Austin Makes Progress on 9-1-1 Emergency Response Times, Officials Say

AUSTIN, Texas – City officials reported advances in the 9-1-1 dispatch department’s emergency response times on Thursday, reflecting an almost 10% improvement since January 2024. Despite these gains, the current average response rate still falls short of the city’s target.

A Positive Shift in Trend

The city’s progress comes after a challenging year of grappling with employee shortages and slow response times. Austin Police Chief of Staff Jeff Greenwalt reported an average response time of nearly eleven-and-a-half seconds, a marked improvement from the previous year, but not yet hitting the target of 10.75 seconds.

“A lot of progress was made in emergency communications,” said Greenwalt, continuing, “due to the rapid hiring of a significant number of staff. This has brought down the stress levels within the workforce as they are not as short-staffed as before and there is lesser overtime work. Consequently, we are already hearing a lot of really amazing turnaround stories.”

Data Analysis: A Closer Look

In line with Greenwalt’s observations, data obtained from APD shows significant improvements. About 93% of the 9-1-1 calls in 2024 were answered in 15 seconds or less, a great leap from just under 75% in 2023.

A Comparative Study: Austin vs other Texan Cities

This comes in the wake of a recent report commissioned by the city council and released by the City Auditor’s Office. It revealed that Austin had registered more emergency calls per call-taker than its contemporaries like Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Fort Worth.

City councilmember Vanessa Fuentes said, “We currently don’t have a designation or criteria for high volumes; hence there are no policies or procedures on what actions should be taken when a flood of 9-1-1 calls comes in simultaneously.”

Pressure Despite Improvements

Despite the noted improvements, Austin had endured several strenuous months in 2023 of above-average volumes of emergency calls. As the city continues to make strides in enhancing its 9-1-1 emergency response, officials are also seeking ways to develop procedures for managing high-volume scenarios.