Tallahassee - Leon County CDA works to mitigate 911 delays for Verizon customers

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - Verizon customers in Tallahassee and Leon County noticed delays when trying to contact dispatch for help.

While the 9-1-1 delay has been resolved, similar reports have also been received throughout the southeast.

Earlier Tuesday, Verizon customers who called 9-1-1 say their call didn’t fully connect to the dispatch center and instead all they heard was dead air. An eerie moment for those looking for immediate assistance.

The thing is though, the dispatch center does in fact receive the number and the location and have been able to call the callers back. These delays, however, have slowed down the process for dispatch agents to be able to connect calls to the right agencies so they can respond. And while Verizon has worked to fix this issue, the CDA has other options for residents in need of emergency assistance when these delays do arise.

”If you’re unable to make contact through a regular 911 phone, there’s always text to 911. We highly encourage folks to call 911 first but if you’re unable to call 911, you can text to 911 and the same operator that would’ve answered the call through the voice is now doing that through text,” explained Consolidated Dispatch Agency Director David Odom.

Odom says you can also call the non-emergency line at 850-606-5800 if you’re struggling to get through to the emergency lines.

Again, the good news is, this Verizon 911 delay has been resolved as Verizon has informed the state they’re back online and it is back to business as usual for those Verizon users trying to call 911.

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