There was a time if you called 9-1-1 from a cell phone that law enforcement wouldn’t have the foggiest idea of exactly where you are calling from.

That’s no longer the case.

With cell tower technology and global positioning systems now in place, any 9-1-1 call made inside the Manteca city limits provides almost instant data on that allows law enforcement to pinpoint where the call is originating.

Land-line 9-1-1 calls pop up the address on the dispatcher’s screen where the phone is located when it rings through.

It wasn’t too long ago that all 9-1-1 calls went to the CHP. Dispatchers there then had to find out verbally from the caller where they were at and then relay the call to the appropriate law enforcement agency. Now Manteca Police dispatch as well as those in other cities receive 9-1-1 cell calls originating within their jurisdictions.

Calls made in unincorporated areas of San Joaquin County still go to the CHP.

Manteca Police Chief Nick Obligacion indicated there is no longer delays from 9-1-1 calls made on cell phones within the city limits meaning response times are the same as if they are made on a land-line.

Given that 40 percent of all households in the United States have no land lines, the ability for 9-1-1 calls on cell phones to be seamless is critical.