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Austin, Texas police are now urging the public to call 311 instead of 911 to report non-emergencies, authorities said.
Starting Friday, city residents are urged to use 311 when reporting crimes that are no longer in progress, when the suspect is no longer at the scene, or when there is no threat. immediate for life or property, according to Austin police. Department.
“Please understand that if someone is in danger, we will still send a marked unit and a uniformed officer to deal with it,” Acting Police Chief Joseph Chacon said on Wednesday, according to KXAN-TV. “But for crimes that may have already taken place and are now being reported, we are looking at alternative measures, and that is what we are currently working on.”
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Chacon said the changes come amid recent staffing issues, reimagining the recommendations of the Public Safety Task Force and its review of its patrol COVID-19 mitigation protocols, which began in May 2020 .
Acting Police Chief Joseph Chacon spoke about the changes at a press conference on Wednesday. (Austin Police Department)
The department said it was trying to reduce the risk of exposure to coronaviruses for the public and sworn police officers, who will no longer respond to these non-emergency calls, FOX 7 Austin reported.
“I have a feeling that in many areas, not just obviously with our sworn officers on the street, but with our crime-for-property crime technicians in forensics and in our Austin 311 call center, we are experiencing staff shortages, and, therefore, I think I “I’ll ask for a little patience. Often times people have to wait on hold when they call 311 to make this report, ”the acting chief said.
“If an officer is not necessarily needed, that is, it is a crime that has clearly already been committed, and we can always bring in a property crime technician to take pictures, be able to gather the evidence and provide a case number and a way to track a victim of a crime, then this may be the most appropriate way, in fact, to handle this so that I can release my agents to continue responding to emergency calls for the service where we have violent crime and people who are actively engaged in criminal activity, ”he added.
Crimes that could be considered non-urgent include theft, a suspicious person or vehicle, verbal arguments, prostitution, animal services and burglary of a residence, business or vehicle, said the police.
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“Again, if any items on this list are still ongoing and there is an immediate threat to public safety, a call to 911 is appropriate and we will dispatch an officer,” noted Chacon.
Last month, a North Carolina man said his daughter was in Austin for a bachelorette party with friends when the house they were renting was robbed, KXAN-TV reported.
“They started calling the police and were referred to 311, who asked them to start an online report. And no law enforcement official arrived at the scene,” said Darin Short.
After not hearing from them for weeks, he said he received a call Wednesday afternoon saying an officer should contact them within 48 hours, according to the station.
Reports collected by 311, or online at ireportaustin.com, will still be turned over to investigators – and detectives will follow up when they are able to do so, Chacon said.
He added that the non-urgent response could be reassessed if the ministry is able to fill the empty officer positions.
“We will be seeking advice in this area from our community stakeholders, city council, community members at large over the next few months to see how they want these policing services delivered, and then we will be able to. figure out how many officers we really need, ”Chacon said.
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If someone isn’t sure if a specific call is an emergency, they should still call 911, the chief noted.
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