Many cities now use "311" as a non-emergency number. Our resident dispatcher Smarty Jones says this service can be badly implemented, endangering lives. In his area lower paid and less professional people will now answer, during the day, what bureaucrats think are less needy calls. In reality the truth is something else:

"Bluntly, this is stupid. My experiences and of the people who have been in our County 911 Comm since it began over 20 years ago is this: we answer both emergency and non-emergency calls and should keep doing so. Yes it's true as the article says, that we get about 45% non-emergency calls on 911. What they fail to mention is that ON THE NON-EMERGENCY LINES, we get about 45% ACTUAL emergencies. It all depends on the knowledge and nature of the caller. So what's going to happen to these 311 operators (who are lower paid operators and not Public Safety Telecommunicators and less trained) when they get these 45% real emergencies? Delay the call and transfer it to 911? The public is going to be more confused than it already is. I won't even mention how many calls we get for 411 (DA), 511 (road and traffic) and 611 (telephone company general number) on 911."

"This all began in Baltimore. When they started 911 they decided to disconnect the 7-digit number non-emergency number completely, thereby naturally increasing 911 calls. At the same time there was a rapid rise in officer on-the-job injuries causing them to be put on light duty. Now the 311 staff is entirely staffed by officers on light duty, who are still receiving full officer pay and most of whom have now been in the 311 office for 3 years. It defeats the whole purpose. If you're a cop you ought to be put in the 911 Comm Center, which is what about every county in my state does and believe me it squelches a lot of borderline to no line light duty requests. In any case, here's a rundown of the latest N11 phenonmenon that the feds are advocating:

211 commonly referred to as the nonprofit "Information and Referral" now

311 "non emergency"

411 still good old DA, whose call volume is dropping by the day

511 Road and Weather conditions

611 general telephone companies number

711 "General Information" for government agencies. e.g. who to call for what

811 This used to be the Business Office for the Phone Company

911 Emergenices

I don't object to the use of these numbers. since at the beginning of my career they were used by the phone company anyway. I don't care for '211' taking over a nonprofit semi-government subsidized agency though. More taxes and government beauracracy. If there is to be a '311', our regional APCO-NENA organization advocates it being placed in comm centers as the 7 digit numbers are. '611' has always been the phone company as has '811.' That especially makes sense with wireless. '511' is the brainchild of Arizona's first Democrat Governor in years and now she's pushing the '711' concept at the urging of the Feds. More taxes and more beauracracy."

"The demise of paper directories which most people I know, including me and my friends, throw them all out before they get past the front door unless it's the giant "all in one" white and yellow pages, is the fault of marketeers. They publish one for every neighborhood, phone company and independent directories, and who has room for all that. How often do you actually use one? I rarely do. Directory Assistance is putting itself out of business by not having accurate listings or no listing at all of existing businesses or listed residences. In a sense, the N11 phenonmenon is fulfilling a need for real information needed by the general public not provided by phone companies anymore."

Many, many more related pages! Click for a list. Information on operators, directory assistance working and history, placing toll calls and so on. Great reading.