Sheriff's Department Warns of Incorrect Emergency Information

Recent articles posted on Facebook and other social media networks and blogs have moved the Ventura County Sheriff's Department to issue a statement about the emergency 9-1-1 system.

The information posted on the social network sites suggests people in the United States can call 1-1-2 for a more efficient connection to emergency dispatchers, which is incorrect, according to the Sheriff's Department.

"The 9-1-1 system is the established method for contacting emergency dispatchers within the United States, while 1-1-2 is the emergency number used throughout Europe," the Sheriff Department said in its statement.

While some wireless service providers have their phone systems programmed to recognize both as emergency numbers and route calls appropriately, that is not the case with all cell carriers.

"Dialing 1-1-2 may not connect to an emergency dispatcher and could waste valuable time during an emergency," the Sheriff's Department said.

The Sheriff's office also reminded county residents to only call 9-1-1 for emergencies and to call 805-654-9511 for other matters.