R.I. takes cell phone Using global positioner.(Brief Article)

One of the most heart-wrenching: things a 911 emergency operator can hear is silence.

Especially when it is coming from a cellular phone, where up until now, it was almost impossible to trace the location of a caller.

"It tears your heart out when you realize there is a caller on the other end in need of medical attention and they can't communicate with you," said Raymond LaBelle, executive director of the Rhode Island E9-1-1 Telephone System. "All you can hear is the pain and frustration because they can't tell you where they are, and you have no idea where they are calling from."

Last week, Rhode Island became the first state in the nation to use …