[Press Release] : 911 calls increase in 2009

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Contact: Zim Schwartze, PSJC Director, or Scott Smith, Public
Information Officer - (573) 874-7400

911 calls increase in 2009; Year-end call statistics released from the
Department of Public Safety Joint Communications

COLUMBIA, MO (January 26, 2010) - Figures compiled by the
Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Safety Joint Communications
shows a slight increase in the number of emergency calls to 911 in 2009.
There were 70,288 emergency calls into the Operation Center last year, a
less than one percent increase over the previous year. 2009 marked the
first time that the number of 911 calls topped the 70,000 mark. 

“While the increase in calls seems slight, it’s still a pretty
significant number,” said Public Safety Joint Communications Director
Zim Schwartze. “These calls represent an average of nearly 193 calls
per day for our 911 communication operators. That breaks down to
approximately eight calls every hour, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
That shows just how busy our operators are on a daily basis.”

In addition to the emergency calls, the 911 Operations Center received
290,556 calls which came in on non-emergency lines. 

Schwartze also notes an increase in the number of emergency calls from
cell phones. 

“We are an increasingly mobile society and the statistics reflect
that. In 2009, 65.3 percent of our inbound 911 calls came from cell
phones, an increase from 60 percent in 2008. More people have cell
phones these days and we expect to see the number of calls from those
devices to increase as we continue to serve in the future.”

The increasing number of calls into the Columbia/Boone County 911
Operations Center reaffirms the need for residents to remember that 911
is for emergencies and life-threatening situations only. 911 is not to
be used for directory assistance, to contact a specific law enforcement
officer, to ask for directions or to complain about a parked car.
Citizens are encouraged to use the non-emergency number of (573)
442-6131 for crimes that are not in progress, when assistance is needed
or in a non-life-threatening situation. Whenever an unnecessary call is
made to 911, it can delay a response to someone who really needs help. 

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