Some people making 911 calls in the San Diego area on Verizon phones Tuesday experienced problems connecting with dispatchers due to some sort of communications-system malfunction.
The connection problem prevented emergency operators from hearing certain — but not all — calls made on the Verizon network, said Lt. Karen Stubkjaer of the county Sheriff’s Department, whose service areas were affected by the issue.
The glitch also caused 911 reception problems in Carlsbad and El Cajon, Verizon spokeswoman Heidi Flato said.
Local law enforcement worked with the telecommunications company to help determine the source of the problem, Stubkjaer said.
Authorities advised anyone having trouble being heard by a dispatcher to hang up, after which the emergency operator would immediately call back. The connection problems were tending to go away when the return calls were made, Stubkjaer said.
By mid-afternoon, the New York-based wireless carrier had identified and resolved the problem, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
Verizon released no information about the cause of the spotty 911 connections.
“Our network engineers worked quickly to restore service and will continue to closely monitor the situation,” Flato said.
Updated at 5:15 p.m. on March 12, 2019.
— City News Service