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Wet Wires Result in Fake 911 Calls from Western Kentucky

Dispatchers in western Kentucky must send a law enforcement officer to every 911 call received from a landline telephone, even when there's no sound from a caller on the other end. 

Recently, though, occupants claim they never called 911. And, in some cases, the calls have come from vacant lots. 

Ohio County 911 Dispatch Director Carol Smith told the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer that wet phone wires are triggering the phantom calls. Dispatch directors in Daviess, Muhlenberg and McLean counties have reported a similar phenomenon. 

Homeowners tend to be unhappy when law enforcement officers arrive at their door uninvited to ask about a problem that doesn't exist.  An AT&T spokeswoman says the company is not aware of the problem.