04/3e3f319376d79

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