311 Resources On-Line

The 311 non-emergency city service number is becoming more common in the country’s largest cities, and interest is growing since Baltimore (Md.) implemented the first system in 1996. That system was created by the Baltimore Police Department as a way to reduce non-emergency 911 calls, located at the police department and staffed by light-duty police officers. DISPATCH Monthly has covered the subject from the beginning, and continues to have a Web page listing resources and jurisdictions with 311 systems. If you have specific system information or want to add a new 311 system, e-mail me and I’ll get it posted.