911 calls routed to wrong dispatch

WESTFIELD, Ind. (WISH) - A Westfield woman dialed 911 to get help for dying mother but the call went to the wrong dispatch center.

The call for help traveled 25 miles north to Anderson Dispatch Center instead of reaching operators at the nearby Hamilton County Dispatch.

What makes this scary is that this can happen to anyone who dials 911 using a cell phone.

According to dispatchers the calls for help are routed to the dispatch center to the closest cell phone tower that transmits the call.

Joseph Mangas, the Executive Director of  Hamilton County Public Safety Communications says his department has received calls from as far as Ohio.

"We've received wireless 911 calls from the toll roads up north, down I-74, and some out of state," said Mangas.

Land lines are currently better for dispatchers. When a caller use a landline dispatchers say the names, addresses and nearest first responders instantly pop up.

"Land lines go to a call center nearest you whether you are in Indianapolis, Fishers, Noblesville.  It goes to the closet jurisdiction."

Dispatchers say it's up to the cell phone providers to fix the phone mix ups.

Calls to one of the major cell phone providers were not returned.