Denver City Council Briefing on Smart IVR for Non-Emergency Lines – June 18, 2024

Deputy Mayor Armando Saldate, sitting in for Mayor Mike Johnston, presented a new Smart Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system for the Denver police non-emergency line (720-913-2000) as a first step toward merging 311, 911, and non-emergency call handling. The presentation included subject matter experts: CIO Sumana Nalpati, 911 Director Andrew Dameron, and Chief Digital Officer Jenny Shavoney. Councilmembers voiced concerns about language access, hold times, digital experience, and community education. No public testimony was heard, and no formal votes were taken.

Discussion Items

• Smart IVR Overview: The new system uses natural language processing to route non-emergency calls to the appropriate resource without requiring callers to navigate menus. It will not affect 911 calls; callers dialing 911 will still reach a live call taker. The goal is to reduce the roughly 1 million non‑emergency calls handled annually, freeing up call takers for emergencies. The system is designed to improve over time through machine learning and will transfer callers to a live agent if it cannot understand the request or if the caller asks for one.
• Language Access: Councilwoman Alvidres raised concerns that non‑English speakers might not respond to an English‑only automated system. Deputy Mayor Saldate acknowledged the issue and said the city will engage with HRCP (Human Rights & Community Partnerships) for guidance. Councilwoman Alvidres also requested a simple “press zero to speak to a human” feature for elderly and limited‑English residents, which the system already includes.
• Digital Experience & Data: Councilman Hines called for improvements to the 311 online portal, noting that case statuses often say “closed” when work is not complete. Chief Digital Officer Shavoney said the city is working on change management and will launch a customer satisfaction survey this year. Councilman Hines also advocated for open‑source, public‑facing 311 data similar to San Francisco’s model, which would allow residents to track reports without calling.
• Staffing and Hold Times: Councilman Cashman asked how many additional call takers would be needed to eliminate holds on 911. Director Dameron estimated 50 additional FTEs would achieve that, but noted that turnover is high (15–30% annually). The IVR system is expected to reduce non‑emergency call volume by up to 39%, based on results from Jefferson County’s JeffCOM 911. Currently, 60% of Denver 911’s 2.1 million annual calls are non‑emergency.
• Geographic Routing and Border Issues: Councilwoman Sawyer asked about the FCC mandate for location‑based 911 routing following a tragic border‑related incident. Director Dameron confirmed that cell carriers are now required to use device location data (like Uber does) instead of tower proximity, which will prevent misrouting. Councilwoman Lewis inquired about geographic data for non‑emergency calls; Director Dameron said that data is not currently captured for the non‑emergency line, but the IVR will enable future trend analysis.
• Community Education: Councilwoman Sawyer noted that residents often fail to call 911 for emergencies like street racing with gunshots because they do not recognize them as crimes in progress. Director Dameron agreed to expand the website FAQ with more specific examples.

Key Outcomes

• Implementation Plan: The Smart IVR will launch on the non‑emergency line first as a pilot. Once refined, the same technology will be added to the 311 number, expected by end of 2024. A third phase will consolidate the city’s 22–23 contact centers into a unified resident experience.
• Budget and Staffing: Director Dameron plans to request additional 911 call‑taker FTEs in the 2025 budget to further reduce hold times. The IVR is seen as a complementary tool to staffing, not a replacement.
• Follow‑up Actions: Deputy Mayor Saldate indicated the administration will provide updates to the Safety Committee. Council members requested data on top call types and geographic breakdowns; the administration will work with GIS teams to address address‑validation issues in 311.
• No Formal Votes: The meeting was a briefing only; no resolutions or ordinances were passed.