NEW SOFTWATRE CAUSES 911 SERVICE PROBLEMS

A problem with new computer software for the 911 telephone system in Southeast Missouri caused sporadic outages early Thursday.

The computer problems began about 2:30 a.m. and were corrected by 5:30 a.m., said John Pagano of Southwestern Bell Telephone Co.

"There were no crises or emergency situations that we are aware of," Pagano said. "In many situations, the 911 circuits automatically rerouted."

The computer circuits that control 911 services in Southeast Missouri are housed in Sikeston. The computer software was upgraded early Thursday. After the changeover, some sporadic glitches were detected by the computer system, Pagano said.

Some emergency agencies, including the Cape Girardeau Police Department, experienced an outage. Other departments and offices in the region experienced no problems.

"We started experiencing glitches, sporadic disruptions across the whole system," Pagano explained.

The region served from the Sikeston office goes from Cape Girardeau County at the north, through the Bootheel and west to Poplar Bluff.

"We assigned our technical crew right away to investigate. They identified a problem with the new software and corrected it," Pagano said.

The 911 system automatically reroutes calls to other agencies and departments if a piece of equipment fails. "In many cases, that may have happened," Pagano said.