Crime & Safety
Suffolk Police 911 System Disrupted With At Least One Cell Carrier
UPDATE: Police have sent out a series of emergency alerts urging residents to call 631-852-COPS if anyone experiences the issue.
YAPHANK, NY — A county-wide "intermittent issue" with at least one known cell phone carrier in Suffolk is causing disruptions to 911 call service within call centers on Monday night, police said.
The carrier's name is not being released, a spokesman said.
Suffolk officials have notified residents in at least four emergency alerts since the disruption — one at around 6:30 p.m., the other just before 9 p.m., and another two almost immediately after.
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Patch has reached out to the Suffolk Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Services.
It was not immediately clear how many carriers are involved. Emergency services have not been disrupted, according to police.
The Nassau County Police Department is not affected by the disruption, a spokeswoman said.
Suffolk residents are urged — if they call 911 and receive a fast busy signal — to hang up and immediately call 631-852-COPS, the department's non-emergency line, police said. They should then follow the prompts to be directed to their police jurisdiction, according to police.
Suffolk police have jurisdiction up until the borders of the Hamptons and the North Fork where those east end departments are independent ,with the exception of some services.
Suffolk police are "working to identify and rectify the issue as quickly as possible and there has been no disruption to emergency services being dispatched as a result of the issue," officials said in a statement.
Just before 9 p.m., a Suffolk spokesman said he could not be certain when the issue would be fixed.
He did note that while the department is experiencing the 911 system disruption, the department's Computer Assisted Database, which is tied to live calls, allowing the Public Information Bureau to help the media with active calls, was up and running.
Riverhead police also reported an issue with 911 at around 4:35 p.m. Anyone having trouble contacting the Riverhead police through 911 can call 631-727-4500.
Like Riverhead, other agencies reminded residents that they could contact them directly. The Bayport Fire Department dispatchers, who also dispatch for the Blue Point Fire Department and Sayville Community Ambulance, can be reached at 631-472-4411.
"If you’re having issues with 911, call us directly," a post read on Facebook.
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