Step taken to locate cell callers

Origins of 911 cell phone calls will be pinpointed by the end of the year.
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Mahoning County commissioners have authorized a 13,950 agreement with a consultant who will help the county obtain the technology to pinpoint to within a few feet the origin of 911 emergency calls from cellular phones.
Walter Duzzny, county emergency management director, said the county will have that capability before the end of the year and that this technological improvement will be the most significant public safety enhancement since the 911 emergency dispatching system was established here 14 years ago.
"This is a major issue for public safety in Mahoning County," Duzzny said. More than 70 percent of 911 calls now originate from cellular phones, he said. The agreement approved Thursday is with Barry Strock Consulting Associates, of Albany, N.Y.
The new technology will enable dispatchers to pinpoint a cellular caller's location and send emergency help to the caller, who might be unable to identify his or her location, either due to unfamiliarity with the local area or due to disruption of the call after connection to the 911 dispatcher, Duzzny said.
"We will have a time line established after we conclude our meeting with Mr. Strock. We have looked and talked to a number of vendors already," Duzzny said.
"We're got pretty much a focus on the direction we want to go. We just need an opportunity for somebody who's doing this nationwide to step back and look at some of our approaches and see if we are, in fact, going in the right direction," Duzzny added.