Demi Moore Call -- Example of 911 System Successes or Failure?

COMMENTARY | The Los Angeles Times released details of the confusion surrounding the Demi Moore 911 call, which resulted in a delayed response by paramedics. Looking back on the recent history of the Los Angeles 911 system, it may actually be a study in success.

Details of the 911 call show that it was made from a cellphone. These calls do not provide L.A.'s emergency response system with an automatic address capture -- complete with a map of cross streets -- but are instead routed through the California Highway Patrol system. As a result, the caller needs to have not only the details of the emergency, but also an intricate knowledge of the address. After the Demi Moore 911 call, paramedics arrived within eight minutes, and were en route to a nearby hospital within 46 minutes. Think this is too long? Not necessarily.

Take a look back at the year 2007, when the L.A. Times pointed out that cellphones were overwhelming California's 911 system. Eight-minute hold times -- as opposed to the self-imposed 10-second response time demanded by standards -- and even 27-minute hold times were recorded. "A person is better off calling for help on a land line" the publication concluded.

Go back even further in time, to the year 1989, and consider the L.A. Times' revelation that the entire 911 emergency telephone system crashed because of a computer part. During a four-hour period, approximately 70 percent of calls to 911 could not get through. Of note was also the unanticipated rise in emergency calls, which further acerbated the strain on the system.

When comparing and contrasting these well-documented failures and problems with the recent Los Angeles 911 system's performance, it is clear that it functioned almost perfectly. The confusion was not even necessarily due to the call's having been made from a cellphone. Instead, a CBS transcript of the Demi Moore 911 call shows that the problem resulted from ZIP code confusion.

It appears that while Ms. Moore's address reflects a Beverly Hills location, it is actually located on a small parcel of land that is covered by Los Angeles city services. The next improvement to the Los Angeles 911 system clearly needs to come via a clarification of the jurisdictional lines.