911: Hanging on the line

By Candice Nguyen, Jeremy Carroll, Sean Myers, Alex Bozovic, Michael Horn and Michael Bott •

By Candice Nguyen, Jeremy Carroll, Sean Myers, Alex Bozovic, Michael Horn and Michael Bott •

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

There’s a 9-1-1 calling crisis, and in Oakland, it’s far worse than any other city, or even county, in the state. Investigative reporter Candice Nguyen brings this issue to city leaders.

Part 2: Oakland's 911 system was down 30 hour. It's part of a bigger issue

The city of Oakland said a power outage caused the emergency communication center to go down for nearly 30 hours -- a report that came to light after NBC Bay Area’s Investigative Unit’s report. Candice Nguyen has been investigating Oakland’s 911 system for weeks and explains.

Part 3: CHP Bay Area responds to having longest 911 answering times in California

Out of the 450 911 call centers across California, CHP Golden Gate Division had the longest averaging answering time in the state in 2023, according to California Office of Emergency Services’ data analyzed by the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit. Candice Nguyen reports.


Part 4: Californians paid more than a $1B into 911 over the years as oversight falls behind

With industrywide staffing shortages, 911 answering times quadrupling mandated standards and more people saying they’re losing trust in their city’s ability to respond to emergencies, the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit examined state and federal oversight of 911 centers. Candice Nguyen reports.

Part 5: Oakland mayor announces $2.5M investment into city's 911 system

Oakland says it’s finally moving to address its failing 911 calling system. This action follows multiple NBC Bay Area Investigations and a grand jury report. Investigative reporter Candice Nguyen uncovered many of these issues, and has the latest.

Part 6: Oakland still hasn’t installed 911 technology it bought 5 years ago

While focusing on staffing issues plaguing Oakland’s failing 911 system, city officials recently confirmed they’re still sitting on millions of dollars’ worth of 911 technology purchased in 2018. Candice Nguyen reports.

Part 7: Texting 911 can't geolocate as accurately as voice calls, putting vulnerable more at risk

Disproportionately impacting the Deaf and victims of violence, California’s 911 texting system does not offer the same location accuracy as 911 voice calls, an NBC Bay Area investigation found. Candice Nguyen reports.

Part 8: FCC to discuss emergency communication access solutions

NBC Bay Area’s Investigative Unit found the 911 technology can't always locate you in an emergency. Now, the federal government is working on solutions. Candice Nguyen has the details.

Part 9: ‘I was blocked': On top of 911 issues, Oakland non-emergency line leaves callers hanging

Oakland’s non-emergency line is supposed to help free up busy dispatchers, but one mother says the helpline is as broken as the city’s 911 system. Candice Nguyen reports.

Part 10: Oakland city leaders dig for what led to failing 911 system, steps to move forward

Two Oakland city councilmembers are pressing staff for action and answers as they try to determine why the city’s 911 and non-emergency answering times are among the worst in the state. Investigative reporter Candice Nguyen reports.

Part 11: Oakland failed to process 1,000 dispatcher applications amid 911 staffing crisis: city councilmember

When our investigative unit exposed Oakland's dangerously long 911 response times, the city said staffing was the main cause. Now, we’re finding out, Oakland only has itself to blame. Investigative Reporter Candice Nguyen has been leading our 911 coverage and has the details.

Part 12: 911 calling issues during Oakland armed robbery, crash

People who witnessed robbers cause a man to crash his car in Oakland say they called 911 but couldn’t get through on Friday. Candice Nguyen reports.

Part 13: Oakland mayor says 911 response is improving, but far from meeting state standards

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao announced this week that the city’s 911 response times are finally headed in the right direction as their dispatch center fills vacancies. Candice Nguyen reports.

Part 14: 1-on-1: Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao talks 911 calling crisis, state deadline, HR fallout

After months of declining interview requests, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao sits down with NBC Bay Area’s Investigative Unit about this life-or-death issue she inherited. Candice Nguyen reports. 

Part 15: Oakland upgrades non-emergency calling system amid communication dispatch crisis

The City of Oakland and the Oakland Police Department launched a new automated answering system for OPD’s non-emergency line in February, aimed at improving long wait times for callers.

Part 16: Family blames slow OPD response after fatal shooting over stolen property

An Oakland grandmother says her former son-in-law, killed in an armed confrontation over her stolen property, might be alive if Oakland police officers responded to more than a dozen calls the family made as they tracked their pilfered devices across the city.  Candice Nguyen reports.

Part 17: Exclusive: Oakland will not meet state's deadline to fix 911 response times

After July 26, Oakland is expected to lose state funding for its emergency communications center and be forced to reroute all its 911 calls through another agency’s calling center. Investigative Reporter Candice Nguyen reports.

Part 18: Oakland PD avoids state action after mayor says city won’t meet 911 deadline

In a new letter to Oakland, the state agency said it would not take further action. If 911 times do not continue to improve, OPD may be subject to referral to the Attorney General. Candice Nguyen reports.

Part 20: State increases monitoring of Oakland 911 center

Oakland’s 911 emergency call center is facing more oversight from state regulators amid the city’s yearslong failure to bring answering times down to the mandated standard. Candice Nguyen reports.

Part 21: Oakland updates decades-old 911 dispatch technology

Oakland leaders announced successful hardware and software upgrades to its decades-old 911 technology. As a result, they said Oaklanders should have a more reliable emergency calling system, and 911 answer times should eventually improve.

Part 22: Oakland promised $2.5M to fix 911. Answer times remain worst in California. What's going on?

Exactly one year after Oakland leaders announced a $2.5 million investment to save the city’s failing 911 Emergency Call Center, average answer times remain the worst in California by a wide margin. Investigative Reporter Candice Nguyen reports.

Part 23: Oakland improves 911 response times by 25%, city leaders say

Oakland city leaders say their police department has improved its 911 answering times by 25% this past November, which is a dramatic improvement compared to one year ago. Candice Nguyen reports.

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