July 5, 2013
By Stephanie West
New York, NY — Public Advocate Bill de Blasio has called on the City’s Department of Investigation to probe reports of “lost calls” in the new 911 computer system that could potentially delay response times and put New Yorkers at risk. Internal emails unearthed indicate an estimated 1/4 to 1/3 of incidents transmitted to the new ICAD computer system in the days after its launch were designated as so-called “lost calls.”
In a letter to the Department of Investigation sent by de Blasio, he urged the agency to conduct an immediate and independent investigation. Despite mounting evidence, the Bloomberg Administration has repeatedly denied any technical problems with the 911 system.
“CityTime cost us millions, now 911 could be costing lives,” Public Advocate Bill de Blasio said. “We need to get to the bottom of these delays immediately. City Hall, NYPD and the FDNY have denied problems every step of the way, and we cannot expect their own investigations to unearth the truth. We need an independent investigation to determine what has gone wrong and whether our officials are doing enough to respond.”
