Bowser Administration Launches New “Make the Right Call” Campaign, Urging Residents to Only Use 911 for Emergencies

(Washington, DC) - Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Office of Unified Communications (OUC) Director Heather McGaffin announced a new "Make the Right Call" campaign. The campaign is aimed at educating residents and visitors about when it is appropriate to dial 911 and when they should instead utilize 311 to access the police non-emergency line and to request city services.

"We are asking residents and visitors to help us keep the 911 system available for emergencies," said Mayor Bowser. "We are fortunate to have 311 as a 24/7 resource for city services, enforcement, and non-emergency police support. By using 311 for non-emergencies, we can keep our 911 personnel focused on critical situations where immediate help is needed."

In Fiscal Year 2024, OUC handled 1.2 million 911 calls, and it is estimated that almost a fourth of these calls were non-emergencies. OUC's new "Make the Right Call Campaign" will educate residents and visitors on what constitutes an emergency so that the system is not overcrowded by non-emergency calls. 911 needs to be reserved for emergencies-not a lost item, a neighbor playing loud music, or reporting graffiti that occurred last night.

"Our goal is to provide quick and accurate emergency response to all DC residents and visitors," said OUC Director Heather McGaffin. "In order to achieve this goal, we need to reserve the emergency system for emergencies. Please do not let non-emergencies compete with real ones. Only dial 911 when health, safety, and property are in immediate danger."

Top 5 issues People Call 911 for When They Should Call 311

1. Parking Enforcement
2. Noise complaints
3. Lost, found, or stolen property
4. Crimes that occurred in the past with no injury or suspect on the scene
5. Illegal dumping

When to dial 911

When health, safety, and property are in immediate danger. For example:

• Any crime in progress and/or when the offender is still on the scene
• All fires and medical emergencies
• Home and business intruders
• Vehicle crashes involving personal injury, major property damage, or traffic tie-ups
• Sighting of a criminal whom you know is wanted by the police

When to dial 311 and press 1 for police non-emergency

To report incidents that may require police enforcement but do not constitute an emergency. For example:

• Crimes or incidents that happened in the past, no injury, and/or the suspect is no longer on the scene
• Noise complaints
• Lost, found, or stolen property
• Fraud or forgery
• Unoccupied vehicle-related incidents
• Traffic complaints
• Vandalism or graffiti
• Property damage or destruction of property
• Loitering

When to dial 311:

To request information or schedule city services. For example:

• Bulk pick-ups
• Report illegal dumping
• Missed scheduled service, such as trash or recycling
• Parking Enforcement
• City agency phone numbers and hours of operation
• Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) related calls
• Other customer service-related items 

For more information, visit ouc.dc.gov/maketherightcall

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