AUSTIN, Texas — The Travis County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) is putting a spotlight on accidental 911 calls.
According to Sheriff Sally Hernandez, the office has seen a recent uptick and wants those who mistakenly call dispatch to be more aware.
"Those seconds count and that helps us to help others that might be in crisis," Hernandez said.
In 2023, Hernandez said the sheriff's office received more than 208,000 calls, with roughly 30% of those calls being accidental. Hernandez said when 911 calls lead to hang-ups, operators are required to call back. This can add to response times and affect calls with a real emergency on the other end.
"If it's a hang up call, it is that much more of an emergency because we don't know who's behind that call. Is that a victim who that somebody has interrupted that phone call and interfered with that phone call? Or is it somebody that just accidentally called?" Hernandez said.
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Hernandez said to avoid dialing or swiping on the emergency SOS system on your phone, people should stay on the phone and tell 911 operators it was a mistake if it is one.
People can also adjust their emergency SOS setting on their smart phones and also be mindful of children playing on the phone so they don't accidentally dial 911.
Hernandez noted that so far in 2024, accidental calls have not been as frequent, but this is a good reminder for the community to be more mindful of accidentally reaching out to emergency services.
"Just getting the awareness out and letting people know that it is an issue," Hernandez said.