About this episode
This episode explores the failures of the 911 system in America and the impact of understaffing on emergency response.
The 911 system functions as a sort of promise: Call for help and someone will be there to respond quickly. But in many American cities, it’s a broken promise. Thanks in part to a widespread understaffing crisis across 911 dispatch centers, hundreds of thousands of callers are left waiting on hold during their most harrowing moments every year. Reporter Byard Duncan has spent more than a year reporting on America’s flailing 911 system and what it might take to fix it. This week on Reveal , in partnership with Type Investigations , he traces the issue from California to Wisconsin and a final stop on Capitol Hill. Support Reveal’s journalism at Revealnews.org/donatenow Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get the scoop on new episodes at Revealnews.org/weekly Connect with us on Bluesky , Facebook and Instagram Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
People in this episode
Host: Reveal
Guest: Byard Duncan
Topics covered
- 911 system
- emergency response
- dispatch centers
- public safety
- understaffing crisis
Keywords
- 911
- emergency services
- dispatch
- public safety
- understaffing
- call for help
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Reveal, Type Investigations, The Center for Investigative Reporting, PRX
Places: California, Wisconsin, Capitol Hill
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