New technology will pinpoint 911 callers

P The city and county are cooperating on equipment that will make sure Cape Girardeau authorities can find 911 callers.

A year ago, wireless phone dealers estimated 22 percent of Cape Girardeau County residents owned cell phones.

There's no doubt that number has risen, as one can hardly drive a mile or buy a basket of groceries without seeing cell phones being used.

One wonders how life went on before cell phones. Today they're used for everything from reminding a spouse to pick up dinner to immediately communicating with co-workers about important projects.

A growing number of young people don't even have home phones. They use cell phones for everything.

That's why the technology coming to Cape Girardeau in the next few months is so exciting.

Currently, emergency calls from cell phones to 911 end up in various cities depending on the service and towers hit. That means dangerous delays in getting help as the 911 dispatcher determines the caller's location and then contacts the correct law enforcement agency.

The city and county are working together to map out the city of Cape Girardeau more accurately and then install technology that traces cell signals from towers to the location of the caller. That will ensure the call goes to the right place and police can find the caller, even if he doesn't know where he is located.

It is comforting to know that our safety workers are in tune with such advances and working to make the area more secure.