MANDATED STATEWIDE EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBER (911) PROGRAM - AN EVALUATION

• NCJ Number: 67796
• Author(s): N BOROW; B MASUOKA; D PERALES; W ROGERS
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 117 pages
• Corporate Author: California Legislative Analyst
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

IN ATTEMPTING TO DETERMINE IF MANDATORY STATEWIDE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 911 EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBER IS GOOD FOR CALIFORNIA, THIS STUDY DISCUSSES ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES, FUNDING, AND RECOMMENDATIONS.

Abstract

STATEWIDE USE OF THE 911 EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBER WAS MANDATED IN CALIFORNIA IN 1972 TO REDUCE EMERGENCY RESPONSE TIME AND PROVIDE CITIZENS WITH A SINGLE EMERGENCY NUMBER TO MAKE THEIR EMERGENCY CALLING EASIER. ALTHOUGH ESTIMATES OF ANNUAL COSTS TO THE STATE RUN AS HIGH AS $80 MILLION, (TO BE RAISED BY SURCHARGES ON INTRASTATE CALLS), IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO DETERMINE WHAT CALIFORNIA OUGHT TO PAY IN REIMBURSEMENTS TO LOCAL JURISDICTIONS AND OTHER COSTS, SINCE CRITERIA FOR SYSTEMS COSTS AND SELECTED TELEPHONE ROUTING COSTS HAVE NOT BEEN ESTABLISHED. IN ADDITION, SINCE THE STATE PLAN TO REIMBURSE LOCAL COMMUNITIES DOES NOT HAVE CRITERIA FOR COST REASONABLENESS, IT DOES NOT ENCOURAGE ECONOMICAL 911 DESIGNS. A 911 SYSTEM IS BENEFICIAL IF RESPONSE TIME IS SHORTENED AND LIVES OR PROPERTY SAVED AS A RESULT. ALTHOUGH IT HAS NOT YET BEEN DEMONSTRATED THAT 911 SAVES RESPONSE TIME, THE TIME SAVED IS EXPECTED TO BE SMALL. THREE LEGAL COURSES OF ACTION REGARDING 911 ARE TO CONTINUE THE PRESENT SYSTEM OF MANDATORY IMPLEMENTATION, MAKE IMPLEMENTATION VOLUNTARY, OR REPEAL 911 LEGISLATION. CONTINUED MANDATORY IMPLEMENTATION DOES RESULT IN A STATEWIDE EMERGENCY NUMBER, BUT MANY COMMUNITIES OF WHICH IT IS REQUIRED WILL NOT BENEFIT THEREBY, AND LOCAL AND STATE COSTS ARE HIGH. VOLUNTARY 911 IMPLEMENTATION BY LOCAL JURISDICTIONS WOULD BE MORE ECONOMICAL, AS ONLY THOSE ABLE TO BENEFIT WOULD INSTALL THE SYSTEM; HOWEVER, THERE WOULD THEN BE NO STATEWIDE EMERGENCY NUMBER. FINALLY, REPEALING 911 LEGISLATION WOULD MAKE ADOPTION OF 911 A PURELY LOCAL MATTER, WITH NONE OF THE DISADVANTAGES OF THE MANDATORY SYSTEM. THE STUDY RECOMMENDS THAT CURRENT CALIFORNIA 911 LEGISLATION BE REPEALED OR, BARRING THIS, THAT LEGISLATION BE MODIFIED TO MAKE IMPLEMENTATION VOLUNTARY WITH SOME REIMBURSEMENT TO THE COMMUNITIES ELECTING A 911 SYSTEM.