LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Whether someone calls 911 or 311 in Las Vegas, the wait time to reach a Metro dispatcher is going up.
According to data released to Channel 13 from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department after a public records request, the average 911 call wait time in June was 54 seconds. In January 2023, that number was 5 seconds.
“I called 911 and I was on hold for 12 and a half minutes,” said Las Vegas resident, Larry Dotterman.
Larry and his wife Heather Dotterman said they witnesses a robbery happening next door, but couldn’t get a hold of help.
“I actually saw the people jump over the fence and into the house,” Dotterman said. “An elderly woman and a baby were being held at gunpoint.”
Dotterman said he was worried about what could happen to his neighbors.
The wait times for non-emergency line 311 are even longer. The same data reveals the average wait time for 311 in June was 11 minutes and 23 seconds. In January, it was 8 minutes and 1 second.
“I couldn’t even get through on 311,” said Las Vegas resident Amy Greene.
Greene said she called police three times after teens threw rocks at the windows of her home. But the last time she called, help was on hold.
“The [police] were there right away in November. It happened again in December and they were there right away,” said Greene. “Then come April, we can’t get any response.”
In a statement, Metro told Channel 13, “we are aware that at times citizens may experience longer times depending on the call volume and time of day.”
During an interview with Good Morning Las Vegas anchor Justin Hinton in June, Sheriff Kevin McMahill acknowledged the 311 slowdown.
“I can’t snap my fingers and fix that,” McMahill said. “Because it takes the opportunity to hire somebody, which I’m trying to shorten that time frame, but also to train them, because there’s a lot that goes into becoming a dispatcher.”
Metro said it has hired dozens of new dispatchers but they’re still look to hire dozens more. Currently, the agency is looking to fill 37 open dispatcher positions.
