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They could call it 311 to Go, if only Boston had 311
By adamg on Mon, 07/06/2009 - 7:33am
Globe: City to unveil iPhone complaint app:
"If I'm just walking along the sidewalk and I have a complaint - maybe a storm knocked downed a tree - I could take a photo and send it immediately," said Christopher Loh, 28, a press assistant in the mayor's office who helped come up with the idea for the program. "You don't have to bumble around looking for a number to call. It's right there in the palm of your hand."
If, that is, you're a savvy cyberdude with an iPhone, as opposed to everybody else, who will have to bumble around looking for a number to call because unlike, oh, New York or Somerville, the city's citizen line is not 311 (it's 617-635-4500 if you want to key it into your cell now).
Neighborhoods:
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Comments
only dudes can have iPhones
only dudes can have iPhones now? I guess this nerdchick will have to turn hers in :P
Oooh
Heh -- think a few dozen submitted photos of city vehicles parked where they shouldn't be will help?
I'd almost be willing to pay a dime
For someone to drop a dime on every illegally-parked cop car outside of Police HQ sent via iPhone app.
I miss the weekly "it's still happening" stories from the Globe and you *know* the stories didn't stop because the cops stopped parking illegally...
Send that photo to UH first
and then to the city. For more accountability.
Hey Adam, how about a special UH Flickr group for photo reports of Boston problems?
3-1-what?
That could be interesting... :)
And, of course, everyone knows we don't have 3-1-1 service because you can't call it "The Mayors hotline". If He can't brand it, it ain't gonna happen...
No need to complicate things
Just call 911 - it's not a big deal, as 1)there are enough operators to handle both emergency & non-emergency calls, and 2)when you call the mayor's hotline, 99% of the time their clerks pass the info onto the BPD/BFD....by calling 911.
Eventually, this will change...but for now, just call 911.
The analyst objects
911 has pretty well-defined meaning, as far as the public is concerned, and that's a very useful property.
Tell people to call 911 for non-emergency, and you're throwing that away and won't be able to get it back without a huge PR effort, if ever.
right..
the non emergency calls get put on hold (And even the 911 calls do sometimes).
Ever hear the audio of people down south calling 9-11 becasue some McDonalds didn't give them enough fries?
What are you talking about?
If there are potholes on your street, you don't call 911. If you call the mayor's hotline about them, THEY don't call 911. Nobody's calling 911 about potholes, missing road signs, downed trees, etc.
Calling 911 should be for police, fire, or ambulance. If you don't need one of those three, you shouldn't be calling them. Also, if you think you need one of those three, mentally double check because if you're calling to tell them that they need to make Burger King serve better burgers, you're wrong and it'll be posted on YouTube and we'll all laugh at you.
Where the confusion comes, I bet
Although it's drilled into us from birth that 911 is ONLY for emergencies, in Boston, you're supposed to use it for non-emergency police calls, too (a loud party down the street, say). Or at least, that's what I was told the last time I tried to report a loud party to my local police station.
Not mayor's hotline
Sure, but I also wouldn't call the Mayor's Hotline about a current noise problem with a loud party either, so I don't understand what calls anon thinks are going to 911 via the Hotline. I also use 911 for *all* calls to police, fire, or ambulance after also having it explained to me by a nice desk jockey at the local precinct (it was actually really, really hard to even find the "front desk" number for the individual precinct when I first looked for it).
More or less, you're right
However, let me go through what I believe happens for the examples you give:
Potholes - if your car happens to be damaged by one, then yes, call the mayor's line, as they can (hopefully) expedite the legal process involving the vehicle's damage. If you are a passerby who sees a dangerous pothole, you can call either the mayor's hotline or 911 and request an emergency patch crew from the DPW for that area....although who knows how long they will take.
Missing road signs - it's a jurisdiction deal, so you either have to call the Mayor's Hotline (for city streets), the State Police(which includes the DCR) or the Turnpike Authority (good luck) to get anything done. However, if this particular area is where the lack of sigeage will endanger lives, please call 911 - the BPD or State Police will evaluate the danger & respond accordingly, possibly even w/a posted unit until the situation is fixed.
Downed Trees - this one actually involves emergency crews directly, especially if downed powerlines, damaged property and/or blocked streets are involved. Fire respond first for examination & general removal, police handle potential traffic delays, then either fire or police contact the mayor's office, who is supposed to call the DPW for debris removal, as well as Comcast, Nstar, etc., if lines are damaged.
In short, even though these examples can be non-emergencies, that is not always the case.
LOL
This reminds me of that Product Safety sketch on SNL where Dan Akroyd is trying to pitch the sales of hazardous toys and when the moderator suggests that he should sell something less dangerous...like a large rubber ball...Akroyd shows how it could be *just* as deadly as a bag of broken glass...
"Why look here...a kid could be bouncing it and then all of the sudden! [shoves ball across table into his mouth and fakes choking]...You see, a clear choking hazard!"
Sure, if a pothole opens up as big as the whole road, you might need to call 911 instead. The point is that people can clearly distinguish between that and a shock-destroying stretch of frostheave and salt destruction. One requires the Mayor to get involved, the other requires the National Guard. Nobody is calling the Mayor's Hotline when they should be calling 911 and then having to have the Mayor forward the concern to the appropriate authorities.
Bag O' Glass!
great toy!