San Francisco is one exception in California. "Most" cellular calls within the city are routed directly to the city 911 center, depending on which cell tower your phone connects with. Like OldBaldGuy said, you don't necessarily connect with the geographically closest tower. Anyway, the rest of the cellular calls in SF are answered by the CHP. But I'm in southern Cal now and I'm not sure how it works down here yet. I should find that out.

When I lived in NYC, I believe those cellular calls were also routed to the city dispatchers.

I second that. During the hurricanes of 2004 I was able to sit in a dispatch center and relayed 2 emergency dispatches via amateur radio. The room was all business, unlike the normally dead times where nothing is going on, it was constant work for 8 hours.

It's critical the calltaker ask the right questions, because if they don't, the call may not be prioritized correctly and people may die.

I wish there was a better way in this country to let those who get paid the big bucks in technology fields, to give more back to the community. Not to sacrifice training, but if there was a way for me to be a dispatcher part time, I'd do it in a heart beat. The closest I get is volunteering in amateur radio.