A tool for is now available to Arkansans and millions of out of state visitors to make it easier to contact the Arkansas State Police when help is needed.
A four-digit speed dial feature, *ASP (*277), is now available on any AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon cellular phone operating in Arkansas. Callers will be connected to one of 12 ASP Highway Patrol Division troop headquarters across the state, whichever is nearest to the caller’s location. A map illustrating the locations (each of which is equipped and staffed with its own telecommunications dispatch center), counties each troop patrols, and contact information can be found here.
State Police clarified that wireless calls sent to *ASP should be limited to non-emergency inquiries or reports, and that the nationwide standard 9-1-1 remains the primary telephone number to use when emergency services are needed, as calls routed through the 9-1-1 network are always answered first and take priority.
“The types of calls we anticipate receiving include those from stranded or lost motorists,” said Colonel Bill Bryant, director of the Arkansas State Police. “Additionally, we encourage callers to use the *ASP speed dial for reporting suspicious activity they may notice on the highway or safety concerns related to dangerous driving of others.”
The Arkansas Department of Transportation is helping to make information about *ASP available to motorists on Arkansas highways by producing more than 200 large blue reflective metal signs that display the *ASP wireless phone instructions. The signs are being erected at all interstate highway entry points for vehicle traffic entering the state, at all interstate interchanges within the state and posted alongside several of the more heavily traveled U.S. and Arkansas highways inside the state’s borders.
“This project has proven to be a collaborative effort by many, all working together, to help make traveling Arkansas a safer experience and better serve the citizens and our visitors,” said ARDOT Director, Lorie Tudor.
Cellular phone customers who are provided wireless services by companies other than AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon should check with their provider to determine whether the *ASP speed dial service is available on their network. *ASP is not designed to function from a landline telephone.
