Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

 

 

News

NYPD Promises To Personally Call You About Your 311 Complaints


By

Christopher Robbins

Published Sep 4, 2014

Modified Sep 4, 2014


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 .

lempkin / Flickr


By

Christopher Robbins

Published Sep 4, 2014

Modified Sep 4, 2014


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

NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton told reporters last week that as violent crime continues to incrementally fall, his department will maintain a "continued emphasis on quality-of-life enforcement." Bratton is now blending Broken Windows with the sort of hands-on "community policing" that the mayor and other advocates called for the new administration to implement. Police will now call you back to ensure that your 311 complaint was properly addressed.

The Daily News obtained an NYPD memo stating that the precincts will track all the 311 complaints forwarded to them from the 311 system, and will return their call within a single business day. "Chronic complaints," which is defined as five calls on the same issue in four weeks, will trigger an in-person visit from a precinct commander.

This is no small promise. Last month, 47,749 311 calls were forwarded to the NYPD; that's roughly 1,500 telephone calls a day. More than 20,000 of them concerned residential noise complaints, which Bratton said represents a large portion of the department's quality-of-life efforts.

"The bulk of what we're dealing with is responding to citizens asking, help me sleep through the night, the next-door neighbor's throwing a wild party, I have to get up to go to work, my kids have to get up to go to school," Bratton said, adding that sometimes these parties turn violent.

"Unfortunately some of the poorer neighborhoods in the city have more than their fair share of these types of activities."

If you have an NYPD officer return your 311 call, tell us about it.

Tagged

311

Bill Bratton

bill de blasio

broken windows

quality-of-life offenses


Christopher Robbins

Twitter

Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.

Read more

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


MORE news

Why New Yorkers should care about bats beyond spooky season

As Bat Week begins, state wildlife officials urge New Yorkers to protect bats, which play an important role in the environment.

By

Catalina Gonella

Published Oct 25, 2026 at 6:44 p.m. ET


Serbians forced to wait hours to vote at NYC consulate as Balkan nation holds election

Early voting may have kicked off in New York this weekend, but Serbian immigrants seeking to vote had a much tighter window on Sunday.

By

Jill Webb

and

Michael Sol Warren

News

Serbians forced to wait hours to vote at NYC consulate as Balkan nation holds election

Early voting may have kicked off in New York this weekend, but Serbian immigrants seeking to vote had a much tighter window on Sunday.

By

Jill Webb

and

Michael Sol Warren


Retired NYPD detective charged in George Washington Bridge killing out on $1M bail

By

Michael Sol Warren

Suicides decline in NYC, but inequities persist across groups

By

Jill Webb

Cuts to rural healthcare become key issue for upstate votes in race for NY governor

By

Samuel King


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 .