To report noisy neighbors, barking dogs, illegally parked cars and other annoyances, residents now dial 311. Such calls accounted for up to 60 percent of the 1.3 million calls flooding Baltimore's 911 system in 1995.
The new 311 system will allow police agencies more time for communi-
EASING THE LOAD
Last summer, President Clinton challenged the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), police departments and the private sector to find ways to ease the burden on the nation's 911 systems.
After a nationwide investigation found Baltimore's 911 system to be one of the nation's busiest, the city was chosen for a two-year pilot.
Baltimore's 311 system -- developed with help from the DOJ Community Oriented Policing Services -- relies on AT&T's Intelligent Call Processing. When a resident dials 311, the call is automatically routed from the local telephone company to AT&T's Baltimore switch. The switch searches a database, identifies the caller's 10-digit telephone number and routes the call to the appropriate police station.
Currently, calls from anywhere in the city are routed to the main Police Department branch. Eventually, they will flow to the police facility nearest the caller, perhaps a police precinct, community policing organization or even a beat officer carrying a cellular phone.
COMMUNITY RESPONDS
Sam Ringgold, director of public affairs for the Baltimore Police, said the 311 system fielded 36,847 calls -- 900 to 1,400 a day -- between Oct. 2 and Nov. 26.
Ringgold added that the system's database capability will allow police to track the time of each call, its subject matter and point of origin. This should help the department better allocate resources. Ringgold said the city expects to make 311 service available in more than 140 languages through AT&T's Language Line Service.
If the pilot is successful, cities and rural areas around the country will begin exploring similar systems, predicted John Cohen, director of law enforcement and justice markets for AT&T's government markets division.
However, in addition to leaping technical hurdles, developing a 311 system demands strong community education, said Cohen. The launch of Baltimore's system included community meetings, newspaper advertising and billboards aimed at publicizing the new service.
SPREADING THE WORD
According to Maj. Tim Longo, director of communications for the Baltimore City Police, the high volume of calls already flowing into the system illustrates the value of the city's information campaign.
"Our initial two goals with the new system were to reduce the number of 911 calls and reduce the burden on the 911 system, and we have succeeded," he said. "Instead of our police force having to be reactive, they can move around the neighborhoods and begin to suppress crime by being more visible and available."
Now, Longo said he is working on reporting strategies to ensure 311 calls are handled appropriately. "We don't want to see 311 used and the calls not taken care of," he said.
Kimberly Maxwell is the author of "The Modem Coach." She lives in Tucson, Ariz.
*
Baltimore residents
dial 311 to report
less-critical
problems.
SOLUTION SUMMARY
PROBLEM/SITUATION: 911 emergency systems are overburdened with calls, many for non-emergency situations.
SOLUTION: Implement a new telephone system to handle non-emergency calls.
JURISDICTION: City of Baltimore, Md.
VENDOR: AT&T.
CONTACTS: Jean Davis, director of public relations for AT&T's Government Markets, 202/776-6090, e-mail:
[ April Table of Contents]
