This morning the Emergency 911 Communication Centre took 37 calls in a span of 22 minutes from a cellular device in Wallaceburg.
Unlike a landline service that provides the residential or business address from where the E911 call was made; cellular devices do not always provide owner information, thus making a caller’s whereabouts questionable.
The E911 calls received this morning were from an unregistered cell phone, providing only an approximate radius to their location. An officer was dispatched to the Duncan Street area to canvass for the caller, in an attempt to determine whether someone was in need of emergency services. The officer located the residence where the calls were being made by a child, who did not require assistance.
When E911 calls are received in the Emergency Communication Centre, they are considered to be emergency calls until it can be determined otherwise. The Chatham-Kent Police Service would like to remind parents that cellular devices, even if old, should not be used as play toys. All cellular phones have the ability to dial 911 at any time, regardless if you have a plan or minutes available to use.