Vegas Hotels Blocking 911 Calls
I write a lot about M life hotels and casinos that include properties such as the Bellagio, Mirage, and Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. After the attack at Mandalay Bay that left 58 dead, security at casino/hotels has come in to question.
Per @VitalVegas on Twitter, apparently calling 911 from a hotel room phone connects you with the hotel operator or security; not directly to 911.
Per longtime risk assessment pro: When Vegas hotel guests dial 911, calls go to a hotel hotline. Hotels decide if police are contacted. Wow.
— Vital Vegas (@VitalVegas) October 11, 2017
While I have never had the need to call 911 from a hotel phone, I would assume you would be able to connect directly with the 911 dispatcher.
Speculation is that hotel and casino properties in Las Vegas use this to screen out crime that happens in their hotels. Once a call is connected to 911 dispatch, it becomes public record. Vegas properties have a vested interest in keeping crime quiet. By having 911 calls go through their internal systems, they have the ability to control the messaging that gets passed on to 911, if any at all. What’s more, I am seeing reports that a supervisor must approve of connecting the guest to a 911 dispatcher.
This seems like a dangerous system. It may be that the hotels have something worked out with 911 in order to cut down on issues that could be better handled by security on site. And of course you could always use your cell to dial to 911 directly.
Do other hotels in the US do this? Is this standard policy or something unique to Las Vegas?