Police can now locate 911 calls made from mobile phones

The Thunder Bay Police Service is switching its 911 software system to one that can identify and locate calls made from cell phones and Internet sources.

"The CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) regulations require that our 911 systems have this capability so all communities in Canada are moving towards the system," said Insp. Andy Hay at the Thunder Bay Police Services Board meeting Tuesday morning.

The police were using the Positron 911 software but are in the process of replacing it with the E911 Software System, since the Positron system was unable to meet the new standards.

TBayTel manages the 911 system in the city, but doesn’t have access to cell phone registration information outside of their own customers, Hay said.

"Bell Canada already has that information," he said. "It’s not feasible for TBayTel to try to replicate that. They feel they’re better off just purchasing it through a contract with Bell Canada."

For the citizens of Thunder Bay the new system will bring an enhancement to the city’s 911 system, said Hay, noting that when people call 911 from a cell phone, they police will now be able to pinpoint the location of the caller faster.

And with cell phones becoming as common as landlines, most emergencies are called into police from a cell phone, Hay said.

"With the use of cell phones in our society now, (the E911 system) is a major component concerning public safety," he added.

The implementation of the E911 system will begin within the next couple of weeks and area residents should expect it to be up and running by the end of summer.

The police service is also updating its core dispatch system called Intergraph. Hay said they not only organize and manage their calls for service on the software but it also interfaces with all their records, management and software applications within the service.

The program is continually updated.

"Every few years the program gets upgraded by the vendor," Hay said. "If we let the product get too old, we lose support and lose maintenance and we lose functionality."

In other police board news, Sgt. Rino Belcamino received the inaugural Sergeant Hilbert Lif Award, given to a member of the Thunder Bay Police Emergency Task Unit who has contributed to the training and development of the ETU.

Belcamino was presented the award by Lif’s parents, Sten and Sharon, who said it was wonderful to see their son’s memory live on with the award.

Lif was a member of the force for 12 years; he passed away one year ago from heart-related health issues.