The D.C. Council is set to hold hearings and introduce legislation to address ongoing issues with the District’s 911 call center. Councilmember Brooke Pinto, Chair for Public Safety, announced plans for oversight hearings focused on operational failures, transparency, performance, technology, and coordination within the Office of Unified Communications. The goal is to create more transparency and accountability within the agency, following multiple incidents of delayed responses and misclassification of urgent calls.
Pinto’s proposed legislation would require the release of after-action reports in cases where errors led to serious injury or death, as well as the release of relevant records, transcripts, and 911 calls. These efforts come in response to concerns from residents and city leaders, including stories of delayed responses that have resulted in tragic outcomes.
One such incident involved David Griffin, who tragically drowned after a mental health crisis. Multiple 911 calls were made, but the call was incorrectly categorized as an overdose instead of a Priority 1 emergency. His daughter, Aujah Griffin, has been advocating for changes to the call center since her father’s death but has expressed frustration with the lack of progress.
The 911 call center has experienced multiple outages this year, prompting renewed calls for improvement. The Office of Unified Communications has stated that they are committed to transparency and improving emergency communications in the District, with ongoing efforts to enhance technology and staffing levels. Despite these efforts, concerns persist regarding the effectiveness of the call center and the need for more timely and accurate responses to emergency calls.
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