Campus police announce improved 911 system

A new system routes 911 emergency calls made from campus telephones directly to the Georgia Tech Police Department, enabling dispatchers to more accurately discern the number and location of a caller. Previously, all 911 calls made from campus phones were transferred to Tech Police by the city of Atlanta’s E911 center.

Calls from mobile phones, however, will be routed through Atlanta’s Enhanced 911 (E911) system.

“The Georgia Tech Police Department continues to pursue the best practices available to serve and protect the campus,“ said Georgia Tech Police Chief Teresa Crocker. “Routing emergency 911 calls made from the campus directly to our dispatchers will save the minutes and seconds that can make a crucial difference in a life-safety situation.”

Allowing for backup in case of a system failure, Tech’s new system is integrated with both Atlanta and regional E911 systems. The system is a joint partnership with the Telecommunications group of the Georgia Tech Office of Information Technology (OIT), Tech Police and AT&T.

“Implementing our own telecommunications infrastructure on the Institute’s Atlanta campus continues to provide benefits to Georgia Tech in a variety of ways,” said Institute Chief Information Officer John Mullin. “Being able to provide more accurate location information to Tech Police and enabling them to respond to emergency calls more quickly can improve safety and is one of the ways OIT adds value to the campus that we are truly proud of.”