City of Boulder crews will be removing five emergency call boxes from University Hill within the next two weeks after determining that they have not been used to summon police to a legitimate crime in at least two years.

The call boxes, also known as “blue phones,” have instead become a source of frequent pranks. In 2009 and 2010, police received 351 calls from the blue phones – all of which turned out to be false. In each case, police responded, diverting them from other responsibilities and actual calls for help.

The city has been providing the blue phone service since 2002, and at that time, the equipment served an important safety purpose. Today, however, with the prevalence of cell phones, the police department believes they are no longer needed. Emergency calls for service from that area universally come from cell phones and landlines. In addition, the phones are starting to break and would require costly repair or replacement.

“We remain committed to providing prompt and effective public safety service to University Hill and all other areas of the city. That is our number one priority,” said Police Chief Mark Beckner. “While these phones helped the community feel safer when cell phones were not as prevalent, their value and purpose has diminished with the changing times.”

The phones that will be removed are located at:
1202 Pleasant St.
12th Street/Pennsylvania Avenue
13th Street/Euclid Avenue
12th Street/College Avenue
1000 block of 14th Street

The city has met with both university officials and representatives of CU Student Government, and all are in agreement that the phones on the Hill have outlasted their intended purpose. Any money saved from keeping this equipment operational will be put back into the Hill maintenance fund.