The Georgia Tech Police Department (GTPD) and the Office of Information Technology's (OIT) Telecommunications group have initiated a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) to route 911 calls made from campus telephones directly to the Georgia Tech Police.

"The Georgia Tech Police Department continues to pursue the best practices available to serve and protect the campus," says Chief Teresa Crocker. "Routing emergency calls made from the campus directly to our dispatchers will save the minutes and seconds that can make a crucial difference in a life-safety situation."

Previously, all 911 calls made from campus telephones were routed to the city of Atlanta, and then transferred back to the Georgia Tech Police. The Telecommunications group, working closely with AT&T and GTPD, installed a state-of-the-art emergency call and dispatch system that allows GTPD to see the phone number and location of the caller and rapidly dispatch assistance.

Emergency calls originating from mobile phones are routed to the city of Atlanta, so it is recommended that such calls be placed from campus or emergency phones whenever possible. The campus system is integrated with both the city and regional Enhanced 911 systems to provide backup in case of system failure, as well as one-touch routing to the appropriate emergency response agency.

"Implementing our own telecommunications infrastructure on Georgia Tech's Atlanta campus continues to provide benefits in a variety of ways," says John Mullin, OIT's chief information officer. "Being able to provide more accurate location information to the Georgia Tech Police and enabling them to respond to emergency calls more quickly can improve student safety. It is one of the ways OIT adds value to the campus that we are truly proud of."