Law enforcement officials in 4 states report temporary 911 outages

Law enforcement agencies in Nebraska, Nevada, South Dakota and Texas reported temporary disruptions to 911 services before saying hours later that services had been restored. It was not immediately clear what caused the outages or whether they were related.

It was also unclear whether there were emergencies.

The South Dakota Department of Public Safety said in a statement on social media Wednesday evening that it was aware of a disruption in 911 service across the state. The agency noted that texting 911 worked in most locations and people could still reach local law enforcement through non-emergency lines. Less than two hours later, the agency said service had been restored to the state’s 911 system.

That same evening, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department 911 Communications warned in a social media post about an outage on 911 and non-emergency calls. Calls from landlines did not work, but officials said they could see the numbers of those calling from cellphones.

“Call on a mobile device and we can see your number and call you back right away,” the department said.

About two hours later, the department reported that service had been restored and that everyone who called during the outage had been called back and provided assistance.

In Nebraska, sheriff’s offices in several counties, including Dundy, Kearney and Howard, warned Wednesday evening that 911 services were unavailable, but reported a few hours later that services had been restored.

The police department in Del Rio, Texas, a city of 35,000 along the U.S.-Mexico border, said “an outage at a major wireless carrier” was the cause. It did not say which carrier. Del Rio had the opposite problem of Las Vegas: 911 calls from cell phones didn’t work, so those who needed help were urged to use a landline or another cell provider.

Ironically, the outages occurred in the middle of National Public Safety Telecommunications Week.