Report to the Legislature on Statewide Use of the Emergency Telephone Number

• NCJ Number: 101756
• Author(s): P L Gioia
• Date Published: 1982
• Length: 37 pages
• Corporate Author: New York State
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This report outlines the benefits of, obstacles to, and funding and implementation of a statewide 911 emergency telephone number system in New York.

Abstract

At present, all but one small portion of the State has central office facilities in place for the processing of 911 calls. Benefits of the service include an easily remembered number, increased dialing speed, reduced response time, improved public participation, and handling of calls by trained personnel. Sixtyeight percent of New York's population currently is provided with the service, and most communities consider it desirable. Obstacles to implementation of a statewide system include lack of co-incident boundaries for telephone central offices and agencies, reservations on the part of public agencies, lack of public support, and undefined operational costs for centralizing the reporting of calls. Given these obstacles, the legislature could initiate an education program that addresses planning, implementation, and operation of report centers and other aspects of 911 service. In addition, an estimate of total statewide costs must be developed, and cost sharing formulas should be arrived at that reflect the public need for safety service, limit the use of State funds to basic mandated service, and avoid excessive local expenditures. Appendixes include a suggested emergency telephone act, a policy statement, a listing of operational systems, and a 911 planning guide. 12 references.