Legislator, 911 Dispatcher Hopes to Fix Misdirected Calls

The new top House Republican on the Connecticut General Assembly's Public Safety Committee is hoping to draw attention to the issue of misdirected 911 emergency calls from cellphone users.

Monroe Rep. J.P. Sredzinski is also a public safety dispatch supervisor in Stratford.

Sredzinski has proposed legislation requiring 911 calls to be routed to the nearest public safety answering point. While he's uncertain whether a new law is absolutely necessary, Sredzinski says he wants to bring the issue to light.

Sredzinski says most calls are easily rerouted to the correct dispatch center. Others become tricky when the person isn't sure where he or she is located.

Federal authorities estimate 70 percent of 911 calls nationally are placed from wireless phones. Since they're mobile, they're not associated with a fixed address.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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