Voters in 28 counties to decide on funding for E-911 service

Voters in 28 Oklahoma counties will decide Tuesday whether add a 50-cent monthly fee to their cell phone bill for Enhanced 911 service. <br/><br/>911 dispatchers currently know where you are if you call

Monday, December 12th 2005, 5:15 pm

By: News On 6

Voters in 28 Oklahoma counties will decide Tuesday whether add a 50-cent monthly fee to their cell phone bill for Enhanced 911 service.

911 dispatchers currently know where you are if you call 911 from a home or business, but when you call 911 from your cell phone, they don't know where you are unless you can tell them and many people can't.

That causes problems because nearly 50 percent of all 911 calls are made from wireless phones. The ability to pinpoint a caller's exact location naturally raises some concerns about privacy.

Tulsa County Sheriff Stanley Glanz: "the only time the system is initiated is when you actually call 911 and that allows us to know your location. Other than that, we can't find you at all."

Telephone customers already pay for the Enhanced 911 technology on home phone lines.

Polls are open Tuesday until 7 PM.