Is 911 a Joke in Your Town?

The 911 emergency call number has been around for more than 30 years, with the goal of rapid response to impending disaster, medical problems or crimes in progress. Cell-phone technology ought to be bringing us closer to that objective, but in 40 percent of America's counties, it's not. In Cherokee County, Oklahoma, a woman being beaten by an intruder in front of her 3- and 4-year old daughters dialed 911 on her cell phone and threw it under a sofa, but operators could do nothing but listen for almost a half hour. Authorities lacked the technology needed to find her. Patrick Halley speaks for the National Emergency Number Association.