Alltel 911 cell calls misdirected to Kent

File this under the "only you can protect you" category:

6.11.03
The Kent Police Department recently found itself answering misdirected 911 calls from as far away as southern Ohio.

The calls came from Alltel cellular phone users. When a call was pointed to a certain number -- in this case, 911 -- it was being incorrectly translated by the local telephone company, SBC, said Nina Gagliardo, spokeswoman for the northeast region of Alltel.

The 911 calls normally would be directed to the State Highway Patrol.

Click on the "Read More..." link below for more of the story, and plenty of other examples on how depending solely on dialing 911 and waiting for police can be very harmful to one's health.

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Gagliardo said Tuesday night the problem had been temporarily solved, and all should be back to normal today.

Since Friday, dispatchers at the police department have been juggling their normal calls, as well as assisting those in emergency situations outside their general service area, said Nadine Hawkins, a dispatch coordinator.

While Gagliardo said the problem affected Portage County, Hawkins said dispatchers had received misdirected calls from Akron, Canton and Chillicothe, a city 50 miles south of Columbus.

OFCC PAC Commentary:
Law enforcement bureaucrats like OSHP Superintendant Paul McClellan, FOP labor union spokesperson Mike Taylor, as well as liberal media editorial writers like ThisWeek's Vince Dunbar say we shouldn't defend ourselves, but rather need to "let the professionals do the threatening."

Click here to read many more examples of how betting your life solely on the "dial 911, wait for police" tactic might turn out for you in an emergency.

Click here to read the story in the Akron Beacon-Journal.