RI State Police: 911 Calls Disrupted Monday Night

SCITUATE, RI — For about an hour Monday night, dispatchers dealt with a malfunctioning emergency 911 system, state police said. Now, they're looking for the reason the people who called could not hear the dispatcher's replies.

This morning at 11:45, the Department of Public Safety will hold a news conference at RI State Police Headquarters to answer questions about the 911 problem.

The situation prompted police and fire departments to go on Twitter to remind residents they could call the police and fire local numbers, as a 911 alternative. Providence Firefighters even posted a picture of the red lever-operated street boxes, which are still operational across the City.

"The problem was initially identified at 7:41 p.m. and the system was fully operational again by 8:49 p.m.," state police said. "The 911 lines were never fully inoperable. Dispatchers could always hear the caller and did try to call people back.

"However, some numbers would not accept incoming calls; other times the dispatcher’s calls went to voice mail," state police said.

The cause of the disruption in service is still unknown, but "there is no immediate indication of any suspicious activity involving the 911 phone lines or computers."