CHARLOTTE, N.C. — One item approved this week in the city of Charlotte’s next budget is $9 million to expand the 911 call center. This is something the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and the city have been working on as many complain of long wait times in emergencies.
WCNC Charlotte's VERIFY team wanted to see if wait times have improved.
This claim was posted on Reddit:
The person claims they waited 12 minutes to speak with a 911 operator.
We first told you about the long wait time in 2022 after several viewers reached out to WCNC Charlotte to look into the length of time it takes to speak to someone after calling 911.
THE QUESTION
Did 911 wait times in the Charlotte area improve from 2022 to 2023?
THE ANSWER:
Yes, wait times improved from 2022 to 2023, but not by much.
The new budget hopes to help with wait times.
OUR SOURCES:
WHAT WE FOUND:
According to CMPD, 60% of calls in 2022 were answered within 10 seconds or less.
In 2023, 69% of 911 calls were answered within 10 seconds or less.
So, there is some improvement. However, the industry standard is that 90% of calls should be answered in 10 seconds or less. CMPD said to get there, they need more dispatchers.
The 2025 budget aims to solve that problem by adding $9 million for 15 new positions and expanding the 911 center.
Contact Meghan Bragg at mbragg@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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