U.S. Department of Justice 

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services 


www.cops.usdoj.gov 

Fact Sheet 

Community Oriented Policing Services logo
“311 has been a 
miracle. It has been 
a godsend for us. 311 
saved us not only from 
having our 911 system 
swamped but saved 
our citizens who had 
true emergencies, 
such as heart attacks 
and crimes in 
progress, from getting 
a busy signal.” 

Ed Harris, 
Deputy Director 
Technical Services 
Austin Police Department 

311 for Non-Emergencies: 

Helping Communities One Call at a Time 

The COPS Office Responds to 
a National Crisis 

Within 30 years of its introduction to the 
U.S, the success of the 911 emergency call 
system had resulted in its use expanding 
beyond true emergency service calls. The 
highly recognized direct method for citizens 
to contact emergency services, such as police, 
was so effective, that according to a U.S News 
and World Report (June 1996), an estimated 
50 to 90 percent of all calls being made to 911 
were for non-emergencies. 

The growing dependence on 911 caused 
backlogs and inefficiencies for police agencies, 
leading to frustration and sometimes deadly 
consequences for callers with emergency 
needs. A response to this crisis was needed to 
reduce the number of non-emergency calls to 
911, stop the reactive cycle of police officers 
racing from one 911 call to another, and keep 
911 phone lines open for true emergencies. 

On July 23, 1996, the COPS Office made a 
formal request to the Federal Communications 
Commission (FCC) to reserve 311 as a 
national non-emergency hotline. In February 
of 1997, the FCC approved this request, 
designating 311 as a national, voluntary, 
non-toll, three-digit phone number for 
non-emergency calls. Today, 311 is regarded as 
a viable easy-to-use alternative to 7 and 
10-digit phone numbers used for handling 
non-emergency calls. 

Community Policing and 311 

As a vehicle for advancing community 
policing, 311 systems can create an avenue 
for citizens to share information with police, 
report quality of life issues before they escalate 
into larger crime and disorder problems, and 
gain access to police and other municipal 
services. By diverting non-emergency calls 
from 911 and reserving police resources for 
true emergencies, 311 systems can alleviate the 
cycle of reactive policing and enhance police 
service delivery [See National Impact of 311]. 

COPS 311 System Funding Timeline 

Since 1996, the COPS Office has awarded 
more than $6 million in funding to support the 
implementation, enhancement, and evaluation 
of 311 non-emergency systems. 

Telecommunications Pilot Program (FY’96) 

Baltimore (Maryland) Police Department was 
awarded COPS funding to launch the first 311 
system in the country. 

311 Technology Grants (FY’99) 

COPS funding under this grant program 
was awarded to establish 311 systems in 
the following jurisdictions; Baltimore was 
awarded funding to expand its existing 311 
system: 

• Birmingham, Alabama 
• Dukes County, Massachusetts 
• Houston, Texas 
• Los Angeles, California 
• Miami, Florida 
• Rochester, New York 


311 Technical Assistance for Start-Ups 
(FY’00) 

Police agencies in these jurisdictions were 
awarded COPS funding to establish and 
evaluate 311 systems, providing guidance for 
others wishing to learn from their experience: 

• Austin, Texas 
• Framingham, Massachusetts 
• Orange County, Florida 


311 for Homeland Security and Crisis 
Management (FY’03) 

Police agencies in these jurisdictions were 
awarded COPS funding to establish and 
evaluate 311 systems that incorporated 
multiple public service agencies and enhanced 
homeland security and/or crisis management 
plans and practice: 

• Charlotte-Mecklenburg, North Carolina 
• Columbus, Ohio 
• Minneapolis, Minnesota 



COPS offers a variety of 
publications, products, and 
training opportunities to advance 
community policing and support 
its grant programs. COPS 
publications and products offer 
insights and experiences from 
others in the field addressing 
specific problems including: 

• 
Building a 311 System for 
Non-Emergency Calls: 
A Process and Impact 
Evaluation 
• 
Call Management and 
Community Policing 
• 
Calling 311: Guidelines for 
Policymakers 
• 
Local Law Enforcement 
Responds to Terrorism - 
Lessons in Prevention and 
Preparedness 
• 
Managing Calls to the Police 
with 911/311 Systems 
• 
Misuse and Abuse of 911 
• 
Promising Strategies from the 
Field: A National Overview 


Contact COPS 

For more information about 
COPS 311 Initiatives, contact 
the COPS Office Response 
Center at 800.421.6770 or visit 
COPS online at 
www.cops.usdoj.gov. 

