PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Philadelphia Police Department is addressing complaints that wait times when dialing 911 are too long.
Summer weather and the easing of pandemic-related restrictions could be a factor for the increased call volume to 911, according to Philadelphia police, who admitted reports of unsatisfactory wait times when calling 911 are accurate.
In an official Facebook post, the department pointed to staffing shortages. They said funding approved by Mayor Jim Kenney to hire 75 additional police communications dispatchers should ease the problem soon.
Deputy Police Commissioner Christine Coulter had acknowledged the wait times during a May 12 City Council hearing, saying 911 has been overwhelmed.
"There are some days where we have 8,000 to 9,000 calls, which is considerably up from where we were last year which was about 5,000 calls per day," Coulter told Council.
In the meantime, the department is trying to address the problem by adjusting their employee schedules during peak hours.
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If you have an emergency that requires a 911 call, police said knowing your location can help. They asked that callers try to be patient when being asked questions, and stay on the line, resisting the urge to hang up and call back if you don't reach someone right away.
The Philadelphia Police Department also reminded people that 911 is only for emergencies. Non-emergency calls should be made to 311.