Don't misuse 911, city urges public

Police say 60% of calls don’t involve emergencies, from landlord-tenant disputes to noise complaints.

The city of Atlanta launched a new public campaign this week titled “Make the Right Call,” in an effort to keep nonemergencies from tying up 911 dispatchers.

According to the Atlanta Police Department, around 60% of calls made to 911 are for nonemergencies, while call volume increased 14% overall last year.

Those nonemergency calls keeping dispatchers busy can range from landlord-tenant disputes to a neighbor’s noisy dog. Peter Aman, Atlanta police chief administrative officer, told Atlanta City Council members last month that some callers even dial 911 for help getting tickets to baseball or football games.

“We have a variety of calls — actually really a mind-boggling variety of calls — that people make,” he said at the time.

The campaign aims to help residents distinguish when to call the city’s emergency line by dialing 911 and when to use ATL311, which handles issues such as pothole repairs, code enforcement and graffiti removal.

“High volumes of nonemergency calls burden our E911 system when they need to be attending to true emergencies,” Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement. “To better serve our residents and visitors in creating one safe city, we need the public’s help to spread the word that there are multiple options to make the right call and receive support from the city in nonemergency situations.”

Last year, according to the police department, of the 1.3 million calls answered by Atlanta’s emergency line, only 45,000 were considered high-priority.

City officials are asking residents to utilize 311 for instances of civil disputes, car break-ins, non-life-threatening car accidents and abandoned vehicles, while 911 should be reserved for serious medical issues and cases such as house fires or car accidents that cause injuries.

Residents within city limits also can send texts to 911 to report nonemergency incidents instead of calling the dispatch line.

ATL311 is also a partner with Atlanta’s Policing Alternatives and Diversion Initiative that offers community response services, helping reduce arrests of individuals experiencing homelessness, substance abuse or mental health concerns.

The city’s 311 line is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Residents can reach out during closed hours through a mobile app or social media.