Indiana Taking the Lead on E-911
The Associated Press reports that Indiana is leading the push to integrate technology between cell phones and emergency dispatch centers for police, firefighters and other responders.
For the past seven years, Indiana has been using the revenue from a monthly 65-cent 911 surcharge on cell phone bills to fund more than $89.5 million in upgrades to emergency dispatch centers and $48 million in upgrades to cell towers.
"We're far ahead of everyone else in the country with our network," says Ken Lowden, executive director of the Indiana Wireless Enhanced 911 Board.
"The upgrades have happened in two phases that most counties have completed," the article states. "The first phase required wireless companies to gain the capability to report to 911 dispatchers the phone number of a wireless caller and the location of the antenna that receives the call. The second phase requires wireless carriers to use global positioning satellite data to provide more precise information on where calls are coming from, generally within 300 meters of a caller's location."