March 12, 19xx

From: Chief Dispatcher Xxxxx

To: Lt. Xxxxx

Re: 911 CALL ANALYSIS

Several agencies across the country are changing the way they handle 911 calls because of a high percentage of non-emergency calls they receive on 911 lines. Some cities are considering the newly-reserved number 311 telephone number to handle non-emergency calls, hoping to reduce the total number of 911 calls. Other cities are rolling out public education programs to help reduce the number of inappropriate 911 calls.

To determine how our 911 lines are being used, I analyzed the number of CAD incidents that were initiated from 911 calls, and their associated priority.

Priority 1	50.9%
2	32.0%
3	9.8%
4	6.8%
5	.01%
6	.01%

These figures show that almost 83% of 911 calls that result in an incident are classified as either Priority 1 or 2, indicating a high correlation between a caller's perception of an incident's urgency and the dispatcher's classification of the incident.

These figures don't take into consideration the number of 911 calls that do not result in entry of an incident, and which could be considered inappropriate. However, the figures do show that when the call results in an incident, it's very likely to be a high-priority incident.

Right now, our policy is to accept and act on all incidents received on 911, regardless of whether the caller is reporting an emergency or non-emergency. It appears that we should continue this policy, as we are not suffering the level of abuse that other cities are experiencing. Nevertheless, we should take advantage of any opportunity to educate the public on using 911 only for emergencies.