New 911 system can trace cell calls

The Police Department has adopted a new 911 system called Vesta Pallas that can trace cell phone calls to specific locations on a computer map.
The number of the cell caller will also appear on a computer screen for the dispatcher. Previously, police didn't know where cell calls originated from and it wasn't easy to acquire a number.
Deputy Chief Scott Bushway said times have changed in phone habits.
``The vast majority are cell calls whereas before they were from land lines,'' he said.
The new system works by using a phone global positioning satellite feature, which most cell phones now have, said dispatcher Jeff Abate. After calling 911, a wireless caller will be transferred from the state police to the appropriate city and town and a red-dot will appear at their location. Calls to 911 from a home or other landline will instantly appear on the map as well. Phones without GPS will show the nearest cell phone tower on the map and will zero in on a more precise spot after a few moments.
The map can be enhanced to include great detail or left zoomed out to show a larger area. Numbers from all cities and towns in Massachusetts are programmed into the system, according to Bushway, so a call can be mapped anywhere in the state. That works out well for local police because occasionally a caller will mistakenly think they are in Walpole and Walpole Police will be unfamiliar with the out-of-town street names they are given, said Abate. This way, there is no confusion about the location of any caller.
The system also has an updating feature. Police can track a moving call, in a car or otherwise, by simply refreshing the map. Abate said that feature could be useful for a caller following a drunken driver, for example.
``It's not something you use all the time,'' he said, ``but it's a good accessory to have.''
The system also comes with a variety of other useful features as well.
The program logs all calls into 911 so call-backs are easier. With one click of a mouse, a dispatcher can transfer a call to Walpole Fire, a hospital, a suicide prevention team and various other departments.
Also with one click, the dispatcher can transfer a call to any community's police department in the state. Previously, the officer would need to manually look up the proper number in a book and dial it, wasting valuable time.
The 911 system is also synchronized to the police's net clock so there will no longer be discrepancies in the time of logs.
Bushway said that all of the Walpole dispatchers have already been trained in the system as well as a handful of police officers. More officers will be trained if the need for a fill-in should ever arise, he said.
``It's a system that every department in the state is transitioning to,'' said Bushway. The new program and training is entirely paid for by the state.
Police estimate that the system will be in all state departments by December.