Dispatchers

Old cell phones in the wrong hands are causing problems for emergency dispatchers. That's because they can still call 911 even if they don't have service. The service can help people in need, but children playing with old phones are calling 911 and people are also using them to prank dispatch centers. At dispatch centers, normal cellphone calls show up with a number and general location, but on old phones, that valuable information is missing. "We have no idea who the person is, no idea where they are and we do not have a phone number to call back," said Tim Prugh with South Bend Police Department's 911 dispatch center.

TONASKET, Wash. (AP) - Authorities say a British Columbia man drove about 225 miles after his 75-year-old wife died in the car next to him, uncertain whether he could cross the Canadian border with her. Tonasket Police Chief Robert Burks says the 71-year-old man didn't know what to do, so he kept driving. The man was vacationing in Oregon when his wife began suffering a medical condition. They were trying to get home to Oliver, B.C., but she died near Pasco, Wash.

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY - An off-duty firefighter said he spotted a funnel cloud at Mayflower and State Road 23 around 1:30 Wednesday afternoon, sending tornado sirens blaring throughout St. Joseph County. Rob Rose is a trained storm spotter. He's also a South Bend Firefighter and a paramedic for medflight. Rose said the funnel cloud was twice this size of the photo he sent WSBT, it had a counterclockwise rotation and it lasted 7 minutes. He said once he saw the cloud, he knew it had potential danger.

SOUTH BEND -- South Bend Police dispatchers say a toddler was found wandering around the area of the Potawatomi Zoo Sunday morning. Dispatchers say the child was found around 8:00 a.m. Sunday. The child has been reunited with parents. It is unclear at this time how the child got there alone.  

SOUTH BEND -- Fire crews in South Bend assisted a motorist early Sunday morning when his car caught fire for an unknown reason. According to a South Bend Police and Fire dispatcher, a motorist called for help at 3:37 a.m. Sunday after his car caught fire. He pulled into a Phillips 66 gas station in the 3400 block of Lincoln Way West and evacuated his vehicle. Crews were able to put the fire under control and clear the scene by 4:21 a.m. There is no word yet on what caused the fire.

SOUTH BEND -- Crews responded to a house fire Thursday on the corner of Ford and Dundee Streets in South Bend. Dispatchers say a call came in at 11:45 a.m. Thursday. When crews arrived to the home in the 3100 block of West Ford Street, there was heavy smoke coming from the home. No one was home when the fire started. It apparently started in a back bedroom.   Stay tuned to WSBT-TV and wsbt.com for more information.

SOUTH BEND -- South Bend police dispatchers say a school bus was involved in a minor accident Friday morning, just after 8:30 a.m. The crash happened in the 100-block of North Walnut in South Bend. Police say they do not believe there are any injuries as a result of the crash.

Just after midnight Sunday, South Bend police dispatchers received a call from a home in the 300 block of N. Studebaker with a report that a man standing on the porch said he’d been shot while walking down the street. Police responded to the call and transported the man to the hospital, a dispatcher said. A few hours earlier on Saturday night, a man was shot dead at a birthday party at the Courtyard Place Apartments. Police said they do not know if the shootings are related.

SOUTH BEND -- One person was sent to an area hospital after a stabbing in South Bend Thursday morning. Dispatchers say it happened around 4 a.m. in the 500-block of Pennsylvania Avenue. It is unknown at this time what prompted the attack. Dispatchers had no word on the condition of the victim. Stay tuned for updates to this story.  

Each year, 911 dispatchers in our area handle more than a half a million calls. Operators say most are actual emergencies, but that's not always the case. Last year, South Bend's 911 dispatchers received calls from people seeking help for personal disputes, and recipe ideas. One man asked operators to turn his power back on. These non-emergency calls tie up lines for real emergencies. Watch WSBT-TV Reporter John Paul's special report here . And listen to more non-emergency 911 calls here .