After being told about community concerns when calling 911, the director of Public Safety Dispatch Cody Shadle wrote back to us:
“We want to reassure the community that we take these concerns seriously. The Reno Police Department and Public Safety Dispatch Department are dedicated to providing timely, professional service, especially in emergency situations. However, we understand that there are moments when delays or miscommunication may occur, especially during emergency situations and we understand any frustration this may have caused. “
The concerns we received ranged from a caller reporting a serious road rage incident, and not having their call answered until trying a fourth time. Another was about reporting a large fire, and having the phone call go to voice mail several times, before someone answering saying they had already heard about the fire and immediately hanging up.
“We encourage residents to always call 911 in emergencies, our call takers and dispatchers are trained to prioritize calls based on urgency. When someone calls 911 for an emergency, the call is first received by a call taker at Public Safety Dispatch,” Shadle wrote back to us about these concerns.
We also asked to have an explanation of how the overall 911 process works, to get a reminder to post here for the community.
“The call taker gathers critical information from the caller, such as the nature of the emergency, location, and any other details needed. Based on the situation, the call taker then routes the call to the appropriate emergency service: police, fire, or emergency medical services (EMS), based on the jurisdiction of the location of the emergency,” Shadle wrote back in detail.
“During an emergency, such as a fire, we receive a high volume of 911 calls. In these critical moments, it's essential to quickly triage each call to determine whether the information is new or if it's a repeat of details we already have. This helps prioritize resources effectively and ensures we address the most urgent and previously unreported situations first. Due to the urgency, callers may experience an abbreviated interview and call disconnect in order to quickly process the high volume of incoming calls.
This ensures that every piece of crucial information is gathered, and the response is as efficient as possible. Time is of the essence, and efficient communication is key to managing the crisis.
Our 911 system has built in redundancy and leverages the cooperation of our regional partners to assist in managing events that overload the system. If a 911 call cannot be answered at or delivered to our 911 center it will be redirected to another available local 911 center to be triaged, and potential life safety instruction can be provided.
While there is no “voicemail” for 911, during an emergency, callers in queue may receive an automated message advising them to remain on the line or if there is a technology outage that disrupts 911 service a caller may be directed to a regional emergency call center or receive a message that 911 is unreachable. Each of these instances are uncommon and our staff works diligently to promptly report any and all technology disruptions to ensure the availability and efficiency of the 911 system.
If you have an emergency, please call 911. If you aren't having an emergency but still require police, you can contact nonemergency at 775-334-2677 (COPS). We appreciate the community's patience and continued trust as we strive to provide the best possible service to our community.”
Our Town Reno, Citizen’s Forum, April 2025
