Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
911 Keeps Crashing, So Try Not To Have An Emergency Today
By
Lauren Evans
Published May 31, 2013
Modified May 31, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Lauren Evans
Published May 31, 2013
Modified May 31, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
911, the last system you ever want to have technical problems, is having technical problems. A newly implemented, computerized emergency response program reportedly crashed on Wednesday afternoon for several unfortunate minutes, forcing call-takers to write down emergencies on slips of paper and rush them by runners to NYPD and EMS radio rooms like email-less Neanderthals. Then it happened again. And again!
“We were told this new system would never go down,” a 911 worker told the Daily News, “and it crashes on the first day, when there’s not even a big call volume.”
The system crashed for 16 minutes on Wednesday, and again for six minutes on Thursday, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly told reporters yesterday.
"They thought they had it fixed at 3 a.m. this morning and then obviously this happened again so it has to be thoroughly examined," Kelly said, right before the system blinked out for the third time for a duration of 15 minutes.
The $2 billion system has endured a lengthy history of setbacks, and has been criticized for its persistent bugginess and high price tag.
Tagged
9/11
emergency
Lauren Evans
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NYC’s whiplash weather continues into weekend with heavy winds, chilly temps, NWS says
Friday expect scattered showers and thunder, cooler temperatures Saturday, and a sunny Sunday.
By
Monica Melton
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 10:22 a.m. ET
Early Addition: Winning an affordable housing lottery is great unless it's not
Because the apartment might be very small and not that affordable, here are your early links: Congestion pricing is paying for new subway elevators, G.W. Bridge has a new pedestrian walkway, not so many airplane barf bags and more.
By
James Ramsay
News
Early Addition: Winning an affordable housing lottery is great unless it's not
Because the apartment might be very small and not that affordable, here are your early links: Congestion pricing is paying for new subway elevators, G.W. Bridge has a new pedestrian walkway, not so many airplane barf bags and more.
By
James Ramsay
Mamdani and 100+ NY officials urge parking lot owners to ban ICE
By
Arya Sundaram
NYC ambulance response times have grown 41% as life-threatening calls rise
By
Ben Feuerherd
Federal judge tosses Trump administration lawsuit challenging NYC sanctuary laws
By
Phil Corso
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .