Does dialing 112 on a US cell phone reach police dispatch?
Question asked:
“Dialing 112 on a cell phone in the United States connects directly to police dispatch or state trooper information.”
Summary
Dialing 112 on a U.S. cell phone does not provide a direct link to police dispatch or state trooper information; it may be routed to the standard 911 system in some areas, but it is not a universal or dedicated police line. The claim that it connects directly to police or state trooper services in all 50 states is incorrect.
Sources 57 searched
- Blog • November 13, 2018 - The Facts about 112
Also, in researching the #77, in some locations in the United States, #77 will connect directly to the Highway Patrol for that State, but again, this is not universal, so if you need emergency assistance, stay with 911! There is absolutely no advantage to calling 112 or #77 in the United States; in ...
- Cell Phone Mis-information – Scotts Bluff County
No. Not true. 112 is not a worldwide mobile phone number. Throughout most of Europe and a few countries outside of the EU (European Union), dialing 112 will connect users to local emergency services. However, the number won’t work in North America, nor most of Asia and Africa.
- 911 and E911 Services | Federal Communications Commission
Based on these reports, virtually all carriers now use 911 as the universal emergency number and route 911 calls to an appropriate PSAP.
- Since 2020, Civilians Respond to 911 Calls in 10 Times as Many Cities
More cities, however, are employing ... concentrate on the most challenging cases. Each year, community responders are handling more than 200,000 calls that would have once fallen to police, according to the Law Enforcement Action ...
- Dialing 112 in the United States can sometimes redirect callers to 911, but that doesn't mean you should.
Says if an unmarked car tries to pull you over, you should dial 112 to confirm it’s actually a police officer because the number provides “a direct link to state trooper info,” and that “this applies in all 50 states.”
- Should You Call #77 or 112 to Contact the Police in an Emergency? | Snopes.com
In some parts of the United States a call to 112 will roll over to the local 911 system, but since 112 is not implemented as a universal emergency number in the U.S., calling 911 directly is the better option.
- Will Dialing 112 Connect To An Emergency Call Center When Cell Phone Has No Signal? | Snopes.com
Even when your cell phone signal is blocked, dialing 112 will connect you with an emergency call center.
- Does calling 112 provide a direct link to ‘state trooper info’ in all 50 states? – Gigafact
The claim in a social media post that calling 112 brings help in the U.S. and is a way to verify if an unmarked police car is legitimate is false on both counts. The 9-1-1 Association (the National Emergency Number Association, or NENA) debunked the claim as long ago as 2013, with that organization ...
- Fact Check: Do NOT Try '112 Cell Phone Feature' In An Emergency -- Use Only 911 In North America | Lead Stories
No, that's not true: 112 is the emergency number used across the European Union -- it is not a dedicated state police line in the U.S. The emergency number 911 is used in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Although some cell phone companies will recognize a 112 call placed in North America as an emergency call and route it to a local 911 dispatcher, in a true emergency people in North American should call 911, and people in the EU should call 112. The false claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on Facebook on February 26, 2025...
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