KEENE - Telephones at the Keene Police Department could be inoperable for up to two hours Friday while a new telephone system is installed.

The system change is happening between 5 and 7 p.m. and will make the department's current telephone system inoperable during that time, although police expect it will be a much shorter time period, according to a press release.

Emergency 911 calls will be relayed to police from state operators as usual. For non-emergencies, the department has set up two temporary telephone lines - 313-1623 and 313-1982.

Those numbers will not have voicemail. Police ask residents to delay making non-emergency and non-priority calls to the department to at least 7 p.m. so officers can concentrate on emergency calls.

Calls to any other department telephone number will not go through during the transition.

Police will let the public know - through press releases and radio announcements - when the new telephone system is up and running, allowing citizens to return to using regular contact numbers.