Officials in Tucson say they’re moving forward with plans to introduce a new public phone number to reroute non-emergency calls from 911.
Tucson Mayor Regina Romero told the Arizona Daily Star that only 25% of calls received by 911 operators in the city are actual calls for emergencies.
Starting in March of next year, community members can dial a new number, 311, for things like mental health substance abuse issues, homelessness and other situations that are not a crime in progress.
The effort is part of a national initiative called Transform911 launched by the University of Chicago’s health lab. It aims to overhaul the nation’s 911 system and make it more equitable. According to the project’s data, at least 240 million 911 calls are made in the U.S. each year.
But most are for non-emergency issues like traffic collisions or noise complaints that don’t require emergency services like ambulances paramedics.
