GAO Report Reveals Administration’s Negligence in Upgrading 911 Call Center Infrastructure
The Report Urges Immediate Action to Protect Public Safety
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Norma Torres (CA-35), a member of the House Appropriations Committee and Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, highlights the release of a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report she commissioned to evaluate the progress and support from federal agencies in implementing Next Generation 911 (NG911). NG911 is a critical upgrade designed to enhance communication between callers, call centers, and first responders. The GAO report revealed that only two out of eleven federal agencies – both within the Department of Defense – have successfully implemented NG911. Other agencies have failed to follow recommendations to upgrade their infrastructure, and some agencies have scaled back assistance to state and local 911 centers despite ongoing outages that endanger the lives of Americans, largely due to the absence of a federal mandate.
"Every American deserves prompt and proper attention in times of crisis, yet 9-1-1 dispatchers continue to lack the support and resources necessary to meet the evolving demands of emergency response," said Congresswoman Norma Torres. " 9-1-1 dispatchers remain incorrectly classified as clerical workers rather than first responders – which my 9-1-1 SAVES Act legislation seeks to fix – and they are ineligible for many federal grants and resources to promote recruitment and retention of their industry’s workforce. This must change and we must recognize these first responders for exactly that – the first to answer when Americans are in their darkest moments and in greatest need. I remain committed to ensuring these infrastructure upgrades are implemented so that first responders have the tools and the training they need to protect and serve our communities."
As a former 911 dispatcher with over 17 years of experience, Representative Norma Torres has long been a strong advocate for 911 professionals. She has repeatedly called for increased funding to provide public safety professionals with the resources needed to save lives. She also introduced the 911 SAVES Act, which reclassifies 911 dispatchers as first responders, recognizing the vital role that more than 100,000 911 professionals play in saving lives across America.
Read the GAO report here.
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