Clinton County Central Dispatch released a request for community members to check whether their children are utilizing a disconnected phone to dial 911 accidentally.
According to Central Dispatch, the team has received numerous calls in the Frankfort area that likely were received from a child playing with an old phone without service. Dispatch stated that the team believes the phone is being utilized in the Northwestern part of Frankfort and has placed multiple calls without an emergency that has led to the dispatch of first responders multiple times.
Dispatch has requested community members to help find the phone and ensure that no more resources are utilized for the accidental calls. Dispatch stated:
We have received over 80 911 calls. When a phone doesn’t have service, it can still call 911. We do not have the capability of calling it back or texting it because it has no service. Officers have been dispatched to some areas to check but they aren’t having much luck.
These 911 calls are tying up valuable resources.
Dispatch stated that the caller will not be charged with placing false calls or reports, but parents should remain vigilant to ensure that accidental calls are not being placed that have resulted in the dispatch of units when the first responders may have needed to be utilized for other calls.