# Do Policemen Use call Boxes Anymore? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 10, 2009, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-policemen-use-call-boxes-anymore/517058 "2009-11-10T16:37:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-policemen-use-call-boxes-anymore/517058/1 "2009-11-10T16:37:50Z")
I just saw one, and it looked ancient. These call boxes were used by cops walking a beat-they would cal in at specified times, to let the dispatechers know where they were. With the advent of patrol cars (fewer cops walking a beat), and celphones/two way radios I expect callboxes would be rarely used. I remember walking up to one-they were massivethings (cast iron case), with a big hinged dor. In my area, most were made by the “Gamewell Co.”-I suspect this firm is long-gone. Are these things stil used? ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-policemen-use-call-boxes-anymore/517058/2 "2009-11-10T17:05:35Z")
I don’t know about the Police Box but we still had the red Fire Boxes on poles until about five years ago. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-policemen-use-call-boxes-anymore/517058/3 "2009-11-10T17:36:49Z")
They’ve been phased out over the years. 911 put an end to them permanently as a way to contact the police (and people were using phones instead for decades). Also, there are few beat cops these days, and all cops have two-way radios. Of course, in the UK, they’ve been [repurposed](http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/Doctor%20Who%20TARDIS%20in%20flight.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![hekk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@hekk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hekk)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-policemen-use-call-boxes-anymore/517058/4 "2009-11-11T00:04:08Z")
For whatever reason, I’ve only ever seen crossing guards use them. I’m surprised they’re still operable, most of them are 80+ years old! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-policemen-use-call-boxes-anymore/517058/5 "2009-11-11T00:22:50Z")
I remember a commercial that showed the beat cop taking a doughnut from a call box. > [@ralph124c](#): > > In my area, most were made by the “Gamewell Co.”-I suspect this firm is long-gone. And as for the Gamewell Co., if you do a simple [web search](http://www.google.com/search?source=hp&q=Gamewell+Co.), you’ll see that they still exist as [Gamewell-FCI](http://www.gamewell-fci.com/), a division of Honeywell. Among their products are [fire alarm boxes](http://www.gamewell-fci.com/datasheets/CS-2261.pdf) (note that that is an Adobe Acrobat file). ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-policemen-use-call-boxes-anymore/517058/6 "2009-11-11T03:14:09Z")
Yes. They are useful as a secure line, in case of some sort of emergency. But they are not used much anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-policemen-use-call-boxes-anymore/517058/7 "2009-11-11T03:39:03Z")
Washington DC’s have been torn out, leaving only the casings. As to these there is talk of turning them into some sort of public art. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-policemen-use-call-boxes-anymore/517058/8 "2009-11-11T10:47:55Z")
I don’t think UK policemen use them any more, but of course Doctor Who still uses the facade! ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-policemen-use-call-boxes-anymore/517058/9 "2009-11-11T12:42:25Z")
One near me in Edinburgh is being restored for police use. The intention is that they can use it as a mini-base for the surrounding (late-night, heavy drinking) area and conduct interviews and possibly hold suspects until transport arrives. It means the police can be extremely close to likely trouble spots without having to just sit in a car. At least one other has Council touch-screen info points installed on the outside, and others are coffee kiosks. Outside the city centre most are derelict, though. (Edinburgh still has around 80 in place) ---
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-policemen-use-call-boxes-anymore/517058/10 "2009-11-11T17:40:01Z")
To our UK friends, I think the OP was talking about small police call boxes [like this](http://www.vintagevending.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/police_phone.jpg) mounted on poles through-out an urban area back in the day, not a police booth. Of course, I could be very wrong, and the OP did mean booths, but the image I posted is of a restored Gamewell (hmm, I don’t think the ‘No Drugs’ logo is original spec, though) ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-policemen-use-call-boxes-anymore/517058/11 "2009-11-12T10:02:28Z")
> [@SirRay](#): > > To our UK friends, I think the OP was talking about small police call boxes [like this](http://www.vintagevending.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/police_phone.jpg) mounted on poles through-out an urban area back in the day, not a police booth. > Of course, I could be very wrong, and the OP did mean booths, but the image I posted is of a restored Gamewell (hmm, I don’t think the ‘No Drugs’ logo is original spec, though) Not so much _Doctor Who,_ more [\*Top Cat, \*](http://www.hobo-bonobo.co.uk/topten/images/0812071251207.jpg) yes? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-policemen-use-call-boxes-anymore/517058/12 "2009-11-12T13:04:06Z")
In Philly, they took away the call boxes decades ago, but they left the posts. You can see them all over the place just sticking out of the ground with no purpose. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-policemen-use-call-boxes-anymore/517058/13 "2009-11-13T06:09:14Z")
I know that in 2007 Milwaukee still had a working call box system. There were just simple touch tone phones inside. There used to be fire alarms on the outside until they were removed in the mid-80’s to cut down on false alarms. I don’t know if the call box system is still up, but the call boxes are still heavily peppered throughout the city. About 1500 of them I believe.