Computer system used by DC 911 dispatch goes down; callers may see longer response times

The computer aided dispatch system (CAD) used by the D.C. Office of Unified Communications to take and dispatch 911 calls is down.

This means call takers and dispatchers must do all communications for police and fire via voice, over the radio.

Multiple sources tell @nbcwashington DC’s @OUC_DC Computer Aided Dispatch system ( CAD ) is down. Meaning dispatchers and call takers are limited in computer assistance. It does not impact the public’s ability to call 911.

— Mark Segraves (@SegravesNBC4) May 23, 2024

While call takers train for this scenario, and computer systems go down, the outage will have an impact on dispatch times and communication between the Office of Unified Communications and DC Fire and Police.

The public can still dial 911, and the CAD outage does not impact the ability for the Office of Unified Communications to take calls. However, it may impact the speed of dispatching calls, depending on how long the outage lasts.

D.C. government officials have not provided any comment on the outage. It is not yet clear why the outage occurred.

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