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Baltimore County 911 Gets Upgrade

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Baltimore County 911 Gets Upgrade

BALTIMORE (WJZ) ― If you've made a call to the 911 system in Baltimore County, you're not alone. At least 900,00 calls come into the center each year.

Ron MatzĀ reports how the 911 center in the Baltimore County is getting a much needed digital upgrade, thanks to some federal funding.

Where there's an emergency, Baltimore County's 800,00 residents call 911 expecting to be taken care of. Maryland Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger realizes the need for efficiency in these situations.

"911 is the beginning of any emergency call. It's so important to protect our citizens that we have a quality 911 center," said Congressman Ruppersberger.

But the county's call center is 20-years-old and desperately needs an upgrade.

"We're in a new age now. When this 911 center started in 1980 it was where it needed to be from a technology point of view, but now the world has changed and we're going to move to digital" said Ruppersberger.

Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski also recognized the need for the improvement in order to be prepared in urgent situations.

"We're on the 1-95 corridor, we're on the Amtrak Corridor, we're in the Capital region. BRAC is coming with all the increased national security challenges and hazards, so we want to be ready for the future," said Senator Mikulski.

Thanks to Senator Barbara Milulski and Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger, the county is receiving $1.5 million in federal funds, to help modernize the 911 center.

The new funding will not only buy digital equipment, it will help upgrade phones, computers and radios.

"Today this center uses the latest technology available to direct more than 900,000 calls every year," said Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith.

The center will even expand and with its up-to-date technology for digital communication, reliable help is just a phone call away.

"We're very serious about this. Responding to emergency calls is indeed a very serious matter. Lives are on the line. The people who call out of desperation need to have help as quickly as they can get it," said Senator Mikulski.

The total cost of the project is $14 million which includes $3 million federal funds and $11 million from the county.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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