L.A. to Get Grant for Nonemergency 311 Phone System

The city of Los Angeles has been awarded a federal grant of about $900,000 to implement a 311 phone system aimed at handling nonemergency calls and easing the burden on the 911 emergency phone lines, authorities confirmed Thursday.

Officials from the U.S. Department of Justice, including U.S. Associate Atty. Gen. Raymond C. Fisher--former president of the Los Angeles Police Commission--are scheduled to join Mayor Richard Riordan and other city officials at a news conference today to announce that Los Angeles is one of eight cities in the nation to receive the grant money.

Los Angeles will receive the largest grant, said Deputy Mayor Noelia Rodriguez, spokeswoman for the mayor.

Rodriguez and other city officials declined to say how much money was being awarded, but sources said the funds total about $900,000. A smaller grant also is expected to be awarded to help the cities of Pasadena and South Pasadena get their 311 systems off the ground.

The cost of a 311 system depends on how elaborate it is, city officials said. The current estimate to implement and staff the system in the first year is about $3.5 million to $5 million. City officials are trying to identify additional revenue sources.

LAPD and city officials repeatedly have said that residents need an easy-to-remember phone number to use for less urgent problems. They say that about 80% of the calls to 911 are for nonemergencies. Such calls clog the 911 lines and delay service for people with life-threatening problems.

“This is an important day for Los Angeles,” said Councilman Mike Feuer, who has been the city’s leading proponent of a 311 system. “This will give residents quick access to all city services and information. I’ve seen different configurations of 311 in cities such as Baltimore, Dallas and San Jose, and there is no question the idea works.”

Feuer, vice chairman of the city’s Public Safety Committee, added that each city that has implemented a 311 system “has significantly reduced 911 answer times and enhanced community access to government.”

Each year in Los Angeles, tens of thousands of calls to 911 are lost when people hang up because of long delays. The biggest problem facing the system, officials say, is the improper use of 911 by people who do not have true emergencies. Emergency operators have been known to handle calls from people asking for the time or requesting directions to Dodger Stadium.

Momentum for a 311 system in Los Angeles has been gaining among city leaders over the past couple of years.

Two months ago, the City Council voted to seek bids from companies to help design a 311 phone system. In addition to having the system handle nonemergency police and fire calls, city officials want to hire a consultant to determine what other city services might be made available through a 311 system. A system could be up and running in as little as two years but may take longer, officials said.

At the same time as plans for a 311 system have been underway, city and police officials have been pursuing a new universal 10-digit nonemergency number as an interim solution to the 911 problem.

Now, the LAPD has six nonemergency telephone numbers throughout the city. Those numbers, however, are poorly publicized and relatively difficult to remember.

The grant total is about half of what city officials requested in their grant application last year.