Campus Police now has the capability to track 911 calls made on campus using cellphones. The 911 operator office installed new software last week that enables GPStracking of any call that comes in from a cell phone user.
Captain Jack Moorman said the main benefit of the new tracking system is to assistcallers who aren’t sure of their location on campus.
“The officer knows immediately where the caller is — whether it’s in a field, or ifit’s simply not by a recognizable landmark,” he said. “We can have police carsheading that way immediately instead of wasting time figuring out where he or sheis.”
Moorman said the system will also be beneficial for callers who are unable to speakor get disconnected.
“If we have a hang-up caller, or the line gets disconnected while we are talking tosomeone, we can still see his or her location on the map,” he said. “If the callerstays on the line, we can see where he or she is traveling, if they are moving.”
Hope Capps, a 911 operator for Campus Police, said although she hasn’t had to usethe tracking system much so far, she is certain it will come in handy in the future.
“In years past, many people have called us and been confused about where they are oncampus,” she said. “This system will really help speed up my job.”
The tracking system works by using GPS chips in cell phones — a feature required bylaw on all cell phones after Sept. 11, according to Captain Jon Barnwell of CampusPolice.
“After the Patriot Act was put into place, cell phones were required to have GPSchips in order to aid in the early location of victims in case of an emergency,” hesaid.
When 911 operators receive a call from a cell phone user, a flashing green and reddot appears on a detailed aerial photograph of campus, which is displayed on largecomputer monitors in the operator office. The flashing dot shows the location of thecaller and is able to track his location within a building.
Moorman said the police station is fortunate to have the University fund thesoftware for the tracking service.
“It’s an expensive addition,” he said. “Many police stations don’t have the trackingsoftware.”
Lauren Williams, a graduate student in accounting, said she is happy about the newtracking system and thinks it will help make campus safer. Williams was robbed atgunpoint in the parking lot of her apartment complex in May.
“Knowing the location of a student calling in will improve response times toemergencies, making the campus environment safer,” she said. “I see the tremendousvalue of a system like this for our campus. Every second counts.”
In the near future, Campus Police will be adding a similar tracking system to theblue light stations on campus, according to Capps.
“Right now, we find the phone booths by a number code and then check in our books tosee where the phone booth is located,” Capps said. “With a tracking system, we’dknow immediately from what phone booth someone is calling.”
