Abstract
The policy of the Contra Costa County Sheriffs Office Communications Center is that they will not refuse any call for service. Due to recent technological developments, in July 2005 this policy was expanded to include emergency 'calls for service' even when there is no voice contact between the calling party and Communications Center staff. This development is the technological ability to track what are called '911 abandoned calls'. A 911 abandoned call occurs when someone dials 911 and the call is disconnected before being acknowledged by dispatch personnel. Acknowledgement occurs when the dispatcher uses the available phone equipment to 'answer' the call, connecting the initiating phone line to the Communication Center's Positron phone system, even if there is no voice contact with someone on the other side of the line. In the case of 911 abandoned calls, there is not only no voice contact, there is no opening of the line between the two phones. In some cases, the 911 line receiving the call may not even ring.
A receμt phone equipment upgrade allows the Communication Center to trace the· origin of 911 calls, even when no phone connection has been completed. A new policy was drafted to address this new information set, based on considerations for public safety, public expectation, department capacity and liability. This policy states that 911 abandoned calls shall be treated as emergencies until proven otherwise, dictating that a call for service shall be immediately processed in the Communications Center, and a patrol unit shall be dispatched on a priority basis to the location of the call.
The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of the recently implemented policy at the Contra Costa County Sheriffs Office with regard to 911 abandoned calls. It will summarize the impact on staff of the Sheriffs Office both from a dispatch and patrol perspective, and will examine the corresponding benefit or detriment to public safety.