05/08/2026
One of the first questions our dispatchers will ask any caller is where they are located.
In recent weeks, dispatch took a 911 call about a young child not breathing and turning blue. The caller provided an address, but dispatchers noticed that the phone calling 911 was pinging in a location on the opposite end of the city.
Officers and ambulances were dispatched to both locations as a precaution. It turned out the address provided was inaccurate, and the phone ping location was correct. Thanks to the fast thinking of our dispatchers, medical aid was still able to arrive quickly, even with the mix up. However, it did take up more resources than it should have due to the incorrect address given.
Ideally, you should know the address (such as 25 E Main St) or intersection (such as Main St & 2nd E). However, we understand that not everyone got their orienteering merit badge and might not know addresses or streets off the top of their head. What are some other ways you can describe where you are?
If you need to call to report an emergency, look for signs or landmarks which may help dispatchers determine your location. Look for street signs, house numbers, business names, or anything else. The more detail, the better. For example, "I'm at the intersection by Walgreens and the courthouse" is much more helpful than "I'm by the credit union and carwash."
Knowing cardinal directions can also be helpful. Familiarizing yourself with which way is north can be beneficial when you are trying to describe a direction. For example, saying "the suspect went left on 2nd St" is not super helpful when we have four different 2nd Streets.
If that all seems like too much for you to remember in an emergency, we get it. That is why we have secret shortcuts. When you call 911 from a cell phone, dispatch will eventually get your location based on your GPS. They will still want to confirm since there can be discrepancies, but this is a big reason why you should call 911 and not bother with the non-emergency line if it is a real emergency and you don't know where you are. Calling on the non-emergency line does not provide any location data.
