CAMDEN, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — Part of the New Jersey state budget recently signed by Gov. Phil Murphy includes $10 million to upgrade 911 call systems. A county official says they still need more.
Included in the budget is $1.5 million for Cape May County, $947,000 for Salem County, $475,000 for Cherry Hill and under $100,000 for both Camden and Gloucester counties.
Camden County Commissioner Jonathan Young said for years, the state has raided the dedicated funding for 911 systems to plug other holes, sending just a fraction of taxes collected to improve those systems.
Young says every phone bill has a small tax that’s supposed to go towards emergency call upgrades, but that’s not where the money usually winds up.
And while this $10 million spread across the state will help, Young says some counties need new, modernized systems that could cost tens of millions of dollars each.
Young says some places, like Cumberland County, likely need an entirely new system, which could cost millions, so this round of funding won’t get the job done.
“We just need the state, the legislators, to understand that this is an important issue for us and that they can continue to fund our 911 systems," Young said.
On Friday, Pennsylvania’s 911 system experienced statewide intermittent outages for hours, making it difficult for those with emergencies to get through. The cause is still not known.