On Wednesday evening, law enforcement agencies in four states in the United States received reports that 911 services were experiencing severe disruptions, leaving millions unable to contact authorities. According to reports, by late evening, many of the disrupted services in Nebraska, Nevada, South Dakota, and Texas had been restored.
In South Dakota, local law enforcement agencies reported a statewide outage before 7 p.m. local time on Wednesday. The Rapid City Police Department provided alternative phone numbers for residents to call emergency services, and the service was restored approximately two hours later.
The South Dakota Department of Public Safety stated on Wednesday evening that “most areas are operational by texting 9-1-1” to contact authorities. In Nevada, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department announced around 7 p.m. local time that 911 service was disrupted, affecting the ability to contact them. They urged residents to use mobile devices to dial 911, as the dispatch center could receive and call back, stating that landlines were “currently unavailable.”
By 9 p.m. local time, services in the state had returned to normal. The police department said, “Everyone who called during the outage has received a call back and assistance.” In Nebraska, the Chase County Sheriff’s Office stated that all 911 services were disrupted in the state except for T-Mobile, while landlines could still reach 911.
Although officials have not provided an exact cause for the incidents mentioned, the Department of Homeland Security had previously issued warnings about the increased risk of network attacks as 911 services transition to internet-based systems.
Less than two months ago, AT&T experienced a widespread outage affecting thousands of people in multiple states, impacting some 911 calls for hours. However, the company indicated that this was likely due to procedural errors rather than a network attack.
The Del Rio Police Department in Texas attributed the issue to the service provider and stated that it was not related to the city’s system. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) posted on social media on Thursday morning that they were aware of reports related to the 911 outages and are currently investigating the matter.