NCJ Number
67526
Date Published
1977
Length
11 pages
Annotation
THIS REPORT DETAILS THE EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION BETWEEN REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE ILLINOIS-IOWA QUAD CITIES AREA AND THE MINNEAPOLIS - ST. PAUL AREA ON INSTALLING A SOPHISTICATED 911 EMERGENCY TELEPHONE SYSTEM.
Abstract
THE SEVEN COUNTY TWIN CITIES AREA SYSTEM WAS DESIGNED TO SERVE 28 PRIMARY PUBLIC ANSWERING POINTS COVERING A REGION WITH APPROXIMATELY 200 POLITICAL JURISDICTIONS, MORE THAN 100 POLICE AGENCIES, OVER 100 FIRE DEPARTMENTS, 6 TELEPHONE COMPANIES, 87 TELEPHONE EXCHANGES, AND APPROXIMATELY 2 MILLION PEOPLE. THE TWO COUNTIES IN THE QUAD CITIES AREA, SURROUNDING MOLINE, ILLINOIS, AND DAVENPORT, IOWA, HAVE A SYSTEM FOR APPROXIMATELY 750,000 PEOPLE. BOTH AREAS RECEIVED FINANCIAL SUPPORT THROUGH LEAA FUNDS, ALTHOUGH MINNESOTA'S FUNDING WAS FOR 911 PLANNING ONLY. IN MINNESOTA, NORTHWESTERN BELL WAS HANDLING THE PROJECT, WHILE FOLLOWING THE DESIGN OF THE EXPERIMENTAL ALAMEDA COUNTY SYSTEM (CALIF.), WHICH WAS SUPPORTED WITH LEAA FUNDS BUT HAS PROGRESSED SLOWLY. NORTHWESTERN BELL HAS COORDINATED THE PRODUCTION OF THE TWIN CITIES SYSTEM WITH THE FIVE OTHER LOCAL TELEPHONE COMPANIES, WHILE LEARNING FROM ITS EXPERIENCES WITH THE ALAMEDA COUNTY SYSTEM WHAT DATA SYSTEM AND SELECTIVE ROUTING PROCEDURE WOULD BEST SERVE MINNESOTA. IN THE QUAD CITIES AREA, NORTHWESTERN AND ILLINOIS BELL HAVE FORMED A CLOSE LIAISON TO COMBAT THEIR PROBLEMS. THEY HAVE BEEN STUDYING THE CHICAGO EMERGENCY SYSTEM WHICH HAS EXPERIENCED NO DIFFICULTIES. REPRESENTATIVES ALSO DISCUSSED COST PROBLEMS FOR THE SMALLER INDEPENDENT TELEPHONE COMPANIES, CONSOLIDATION OF PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES, CENTRAL OFFICES CONVERSION OR MODIFICATION COSTS, AND THE SWITCHED TRUNK NETWORK. (JLF)