In January of 1968, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company announced that within its serving areas the digits 911 were available for installation on a national scale as the single emergency telephone number.

When did calling 911 become a thing?

The first call to 911 was placed in February of 1968. Thanks to 911, throughout the country, a call to 911 can quickly connect you with the help you need. Before that first call, individuals needed to dial local 10-digit phone numbers to reach police, fire or emergency services.

What was the police number before 911?

What was the emergency number before 911? Before 911 was introduced, there was no centralized number that people could call in times of an emergency. Anyone who wanted to contact the police or the fire department had to dial "0" to reach a telephone operator or dial a 10-digit number.