PHOENIX — The Phoenix Police Department is providing details of disruptions to its 911 call system over the holidays.
The ABC15 Investigators began looking into the incident after a tipster alleged Phoenix system breakdowns led to both dropped calls and extended hold times. The tipster was concerned the repeated delays in call response could impact the health and safety of Phoenicians.
A Phoenix police spokeswoman confirmed to ABC15 that the significant surge of calls on New Year's Eve coincided with a 30-minute disruption in 911 service. It was the second time in a week. According to the Phoenix Police Department, there had been a 40-minute episode on Christmas Day.
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A Phoenix police spokeswoman told ABC15 that the city is upgrading to a call-taking system called Comtech NG-911. It's a multi-year statewide effort. But in Phoenix's case, we're told technical limitations within the current hybrid system may have caused the problems during peak call times.
During the disruptions, the police department says it got call-taking help from other jurisdictions.
To mitigate any future disruptions, Phoenix plans to:
- Maximize staffing when they expect high call volumes.
- Modify call routing so emergencies still go to Phoenix operators for faster dispatching.
- Use radio channels to dispatch calls routed to other jurisdictions.
- Manually return calls if they are abandoned during peak times.
At this point, no specific instances have come to light involving bad outcomes due to the 911 call center disruptions over the holidays.
You can reach ABC15 Senior Investigator Melissa Blasius by email at melissa.blasius@abc15.com or call 602-803-2506. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) @MelissaBlasiusor Facebook.
