MARION COUNTY — 911 dispatchers in Marion County are preparing for their busiest weekend of the year ahead of the Fourth of July on Monday.
On New Year's Eve, the 911 center experienced an outage after dispatchers received more than 1,000 calls within 4-5 minutes past midnight, including 206 in a one-minute time frame.
"We have a technician on site and the system has been tested and we are fully prepared to go into [this weekend] so we have redundancies in place," Marion County 911 Center Director Michael R. Hubbs said.
In Marion County, people can call 311 from mobile devices or 317-327-3811 for non emergency calls. 311 only works from mobile devices.
"Our dispatchers have to focus on those true emergency calls. So unfortunately, the 911 system is abused daily, we have lots of calls that come in to the center or the 911 Center that frankly shouldn't be there, but we have to answer them," Hubbs said. "We want to get through everyone efficiently and in to help. It really is a serious situation at the 911 Center every year this time of year."
Hubbs says if you're in doubt if it was a firework or gunshot, call 911 and law enforcement will investigate. Illegal firework activity and other incidents that are not immediate risks to people or property should be reported to 311.
-
SWISH gives you a taste of Indy's arts and culture during Final Four weekend
Avoid being scammed out of your Final Four tickets
As Indianapolis prepares to host the Final Four, scammers are also ramping up efforts to take advantage of eager fans. Large-scale sporting events are prime targets for fraud.
Avoid being scammed out of your Final Four tickets
How to win prizes during Final Four weekend with Indiana Hoops Pass
With 70,000 fans expected in Indianapolis for Final Four weekend, Visit Indy has activated the "Indiana Hoops Pass" to guide visitors through the state's rich basketball culture.
