RICHMOND, Va. β Marked by their distinctive yellow boxes and flashing lights, more than 400 emergency reporting telephones across the Richmond metro area offer residents and visitors a direct line to help at the push of a button.
The Virginia Commonwealth University Police Department operates these Emergency Reporting Telephone System (ERTS) phones, which have been serving the community for decades. The program has grown substantially in recent years, now covering approximately 300 locations throughout the metro area.
"We call them ERTS phones. It's just a quick, direct way for people to make contact with our dispatch center," Major Nicole Dailey with VCU Police said.
The bright yellow emergency phones are strategically placed throughout VCU's campuses and satellite offices. Every parking deck features multiple ERTS phones positioned near stairwells and elevators, while parking lots also have the devices readily available.
When someone presses the red button, dispatchers respond immediately with a standard greeting.
"Somebody picks up the phone, we say, 'Hello, this is VCU Police, what is your emergency?'" a dispatcher explained.
Major Dailey emphasized that the phones can be used for any type of emergency or situation requiring assistance.
"When you don't have your phone on you, you've lost it, maybe when you're out and about, or you lost a charge," Dailey said. "You can call us for just about anything. We have people who've called us for mental health crisis. Sometimes you're out walking late at night by yourself."
Joshua Parham, a dispatcher who has worked in his position for more than a year, handles many of these emergency calls. He stresses the importance of providing immediate assistance to callers.
"It's very important we get people the help they need with a sense of urgency," Parham said.
Through his experience, Parham has witnessed firsthand how valuable these direct communication lines can be for people in crisis situations.
"There's definitely been several cases where having the ERTS phone was probably life-saving or able to get somebody some form of help," Parham said.
The emergency phones are distributed across both VCU campuses and at many satellite offices in surrounding counties. For areas without nearby emergency phones, residents can request installation by calling 804-828-1196.
Click here for a map of the phone locations.
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