Child makes 287 calls to 911

CARPENTERSVILLE, Ill., July 5 (UPI) -- Emergency dispatchers in Carpentersville, Ill., say a child playing with a deactivated cell phone dialed 911 emergency 287 times.

QuadCom emergency center dispatchers said the 4-year-old girl eventually gave out her address when a dispatcher agreed to fill her McDonald's order, the Elgin (Ill.) Courier-News reported Thursday.

However, the center sent police to the home instead of cheeseburgers.

Federal Communications Commission regulations require deactivated cell phones to retain 911 capability -- a feature the child's mother said she was unaware of, the newspaper said. However, since the phone was deactivated, it did not give out a return phone number or other information when the 911 calls were made.

QuadCom Executive Director Steve Cordes urged parents to be cautious when giving children old cell phones to play with. He said emergency workers must investigate the calls, even if they seem suspicious.

"You don't know if it's a real call," he told the Courier-News. "You also have to stop and take the 911 dispatchers away from handling bona fide emergency calls."