By Steve Fidel
Deseret Morning News
SALT LAKE CITY — A newly launched enhanced 911 service at the University of Utah means dispatchers can pinpoint the location of callers using either campus phones or cell phones. Information from cell-tower triangulation tells dispatchers where a person calling on a cell phone is on campus, even if the caller is on the move to get away from a hazard or threat, said Garth Smith, public information oficer for University of Utah Police.
The system can pinpoint a cell caller’s location within 10 to 15 feet, Smith said. The enhanced system also gives dispatchers exact locations for calls from campus land line phones.
Dispatchers have the caller’s phone number in either case, in the event the call is disconnected and officers need to call back, Smith said. “This change will allow our officers to respond to calls for help much more quickly,” says University Police Chief Scott Folsom.
“Now we will know almost instantly exactly where to send the responding officer, fire crew or ambulance. The system means that first responders won’t have to ask the distressed person as many questions about location, but can now immediately begin formulating plans to resolve the problem.” The new E911 system came at a cost of approximately $200,000, $140,000 of which came from a state grant.
Copyright 2011 The Deseret News Publishing Co.