After a stabbed Oakland police officer almost died because his own 911 calls failed to connect, the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit revealed Oakland has the worst 911 response time out of any city or county in California. Callers reported getting busy signals.
Months of reporting revealed a deeply broken 911 system and a state agency that’s fallen egregiously behind on its oversight.
Following these investigations and a civil grand jury report, a state agency put Oakland on notice. In September 2023, Oakland’s mayor announced a $2.5 million investment into the city’s 911 department.
Part 1: ‘I don't dial 911 anymore': Oakland's worsening 911 crisis
Part 2: Oakland's 911 system was down 30 hour. It's part of a bigger issue
Part 3: CHP Bay Area responds to having longest 911 answering times in California
Part 4: Californians paid more than a $1B into 911 over the years as oversight falls behind
Part 5: Oakland mayor announces $2.5M investment into city's 911 system
Part 6: Oakland still hasn’t installed 911 technology it bought 5 years ago
Part 7: Texting 911 can't geolocate as accurately as voice calls, putting vulnerable more at risk
Part 8: FCC to discuss emergency communication access solutions
Part 9: ‘I was blocked': On top of 911 issues, Oakland non-emergency line leaves callers hanging
Part 10: Oakland city leaders dig for what led to failing 911 system, steps to move forward
Part 11: Oakland failed to process 1,000 dispatcher applications amid 911 staffing crisis: city councilmember
Part 12: 911 calling issues during Oakland armed robbery, crash
Part 13: Oakland mayor says 911 response is improving, but far from meeting state standards
Part 14: 1-on-1: Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao talks 911 calling crisis, state deadline, HR fallout
Part 15: Oakland upgrades non-emergency calling system amid communication dispatch crisis
Part 16: Family blames slow OPD response after fatal shooting over stolen property
Part 17: Exclusive: Oakland will not meet state's deadline to fix 911 response times
Part 18: Oakland PD avoids state action after mayor says city won’t meet 911 deadline
Part 20: State increases monitoring of Oakland 911 center
Part 21: Oakland updates decades-old 911 dispatch technology
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