National Impact of 311 

Austin, Texas 

Launched 6 days after September 11, 2001, 
Austin Police Department used 311 to field 
questions about terrorism and anthrax scares. 
Between October 2001 and October 2002, 
officer response time to Priority 1 calls 
decreased from 9 minutes, 7 seconds to 7 
minutes, 32 seconds and between September 
2001 and September 2002, non-emergency 
911 calls decreased by 37%. 

Baltimore, Maryland 

The first city to have an operational, 
non-emergency number, Baltimore’s 311 
system resulted in a reduction of 911 
call answer time (50%), abandoned calls 
(50%), and police calls dispatched to field 
units (12% between September 1996 and 
September 1999). One of the many benefits 
experienced by citizens in Baltimore as a 
result of 311 “was giving the public a ready 
source of knowledge to answer their questions 
regarding police policy and procedure.” 
(Baltimore Police Department, Final Reports, 
2000 and 2005). 

Birmingham, Alabama 

Birmingham’s 311 Call Center has improved 
public service delivery and was instrumental 
in providing citizen access to these services 
during Hurricane Ivan in 2004. (Birmingham 
Police Department, Final Report, 2005) 

Charlotte-Mecklenburg, North Carolina 

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg 311 system 
provides a measure of redundancy to the 911 
Communications Center. The 311 system 
has decreased 911 call volume, allowing 
911 staff the time to accompany police 
officers to community meetings, where they 
educate citizens on the use of 911 emergency 
lines. The establishment of 311 has also 
fostered consideration of new organizational 
objectives: 

“Attending community meetings is just part of 
what the Communications Division Director 
looks to accomplish with a lower call volume. 
Perhaps of greater importance, will be more 
involvement with community oriented 
policing initiatives…The Director’s vision is 
that his dispatchers will work with officers 
in the assigned Patrol Divisions, using the 
SARA model, to develop workable solutions 
to problems occurring in their respective 
Divisions.” 

(Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, 
COPS Progress Report, 2005) 

Houston, Texas 

Between 2001 and 2002, Houston experienced 
a 14% drop in non-emergency 911 call 
volume. During Super Bowl XXXVIII, 
citizens were encouraged to call 311 for taxi 
services to prevent drunk driving. 

Miami, Florida 

The 311 Call Center was critical to helping 
citizens recover from Hurricane Wilma in 
2005 and received calls for post-hurricane 
related services, such as flooding and downed 
trees. 311 call-takers also provided recovery 
information on services (ice, water and food 
distribution points), benefits and programs 
(city and FEMA sponsored recovery funds 
and assistance). 

Orange County, Florida 

The launch of the Orange County 311 system 
on June 7, 2005 coincided with the launch 
of their hurricane preparedness program. 
Citizens were encouraged to use 311 for 
non-emergency requests, such as where to 
locate tarps and get help with debris removal. 

Rochester, New York 

In 2003, almost 40% of the total crime reports 
generated in the city of Rochester were being 
taken through the 311 system. The system 
was heavily utilized during local emergencies 
such as a train wreck, ice storm, and the 
massive power outage of August 2003. 
Rochester police “were able to reduce the 
load on 911 by providing citizens a number 
to call to request information, get numbers 
for gas and electric crews, provide updates on 
the situation, etc.” (Sergeant Dan Holmsten, 
Rochester City Police Department, 2003) 

The Future of 311 

311 is being increasingly viewed as a tool 
to enhance citizen access to government 
services. Its original police non-emergency 
role is expanding into public services and 
crisis management planning. A valuable 
complement to 911, cities and counties 
are setting up 311 systems to divert 
non-emergency calls from emergency lines 
and provide support for 911 in times of crisis. 

The future of 311 finds citizens with increased 
access to government and improved service 
delivery. The COPS Office supports 311 
systems as a vehicle for enhancing the lives of 
police and the citizens they serve, and helping 
communities meet their needs one call at 
a time. 

Updated February 16, 2006 
e01060007