NEWPORT — There’s a bright-red telephone, with its own special house, just outside the door to the Newport Police Department.

It was installed recently to allow people in emergencies to reach fire, rescue or police units quickly.

“This is not for general-information questions,” said Chief Jim Ricker. “It is for emergencies only. It’s a way to serve our people’s needs more efficiently.”

The phone was deemed necessary after years of complaints from residents who came to the police station and found no one home.

There is no dispatch or secretary service in Newport, and when the police officer is not in the station, it is empty and locked.

Before the town office moved to its new location, those needing help during daytime hours could approach the town office staff, who could reach either the dispatch service by telephone or the police directly by car-to-car radio.

But after regular business hours, or when the town office was closed, those coming to the station had to search around for a pay phone.

On several occasions, those with a medical emergency arrived at the station, seeking medical help, and found no one there and no way to call for assistance.

The phone does not have dailing ability, said Ricker. When the receiver is lifted from the hook, the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department dispatcher, who serves Newport, will come on the line in three to four seconds.

The dispatcher then can assess the situation and direct the appropriate response units.

If anyone takes the phone off the hook or the dispatcher cannot raise a voice on the other end, a police unit will be sent immediately to the phone location to replace the receiver or to assist whoever is there.

The phone is located to the immediate left of the door to the police station, protected from weather by a small wooden shelter.

Ricker stressed that the phone should not be used for general information and that if there is a police officer inside the station, people should talk to the officer directly.