The Garden City Police Department currently utilizes the Enhanced 911 (E-911) System. Under the traditional 911 system, 911 emergency calls from locations within Garden City would be received at Nassau County Police Headquarters and then transferred over to the Garden City Police Department on a regular phone line.

Under the traditional system, the phone number of the caller was not displayed and all information about the location of the emergency call had to be ascertained from the caller. Under the E-911 System, all 911 calls from stationary positions within Garden City are now received at Garden City Headquarters.

In addition, the E-911 System provides a visual display of the caller's telephone number as well as a visual display of the name and address associated with the calling number. The E-911 System also provides a printed copy of the number, name and address of each 911 call. Garden City's E-911 System consists of four dedicated telephone lines and has numerous security features that protect the security of the system, the routing of emergency calls and the special functions programmed by the Garden City Police Department.

"The most important function of the E-911 System is that as soon as an emergency call is received the police know where to respond even if there is no response on the other end of the phone line," Police Commissioner Ernest Cipullo said. "A police officer is dispatched to all 911 calls even when there is no one on the other end of the line or when the call is disconnected. This has proven to be very beneficial many times, especially in cases where the caller was having a medical emergency. Because of this, many lives have been saved."

Commissioner Cipullo also advises that there are many other important functions of the E-911 System, including but not limited to:

* The E-911 System allows the Garden City Police Department to directly connect the caller to other necessary agencies, such as fire departments, ambulances, poison control, utility companies and other emergency services.

* An emergency call from a Garden City location that requires a response to another locality can be directly transferred to the agency that governs that locality.

* In cases where an interpreter is needed, an emergency call can be connected to a language line service to help expedite an immediate response to the emergency.

* The E-911 System is also capable of communicating with persons who are hearing impaired and have specially equipped phones that will facilitate two-way communications.

* Currently, wireless calls are routed to the Nassau County Police Department Communications Bureau who, in return, instantly transfers the call to the proper jurisdiction. Future plans will enable a wireless call to be pinpointed to within 50 feet of the nearest intersection.

The E-911 System is a dedicated Emergency Call System. Please continue to call 465-4100 for all non-emergency calls to the Garden City Police Department.