Cops-20% of 911 Calls Due To “Butt Dialing!”

A number of months ago, there was a hilarious cell phone commercial about a couple who was 'butt dialing' each other on their phones;  comes of course, from putting one's cell phone in their back pocket and it fires off a call....but to 911?

Police in Evanston Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, report what is a growing trend with law enforcement agencies across America...with growing cell phone use, the number of accidentally, or "butt dialied" emergency calls is ballooning.   Evanston police claim it's becoming an issue, because false or unintended emergency calls not only waste time and resources, they tie up the lines when others who really need assistance might be calling.    Police dispatchers, by law in most states, have to stay online with the call until it is dropped.   Since cell phones can only be tracked to a general vicinity (by the nearest tower)  in some occasions police have had to send out a search patrol to make sure the accidental call was....accidental.   Police and fire treat every call as if it were serious-hence, butt dialing causes significant disruption.  And since most smart phones are NOT the older style slider or clamshell design, putting the phone in your back pocket increases the chance of...butt dialing.   Advice from one police officer?  Don't put it in the back pocket!