It’s time to rethink America’s 911 system

Of the 240 million calls made to 911 each year, only one-quarter relate to an actual crime in progress. Despite this, most calls beget a quick response from armed police. Sometimes it goes horribly wrong.

Over the past few years, a growing number of communities have been thinking about ways to diversify who is best to respond to a 911 call, with the goal of removing armed police from the untenable position of navigating scenarios they are not trained for. While some critics argue these initiatives chip away at law enforcement’s ability to effectively do their job, the reality is they allow police to dedicate greater time and resources to the work they are trained for: preventing and solving crimes.

Those kinds of staffing changes are a start, but issues plaguing America’s emergency response system run far deeper than who responds to a call. Recent events, and years of unanswered pleas for reform from those working within the 911 system, underscore how urgently transformative change is needed.

Calling 911 in the event of an emergency was introduced to the American public 54 years ago and meant to create a centralized public safety contact point. Help, in theory, would be just a phone call away, wherever you were. In reality, the nation’s 911 system has become incredibly decentralized. It’s a patchwork of thousands of locally operated emergency communications centers that all operate differently. There is little to no federal oversight, with no uniform training protocols, standards for technology or universal practices for collecting and reporting call information.

Reliance on 911 is a constant across America, but this fragmented system is starkly different from one jurisdiction to another.

While Congress plays politics with issues as important as policing, criminal justice reform, and behavioral health, the pivotal role of 911 is largely excluded. But, as events make clear, the nation cannot move forward with the current 911 status quo.

The 911 professional is literally the first of the first responders in any emergency response, playing a pivotal role. That’s why 911 professionals — along with more than 100 leaders in law enforcement and emergency response, public health, government, academia, technology and philanthropy — worked together over many months to reimagine 911 as a cornerstone of community safety and public health. Evidence-based research augmented by the experiences of affected individuals pointed to a seven-step policy blueprint to transform 911. It represents the most comprehensive overhaul of the nation’s 911 system ever. 

Recommendations cover the spectrum from governance to on-the-ground operations. A federal taskforce to establish 911 data-sharing ethics, as well as a cabinet-level position to identify national standards, are urgently needed. So is an infusion of capital necessary to support an expert 911 workforce. Additionally, all 911 call centers need to be autonomous and equal to other public safety departments, not subordinate to EMS, fire and police. And while broad federal oversight and guidance is needed, community perspectives must be sought and embedded in improving 911 systems for dispatch and response. Ultimately, 911 must be reintroduced to the public, so all people understand the importance of this incredible resource, use it wisely and protect its role in ensuring public health.

Professionals working in emergency communications centers across the country can quickly dispatch the right professional at the right time, every time. It’s the system that is currently broken, not the people who work in it.

Policymakers in federal, state, regional and local government now have a blueprint to transform 911 and save lives. How many more must be lost before they act? 

S. Rebecca Neusteter, Ph.D., is the executive director of the University of Chicago Health Lab and principal investigator of Transform911.