A new public dashboard from Atlanta’s Policing Alternatives and Diversion Initiative shows a growing number of Atlantans are calling 311 for non-emergency supportive services, but still rely on 911 for a majority of calls.
Since 2021, PAD has responded to calls that otherwise would have gone to the police, such as addressing someone experiencing a mental health crisis or someone in need of housing assistance. Services are available citywide but only Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to midnight.
PAD already publishes monthly reports on calls for service but the new dashboard allows the public to see local-level data sorted by city council district, neighborhood planning unit or police zone. From January to March, PAD doubled the number of 311 calls over the same period last year. But this year 911 still received over 12 times as many calls for similar services during PAD’s operating hours.
Executive Director Moki Macias hopes this data will help bring attention to her organization’s work and to better understand what parts of the city are unaware of policing alternatives.
“On some level, it’s about the relationship that PAD has with the people who might be making the phone call,” Macias said. “Community members need assistance … with these kinds of concerns. But 911 remains the default response because it is the one that has been baked in for much longer.”
