City of Long Beach Introduces 9-1-1 Customer Service Enhancements

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PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA - On Aug. 10, 2026, the Department of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Communications launched a pilot program designed to enhance communications with 9-1-1 callers. This yearlong program will provide call confirmation and, when necessary, 9-1-1 Call Update notifications to residents requesting public safety assistance. These customer service enhancements are intended to improve transparency, keep callers updated on the status of their 9-1-1 call, and proactively provide call information via text. The improvements will preserve critical time for dispatchers to focus on high-priority calls and active emergencies by eliminating the need for callers to make repeat calls.

Callers to 9-1-1 will now receive Call Confirmation notifications via text message for calls such as noise complaints, parking violations, or requests for a police report. This excludes critical, life-threatening emergency calls, or "Priority 1" calls, which require an immediate public safety response to an imminent threat. Call Confirmation notifications will provide assurance to 9-1-1 callers that their request for service was received, reducing concern and uncertainty during stressful situations.

Example of a Call Confirmation text message:
"This is the Long Beach 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Center. We are confirming receipt of your call for service at (address). Public Safety personnel will be dispatched as soon as possible. Please call back if the situation changes and reference the incident number (Incident Number).

If the City is experiencing a high call volume or an incident that requires significant resources, public safety personnel may be delayed in responding to calls related to non-life-threatening incidents. In this case, a 9-1-1 Call Update notification will be proactively sent to inform callers that their request remains active and that public safety personnel are working to send assistance as soon as possible.

Example of a 9-1-1 Call Update message:
"This is the Long Beach 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Center. We are aware that you are waiting for assistance from Public Safety personnel, and we are working to dispatch emergency personnel as soon as possible. Please call us back if the situation has changed and reference the incident number (Incident Number)."

These automated customer service enhancements leverage advanced technology and do not require any additional work by dispatchers. These enhancements are available only to cellular callers, who account for approximately 90% of all calls made to the 9-1-1 Communications Center. This yearlong pilot program will be closely monitored and evaluated to determine whether it will become a permanent enhancement. Feedback received from callers and staff will be used to assess effectiveness and identify areas for improvement.

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