NYPD's 911 Response Times Are Getting Worse

(Triborough's flickr).

The NYPD is getting slower in its old age. Though crime is down, the average amount of time it takes officers to respond to a 911 call has increased by 90 seconds since 2007, city statistics show. The police blame the drop on "'noncritical' jobs like graffiti," and we're totally sure that reduced number of cops on the street and the city's troubled consolidated police and fire 911 system, which NASA may be helping fix, have nothing to do with the drop.

According to the city so far in 2011 it takes an average for 8.4 minutes for the police to respond to crimes in progress. In 2007 it took 7.1 minutes and in 2010 it took 7.3.

Yet the NYPD says that we shouldn't worry our pretty little heads about this, because "The bulk of the increase in response times was for 'noncritical' jobs such as graffiti," according to Deputy Inspector Kim Royster.

Still, we're pretty skeptical of the NYPD's reasoning (as are the cops on NYPD Rant one of who points out "That damn graffiti used to slow me down big time when I was in a sector...Where do they come up with this crap?"). We haven't heard back from the NYPD, but we have a hunch the drop has as much to with the shrinking department size and the financially troubled Emergency Communications Transformation Program—which has been working since 2005 to create a unified NYPD and FDNY emergency call center in Brooklyn with a backup in the Bronx— as it does with graffiti.

Still, whatever the case, the next time you call 911 would you please be so kind as to leave an extra minute or two for the police to come to the rescue?

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Garth Johnston in News on May 16, 2011 4:20 PM

Comments [rss]

Guest

"Now I dialed 911 a long time ago
Don't you see how late they're reactin'"

21 years later, things haven't changed. Go figure!

jb_xo

Has anyone else noticed too that the detectives assigned to investigate violent crimes have ceased to be available to talk to you or put any energy into your case? well, if they're not finding the asses who beat the sh*t out of my friends, stole their wallets and phones, made charges and calls, then at least they're keeping those hooligans from finishing their tags on abandonned buildings...

Guest

Maybe if the cops weren't spending their on duty time shopping in Target the responses would be better. Two years ago I waited over four and a half hours for the slops to show up for an elderly down in her house. FD and I got in in minutes but PD decided to not show up. You also need to be aware that there are 'phantom sectors' who never answer up to the dispatcher unless a supervisor asks for a time check when the units don't answer. Get rid of Kelly, throw out Bloomberg and maybe this joke of a police department will actually become relevant..

TakeThePledge

Less cops = longer response times. Seems pretty simple to me.

More with less, just slower....and if a few people die because of it, well, at least we almost balanced the budget.

John

Only part of the problem is with ECTP. Much of the problem is with the fair citizens who think 911 is their personal valet service. Another part is with 311. They transfer a lot of non-emergency calls to 911.

Sam Raker

The solution is definitely hiring more police, not reducing the number of stupid things that have been criminalized in this city to allow the cops to respond to actual crimes.

Guest

I know your trying to be sarcastic, but the fact is that the vast majority of sector cop's day is spent responding to 911 calls. Decriminalizing things will have little to no effect on response times. For example, disputes are the most common type of 911 call, and getting into one is not even illegal.

Also, I would like to know why all media outlets are comparing 2010 stats with 2007? Why not 2009? This clearly is just a way to hype up the non-story.

Guest

Disputes are NOT handled as a priority call. 52's are often not responded to for well over an hour and most wind up being marked 90X or 90Y. Who are you kidding?