Cell phones are becoming critical parts of the tool kit for police agencies across the country, although exact numbers are still not available. Some of the more advanced features of cell phones are call conferencing, voice activation, e-mail, and even Internet access and downloading capabilities. Systems in Japan and Europe, which are far ahead of the United States, provide color LCD screens, text messaging, and color streaming video. Although most service providers offer discounts to government employees, there are not many cell systems specifically designed for use by police agencies. An exception is San Diego's Crime Hotline Service, which enables members of the entire San Diego area law enforcement community to make direct calls to the California Highway Patrol, Sheriff's Department, and the City Police Department with no airtime charges over Verizon Wireless. By mandate from the FCC, all cell phones in the United States must now offer one-button 911 calling and automatic location information. A major disadvantage to cell phone use by police agencies is that the cellular industry has not given public safety agencies any priorities in the use of the air waves. Thus, when there is a crisis in a given area, the cellular system crashes due to high demand in a given time frame. Cooperation between government agencies and the commercial wireless industry may improve the communications benefits of cell phones for law enforcement in the future; however, cellular communications are not likely to eliminate the need for reliable police radio systems. 5-item resource list