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Oakland limits police response after dispatch systems fail
A computer, phone and internet outage disrupted Oakland police dispatch Wednesday night, sending 911 calls to the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office. Police said they would respond only to the highest-priority calls while city IT staff worked with AT&T to restore service.
Oakland’s police dispatch system failed Wednesday night, prompting the city to route 911 calls to the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office and limit police response to the most urgent calls.
Oakland Police Department dispatchers began experiencing frozen computer systems at about 9 p.m. They then tested both emergency and non-emergency lines and found the phone service and internet were unavailable, police said.
Dispatchers were relocated to a center shared by Oakland Fire and the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office. Oakland police said they were responding only to Priority One calls while the city’s information technology department worked with AT&T to restore service.
The outage disrupted the systems residents rely on to reach police and request help. The available information did not specify how long the disruption was expected to last or provide details about its cause.