Police Panel Urged to Back 311 System

City Councilman Michael Feuer on Tuesday renewed his call for the establishment of a nonemergency phone number to ease the burden on the 911 system.

Testifying before the Los Angeles Police Commission, Feuer said the addition of a 311 number would speed response time while decreasing the overall volume of calls.

In October, he introduced a council motion that called for police and city officials to study the matter.

The commission took no action Tuesday, but members said the issue would be added to an upcoming agenda.

The city’s 911 system handles more than 5 million calls a year, close to 85% of which are nonemergency calls. Those calls are now answered by 911 operators before being routed to other operators.

Cmdr. Carlo Cudio, who heads the LAPD’s communications programs, said he favors a 311 system with an automated menu rather than human operators.

“We currently have wait times of up to 10 minutes on 911,” he told the commission. “We feel that those 10 minutes could be put to better use.”

Feuer pointed to a 311 system launched last fall by Baltimore with the help of AT&T; and the U.S. Department of Justice. He said calls to both numbers there declined 20% in the first three months of the program.

Last month, Police Chief Willie Williams issued a report supporting Feuer’s motion and requesting continued analysis of the technical, educational and staffing issues to be resolved.

Williams’ report projects a cost of $100,000 for start-up and the first three months of operation. Bids would be solicited from telecommunications companies for technical and marketing services.