BY LISA DONOVAN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Hoping to divert loud-noise complaints and questions about City Hall from 911, one Cincinnati city councilman is proposing a non-emergency 311 system for customer service.
"The way it would work, every question you have about city services, other than an emergency, goes through 311," said Councilman Phil Heimlich.
He will propose the 311 system during the weekly council meeting Wednesday.
"There are burdens on our 911 system -- it should be used only for emergencies, and unfortunately people use the system for other purposes," Mr. Heimlich said.
Cincinnati's 911 system handled 920,000 calls last year, but only a little more than half were found to be true emergencies. The misuse of the 911 system prompted the Federal Communications Commission to set up a 311 universal system last year.
The proposed plan resembles Dallas's "Your Call to City Hall" 311 system, implemented in December. Operators would be able to take calls on a range of non-emergency problems.
Mr. Heimlich's plan would eliminate several city hot lines, including a public works customer service line, and the Police Division's Telephone Crime Reporting Unit (TCRU), which handles a range of "minor crimes" such as thefts under $5,000.
"It makes no sense to spend half a million dollars (annually) on several customer service lines, which don't perform very well," Mr. Heimlich said.
He said it is not clear how much the new system would cost, but the money should come from any funds saved by consolidating the old system and any available federal grants.
Nationwide, detractors say the 311 system is costly to install and maintain, and the money could be spent improving 911.
But like Mr. Heimlich, supporters across the country say the alternative 3-digit system clears the way for operators to handle life-threatening emergencies. This isn't the first time city council has looked at a 311 system. In October 1996, council members Dwight Tillery and Minette Cooper asked the administration to begin a pilot program similar to the one in Baltimore, which handles only non-emergency police matters.
