The Minneapolis Police Department is committed to providing the best possible police services in the shortest possible response time. The new 311 phone center, launched in January 2006, plays an important part in the department’s strategy to honor this commitment. By re-directing some of the call load from 911 to 311, those calls that require a timely police response can be handled faster and more efficiently.
311 effectively replaced over 200 different phone numbers that residents, businesses and visitors used to have to sort through in order to find the right person or department to speak to. Now, whether you want to speak to someone about a public works issue, garbage collection, licensing, snow emergency information or some other city service, all you need to do is call 311.
311 is also used to handle some calls which used to be taken by 911, and this can cause some confusion. The most important thing for everyone to remember is that 911 remains the number to call if you need police, fire or ambulance services to come to your location. However, for reporting certain types of crimes that don’t require an immediate police response, residents should call 311 instead. If you’re ever in doubt as to which number to call use 911 and let the 911 operator advise you.
Those crime reports for which 311 is to be used include property damage, motor vehicle damage, various types of theft, harassment, lost property, violations of restraining orders or visitation rights, identity theft and a few others. 911 operators are instructed to refer these calls, if they are for the purposes of taking a report only, to 311. (You can also file police reports for these crimes online; log on to www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/police/e-report/ and follow the instructions.)
However, it’s important for everyone to understand that you should still call 911 to report any type of crime that is in progress. If you need the police to come to your location, call 911 regardless of the situation. If all you are doing is reporting one of the crimes listed above that has already happened, and there are no witnesses to interview, physical evidence to collect or other reason for a police officer to respond in person, then 311 is the right number to call.
If you call 911 for a police response, and the operator directs you to call 311, be sure that the 911 operator understands that you are asking for a squad to be dispatched to your location. It may not be immediately clear to the operator that that’s what you’re requesting. In some cases the operator may ask you to clarify why you need a squad dispatched. If that happens, stay calm and explain again why you need an officer to come out. Is there a crime in progress? Is there suspicious activity currently going on? Is there physical evidence to be collected? Is there an imminent threat to someone’s property, safety or health? If the answer to any of these questions is “yes,” then a squad needs to be dispatched.
It’s also important to remember that there are only a limited number of crimes that can be reported through 311. Major crimes like robbery, assault, burglary, arson, etc. should still be reported through 911, regardless of the current situation. 311 is limited to taking reports only for the types of crimes previously mentioned.
As always, if you aren’t satisfied with the service you receive from a 911 operator, or if you don’t understand why an operator handled a call the way he or she did, ask to speak to a 911 supervisor. If there are problems with the way a call is handled, the supervisors need to know about it. If you don’t understand why a call was handled the way it was, you have a right to know. In either case, a supervisor can help.
911 remains the number to call if you need police, fire or ambulance services to respond to your location. It is also the number to call to report a crime in progress, currently occurring suspicious activity, or a major crime like robbery or assault. If you need to report property damage, motor vehicle damage, various types of theft, harassment or lost property, and you don’t need to have an officer respond to your location, then you should call 311. However, if you ever have any doubt, just call 911. They can re-direct your call if it’s appropriate.
By reducing the number of calls to 911 that don’t require a police response, we can improve police response times when officers are needed. Using 311, in conjunction with 911, will help to reduce those calls and improve police services for everyone.