Reduced 911 wait times
When Commissioner Mapps took office, one of his first responsibilities was overseeing the Bureau of Emergency Communications (BOEC). At that time, BOEC was grappling with significant staffing shortages due to pandemic attrition, a year-long hiring freeze, and an overwhelming volume of emergency calls.
Portlanders were waiting an average of 74 seconds for 911 calls to be answered—an unacceptable and dangerous situation. With it taking an average of 18 months to fully train new call takers, and almost no one in the training pipeline as of January 1st, 2021, the road to recovery looked challenging to say the least.
To address this crisis:
Commissioner Mapps led one of the largest hiring classes in BOEC’s history, bringing in new staff and ensuring they began training as quickly as possible.
Recognizing that roughly 50% of operator time was spent on non-emergency calls, he also initiated the transition of these calls to the City’s 311 program, where staff could be trained more quickly to relieve pressure on BOEC.
Additionally, Commissioner Mapps worked with bureau leadership to introduce a cutting-edge AI-based software solution to help route calls more efficiently, reducing the time operators spent handling non-emergency issues.
He also fought for increased pay for trainers, accelerating the certification process for new call-takers.
As a result of these measures, by 2024, 911 wait times have dropped by roughly 50%, helping to ensure that Portlanders get the emergency assistance they need as quickly as possible.
