Cellphones Leave Gaps for Emergency Services
Amid all the privacy concerns about cellphone tracking, one important group is arguing that location data isn't precise enough: emergency responders. Police and others say 911 dispatchers are having trouble sending help to callers who use cellphones. The reason: unlike a landline, cellphones provide just a rough estimate -- with a possible radius of a few hundred yards -- of the caller's location.
Data released this summer renewed attention to the problem and set off a debate over the adequacy of the tracking data that cellphone carriers share with emergency dispatchers. The proliferation of cellphones has been both a blessing and a headache for law-enforcement officers and other emergency responders. More people with cellphones means it is easier than ever to make a quick call for help. But if a caller can't speak or isn't familiar with his or her location, cellphones make it harder to find them, particularly if they are indoors. Around 38% of households have ditched landlines and rely solely on cellphones, according the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and more people are using them for 911 calls. In California alone, 75% of 911 calls placed in the state during a recent 18-month period were made using cellphones. In reaction to the shift, 911 dispatchers in recent years have begun asking callers first where they are, rather than the nature of their emergency.
(Dec 1)
Cellphones Leave Gaps for Emergency Services