One year after Oakland officials unveiled a $2.5 million initiative to improve the city’s struggling 911 Emergency Call Center, average response times remain significantly the worst in California. Current state data indicates that with an average answer time of 50 seconds, the Oakland Police Department is more than three times the state standard of 15 seconds.
Despite this, city leaders assert that there has been some progress. Last summer, the city managed to respond to 36% of its 911 calls within the 15-second benchmark, which has now improved to 51%. However, to meet standards set by the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), Oakland needs to achieve a 90% compliance rate.
The city received a notice of non-compliance from Cal OES in mid-2023, shortly after an investigative report revealed that Oakland had the slowest 911 response times in the state. The funding allocated last September is intended to be used over two years, with approximately half of the investment designated for hiring additional dispatchers and staff, including a 911 supervisor and mental health professionals. Other planned improvements involve upgrading dispatch technology, employing more operators for non-emergency calls, consulting services, and job fairs.
During a recent press conference, Mayor Thao emphasized the ongoing hiring processes and mental health support initiatives for dispatchers that were not previously in place.
However, significant enhancements to emergency call response times might still be a year away. Mayor Thao outlined a training timeline of 10 to 12 months for new operators. This program pairs seasoned operators with new hires, which temporarily reduces the call center’s efficiency as both focus on a single emergency. Once training is completed, both individuals will be capable of handling more calls.
As the city strives to align with state response time regulations, Cal OES has intensified oversight of the call center, now holding monthly meetings to monitor progress. This increased scrutiny followed Oakland’s failure to meet the deadline to answer 90% of calls within the designated 15 seconds.
While officials project that compliance will be achieved by the end of next year, residents dealing with lengthy wait times for emergency assistance express frustration over the prolonged training process. Oakland resident Jennifer Pahlka shared her distressing experience when her home was broken into, stating that she encountered considerable difficulty reaching the 911 line during the incident. Despite eventually getting through, it took police two days to arrive, responding only after neighbors alerted them to a second appearance by the intruder.
Pahlka, a former U.S. Deputy Chief Technology Officer, noted the emotional toll of feeling disconnected during the crisis. She shared her story on social media, where it gained significant attention. While she recognizes the systemic issues contributing to Oakland’s 911 failures, she advocates for constructive discourse rather than mere outrage, suggesting that both citizens and elected officials need to engage more deeply in addressing these challenges.