Jackson County Sheriff's Department Has Seen an Increase in 911 Hang-Up Calls
Friday, May 19th, 2023 -- 12:01 PM
The Jackson County Sheriff's Department has seen an increase in 911 hang-up calls.
To date for 2023, they have had 893,911 hang-up calls come into their Communications Center. They must follow up on every single one, and send emergency resources if they are unable to confirm there is no emergency.
The obvious consequence is that responses to emergencies can be delayed due to officers' response to accidental dials. If you do accidentally call 911, stay on the line and verify all information.
Much of this has been attributed to software updates on Android phones where the SOS feature is automatically turned on with the update. They have found that causes of the misdials are as simple as pocket dial, the phone bouncing around too much in a vehicle or ATV/UTV, a hard drop of the phone, etc.
Most smartphones and watches have Emergency SOS features that may be activated by pressing the volume or power buttons multiple times (depending on the operating system or phone).
To deactivate those features, on Android:
- Open your phone’s Settings app,
- Tap Safety & emergency Emergency SOS,
- And Turn off Use Emergency SOS.
For iPhone:
- Go to Settings > Emergency SOS,
- Turn “Call with Hold and Release” on or off: Hold and release the side and volume buttons to start a countdown to call emergency services,
- Turn “Call with 5 presses” on or off: Rapidly press the side button five times to start a countdown to call emergency services.
For an iWatch:
- Open the Watch app on your iPhone, then tap the My Watch tab,
- Tap Emergency SOS,
- And Turn off Hold Side Button to Dial.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.