DEAR SUN SPOTS: Your May 15 answer to the 83-year-old woman who lives in fear of her neighbors prompted me to ask something I’ve been wondering for some time.

Some time ago I came across a car accident and called 911. I started to tell him about it and he interrupted me to demand my name, phone number, home address, date of birth and Social Security number.

Because I was more concerned about who might be in the vehicle and what condition they were in, I reluctantly and hurriedly gave my information to him. Now this information is all over the public airwaves. Why do they demand to know a citizen reporter’s information and why are we required to answer it?

Others have told me they have reported minor things they thought police should know and do something about and got the same questioning.

By doing this, the police are discouraging citizens from reporting accidents and other concerns. — No Name via email

ANSWER: For an answer to this question, Sun Spots corresponded with Phyllis G. Gamache, director of the Lewiston-Auburn Emergency Communications System (the 911 Center is independent of the police departments), who offered a thorough response to your query.

“When taking a 911 call, our first priority is to get the location of the emergency. In the event the caller is disconnected, we will know the most important piece of information: the ‘where.’ Once we have location, we ask for the caller’s name and ,phone number. so we can call back if we get disconnected, and once we have determined the nature of the emergency, we will get additional information about the caller’s address and DOB.

“Under no circumstances would 911 ever ask for a caller’s Social Security number.

“Calls to 911 are just like any other telephone calls; they are carried by traditional telephone lines or via cellular connection. They are not transmitted over radio frequencies and cannot be monitored or overheard by police and fire scanners.

“In fact, Maine has very strict laws regarding the protection of 911 calls. All calls are considered confidential and audio recordings cannot be released to anyone, including the caller, without a court order by a court of competent jurisdiction.

“Having caller information is important in the event the situation later requires witness statements, and it serves to verify the caller information imbedded in each landline and cellular phone, known in the 911 industry as automatic number information (ANI) and automatic location information (ALI).

“Maine has one of the most organized, efficient and well-trained system of 911 call taking in the country. As such, our call takers know the most vital information to gather first, then what is important to ask secondly, and how to gather any additional information once the priority questions have been asked.

“While many people call 911 once or twice in a lifetime, 911 centers in Maine receive many, many 911 calls each day (LA911 alone averages 115 911 calls each day), and we are proficient at gathering just the right information needed by police, fire and EMS.

“I sincerely hope the writer and future callers will never hesitate to call 911 during emergency situations.”

DEAR SUN SPOTS: In response to the May 20 query, my wife, Cynthia Clark-Bulger, teaches voice lessons in our home in Rumford. She has more than 25 years of experience teaching voice and piano. You can reach her by phone, 207-364-3150, or email. — crosswinds1111@myfairpoint.net

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