Panel to Study Nonemergency 311 Number

The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved the formation of a task force to study the implementation of a nonemergency phone number that would complement 911.

Councilman Mike Feuer, who has championed the idea of a 311 number, said the Police Commission and the mayor’s office also have agreed to compromise on the program’s budget.

The commission and the council had put annual costs at about $294,000, while the mayor estimated about $217,000.

“It’s pretty easy to reconcile these two budgets,” Feuer said, adding that adjustments to the proposed 311 staff salaries would leave the final figure somewhere between the two estimates.

The task force will be composed of city officials who will examine issues including staffing, operating budget and educating the public about the new number. The group will not meet until budget talks are completed and reports on the 311 plan from participating city departments are received by the council’s Public Safety Committee in May.

The council also directed the task force to report back to the Public Safety Committee in the next six months. Feuer said it would be at least a year before 311 goes into effect.

In promoting the plan, Feuer has cited a trial 311 program in Baltimore that officials credit with relieving strain on operators. In Los Angeles, police say that nearly 85% of the 5 million 911 calls placed annually are not for true emergencies. Baltimore police report the implementation of 311 has decreased the level of 911 nonemergency calls to 11%.