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Non-emergency calls clogging 911 lines; is 311 the answer?
Non-emergency calls clogging 911 lines; is 311 the answer?
By JILL HARMACINSKI
Staff writer
The phone rings, the console lights up, and the dispatcher mentally readies to handle disaster.
"Nine-one-one. What's your emergency?"
"Yes, I was wondering what time the July 4 fireworks start?"
It's a scenario that plays out day after day, year after year, in police and fire dispatch centers across the North Shore. Telephone lines earmarked for 911 emergency calls are abused by residents looking to report non-life threatening incidents, barking dogs, potholes and abandoned cars, or to ask questions about town and city events -- whether school has been canceled for bad weather, or where the fireworks are being shot off.
Enter the concept of "311."
A 311 non-emergency telephone system is gaining popularity across the country and is in use in more than a dozen major cities, including New York, Chicago, Miami, San Antonio and Las Vegas. Recently, a 311 system was put into place by the Dukes County Sheriff's Department on Martha's Vineyard, where a 2002 study revealed that 60 percent of its 911 calls were not emergencies -- possibly due to the influx of tourists in spring and summer.
Here on the North Shore, law enforcement officials agree the concept of 311 is an excellent idea. But they doubt the systems will be used here anytime in the near future, pointing to dwindling budgets and manpower.
"We have no immediate plans to implement the 311 system," Beverly Police Chief John Cassola said. "And if we did, we'd need to research the issue thoroughly."
Salem Police Chief Robert St. Pierre said the 311 system is an innovative and forward-thinking tool for police departments today. However, his department this year faced layoffs and cutbacks due to budget belt tightening.
Is 311 on SPD's radar screen?
"Unfortunately, not right now. That's new technology we'd need to pay for. And right now, we're not in any position to invest in new technology," St. Pierre said. "It's definitely something worth exploring in the future, but right now we've got all we can do to keep our heads above water and hold onto our personnel."
Baltimore was the first city to use the 311 system, installing it in 1996. According to Baltimore's report to the U.S. Justice Department, by 2000 the average time for answering 911 calls was down 50 percent, and there were considerable drops in both the time dispatchers spent on calls and the number of 911 calls getting a recorded message due to busy lines.
Those results spurred the federal government to provide money to some police departments to install 311 systems. Since 1996, the U.S. Department of Justice has awarded $5.5 million in 311 grants, including $500,000 to Framingham, which is adding the line. On Martha's Vineyard, the Dukes County Sheriff's Department used $30,000 for a multipurpose community policing grant.
Across the region, police departments report receiving thousands of 911 calls per year. In Danvers, for example, close to 1,400 911 calls have come in to the Police Department already in 2003, according to a report. But fewer than half of those calls turned out to be genuine emergencies.
"I would estimate that 650 calls represented authentic emergencies," Christopher Bruce, Danvers police crime analysis statistician, wrote in the June 24 report. Most of the "bogus" 911 calls were hang-ups, reports of suspicious activity, disputes, well-being checks and noise complaints.
While 311 may not become a reality on the North Shore for some time, public safety officials remind residents why 911 lines were established.
"Dial 911 to save a life, report a fire, stop a crime," said Nancy Luther of Topsfield, who heads the Governor's Highway Safety Bureau.
"We need to better educate people on what 911 is for -- emergencies. Not to ask what day is trash pickup."
Staff writer Chris Markuns contributed to this report.
By JILL HARMACINSKI
Staff writer
The phone rings, the console lights up, and the dispatcher mentally readies to handle disaster.
"Nine-one-one. What's your emergency?"
"Yes, I was wondering what time the July 4 fireworks start?"
It's a scenario that plays out day after day, year after year, in police and fire dispatch centers across the North Shore. Telephone lines earmarked for 911 emergency calls are abused by residents looking to report non-life threatening incidents, barking dogs, potholes and abandoned cars, or to ask questions about town and city events -- whether school has been canceled for bad weather, or where the fireworks are being shot off.
Enter the concept of "311."
A 311 non-emergency telephone system is gaining popularity across the country and is in use in more than a dozen major cities, including New York, Chicago, Miami, San Antonio and Las Vegas. Recently, a 311 system was put into place by the Dukes County Sheriff's Department on Martha's Vineyard, where a 2002 study revealed that 60 percent of its 911 calls were not emergencies -- possibly due to the influx of tourists in spring and summer.
Here on the North Shore, law enforcement officials agree the concept of 311 is an excellent idea. But they doubt the systems will be used here anytime in the near future, pointing to dwindling budgets and manpower.
"We have no immediate plans to implement the 311 system," Beverly Police Chief John Cassola said. "And if we did, we'd need to research the issue thoroughly."
Salem Police Chief Robert St. Pierre said the 311 system is an innovative and forward-thinking tool for police departments today. However, his department this year faced layoffs and cutbacks due to budget belt tightening.
Is 311 on SPD's radar screen?
"Unfortunately, not right now. That's new technology we'd need to pay for. And right now, we're not in any position to invest in new technology," St. Pierre said. "It's definitely something worth exploring in the future, but right now we've got all we can do to keep our heads above water and hold onto our personnel."
Baltimore was the first city to use the 311 system, installing it in 1996. According to Baltimore's report to the U.S. Justice Department, by 2000 the average time for answering 911 calls was down 50 percent, and there were considerable drops in both the time dispatchers spent on calls and the number of 911 calls getting a recorded message due to busy lines.
Those results spurred the federal government to provide money to some police departments to install 311 systems. Since 1996, the U.S. Department of Justice has awarded $5.5 million in 311 grants, including $500,000 to Framingham, which is adding the line. On Martha's Vineyard, the Dukes County Sheriff's Department used $30,000 for a multipurpose community policing grant.
Across the region, police departments report receiving thousands of 911 calls per year. In Danvers, for example, close to 1,400 911 calls have come in to the Police Department already in 2003, according to a report. But fewer than half of those calls turned out to be genuine emergencies.
"I would estimate that 650 calls represented authentic emergencies," Christopher Bruce, Danvers police crime analysis statistician, wrote in the June 24 report. Most of the "bogus" 911 calls were hang-ups, reports of suspicious activity, disputes, well-being checks and noise complaints.
While 311 may not become a reality on the North Shore for some time, public safety officials remind residents why 911 lines were established.
"Dial 911 to save a life, report a fire, stop a crime," said Nancy Luther of Topsfield, who heads the Governor's Highway Safety Bureau.
"We need to better educate people on what 911 is for -- emergencies. Not to ask what day is trash pickup."
Staff writer Chris Markuns contributed to this report.
so all the Controllers are tied up right now. So my end point here is that 311 or the various derivitives, *311 etc may not be available in all areas, AND it may cause confusion for some. 
(Me)
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