Emergency line call-takers and dispatchers receive over a thousand calls every day on average, but about one in 10 of those callers hang up or abandon their calls before officials can figure out what the problem is.
“I have had at least five today,” Charleston County dispatcher Marea Quijano said one afternoon on July 27. “I start to answer, ‘click.’ They hang up.”
In June 2026, the Charleston County Emergency Communications Center received 25,649 calls. Of those, 2,862 — or about 10.04% — were “abandoned.” This means either the caller hung up before dispatchers answered, or failed to reply to dispatchers once the line connected.
It’s a similar story since April, according to data from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed by the Charleston City Paper in late June.
In April, the county’s 47 certified call-takers received 23,930 emergency calls. Just over 1,200 calls were abandoned. In May, dispatchers took 25,197 emergency calls, and over 2,000 calls were abandoned.
So is there a problem?
There’s a strict protocol for what the county’s call-takers do in that case to ensure no emergency gets ignored.
“The first thing I do is try to call them back,” Quijano said.
It sounds obvious, but the majority of these so-called “abandoned calls” were accidents in the first place, with no emergency, she added. Accidental button presses — butt-dials — false alarms from automated crash or fall detectors, and children getting ahold of a parent’s phone are all commonplace in the county’s dispatch office.
Every call, however, gets treated the same, and no dispatcher can expect that an abandoned call was merely an accident, according to county spokeswoman Kaitlin Jordan.
“When the Apple watches first came out, the button to notify 9-1-1 was right against the face of the clock,” Quijano said. “We were going through 50-to-60 accidental calls per day just from that alone. But you don’t ever want to assume that just because someone has called 50 times before accidentally the 51st call isn’t going to be important.”
Questions without answers
Quijano and other dispatchers run callers through the same questions each time, designed to get the most information as quickly as possible to alert emergency services. Even if there doesn’t seem to be anyone on the other end of the line.
“What’s the emergency? If you can hear me and not speak, can you tap on the line?” she explained. “If the call is actively open, I document anything I hear in the background, the type of line it’s coming from — even if it’s a pay phone. With cell phones, we’re trying to retransmit to get a better location on them, and if all else fails, we send that cell phone a text message.”
After a certain amount of time, and if there doesn’t seem to be an active emergency, a dispatcher will end the call and call back. And any information, or lack thereof, that the dispatcher gets can help. As soon as the line connects, first responders are already on their way.
If the caller reconnects and confirms there is no emergency, the call-taker can disconnect, but the call stays in the log for law enforcement to either respond or cancel, depending on the situation.
‘15 seconds’
Dispatchers are trained to answer calls within 20 seconds to ensure emergencies are responded to promptly. About 90% of the county’s emergency calls are answered in that timeframe. Most of them are answered within 15 seconds, according to data obtained from the FOIA request.
That’s about three to four rings, and some callers can’t wait that long. They hang up before dispatchers answer the call, and they call back. But that just puts them at the bottom of the queue again, perpetuating a dangerous and scary cycle, officials said.
“Fifteen seconds feels like forever when you’re having chest pains or have just been in a car wreck,” Jordan said.
And the abandoned calls that ultimately aren’t related to a real emergency can clog up the line, making it worse.
Since dispatchers have to go through the important questions for every call, even if the caller is a giggling 4-year-old, that queue can start feeling long.
“It does prevent other calls from being answered in a quick enough time,” Quijano said.
That’s why she recommends parents do everything they can to prevent these unnecessary calls. Some suggestions Quijano gave: Hide your phone app when you give your cell phone to a child, and ensure your phone is locked before you put it in your pocket or in a beach bag to prevent butt-dials.
When, how to call 9-1-1
Charleston County emergency service officials say not enough people know when to dial 9-1-1. Mistakes can cost dispatchers precious seconds with people in danger. Here are some tips to keep in mind when you need help in an emergency.
Is a person hurt or in immediate danger? Call 9-1-1. An emergency is any serious situation in which a law enforcement officer, firefighter or medical help is needed right away. If you are unsure if your situation is an emergency, go ahead and call 9-1-1, and the call-taker can determine if you need emergency assistance or if you can safely hang up and call the non-emergency number.
Reporting past crimes, noise complaints or minor traffic incidents? Call the non-emergency line. For Charleston County, the number is (843) 743-7200. This line is for reporting things like vandalism or thefts when the suspect is gone and nobody is hurt. It’s also for public nuisances or car collisions with no injuries. You can also ask the call-taker for general police information or request copies of past reports.
If you dial 9-1-1, do not hang up the phone. Even if you dialed by mistake, call-takers are trained to get the most important information as quickly as possible to assess the situation.
Allow the call-taker to ask all the questions to determine what, if any, help is needed. Staying on the line to tell the dispatcher there is no emergency saves time from having the dispatcher call you back.
Stay calm and speak clearly. Remaining calm during an emergency can be one of the most difficult but important things you can do when dialing 9-1-1, officials said. Speaking quickly and clearly can help the call-taker translate the relevant information to emergency services more quickly and accurately, ensuring the best possible outcomes.
Teach your children how and when, to call 9-1-1. Be sure everyone in your household knows what 9-1-1 is, how to dial it from your home or cell phone and to only do so when they need help. Ensure they know names, telephone numbers and, most importantly, the address.
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