311 Day 2023: Date, History, Facts about 311 Services

311 Day is annually observed on March 11. While we do have a number for emergency services, what should we do if we have a legitimate concern that is not an emergency? The 311 system helps residents report problems, learn about city services, and discover answers to questions.

The background of 311 Day

The 311 service has evolved into a multi-channel connection between citizens and the government. The proliferation of technology now provides a plethora of data that improves the administration of cities. In January 1999, Baltimore was the first city to implement 311 as a non-emergency police number, followed by Chicago, which was quick to jump on the bandwagon and implement the first comprehensive 3-1-1 system providing information and monitoring city services from intake to resolution.

Chicago 3-1-1 has garnered numerous national awards, including the 2003 Innovations in American Government Award from the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. In addition to providing seamless delivery of city services to residents, the call centre functions as a backup for the city’s 911 call centre, proving its worth.

Today, the 311 system is available in the majority of America’s main cities and is expanding to smaller communities. Seven Google.org Fellows collaborated with the City of San José in 2020. 311 Day was founded by Google, San José, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Oakland, and Santa Clara County. This was done to raise awareness of the non-emergency number and recognise the “first” first responders who answer these calls and assist individuals.

Debunking Day 2023: Date, History, Facts, Activities

5 IMPORTANT FACTS REGARDING 311 SERVICES

About a third of all 311 contacts in the United States originated from cell phones as opposed to landlines.

311 was occasionally used as a fictitious area code in Bell System advertisements depicting telephones in the United States.

311 is the number for the city and county of San Francisco in San Francisco.

The combination of 311 and CitiSta in Baltimore has reduced the cost of municipal services.

Countries such as Panama, Puerto Rico, and Costa Rica have established nationwide 311 call centres.

311 DAY DATES

Year	Date	Day
2023	March 11	Saturday
2024	March 11	Monday
2025	March 11	Tuesday
2026	March 11	Wednesday
2027	March 11	Thursday