Part C. Office of Unified Communications.

§ 1–327.51. Definitions.

For the purposes of this part, unless otherwise required by the context, the term:

(1) “Agencies” means the Metropolitan Police Department, the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, and the Customer Service Operations Unit.

(2) “Call center” means the telephone-based call center and associated operation involving any department or agency throughout the District government that operates the District’s 911, 311, and 727-1000 systems or other facilities for emergency and non-emergency calls. The term “call center” shall include the Citywide Call Center that is responsible for the receipt and processing of 727-1000 calls, but shall not include any other component of the Customer Service Operations Unit established by § 1-327.32.

(3) “Call center technology” means computer-aided dispatch systems and related public safety answering point technologies and telecommunications devices, and related equipment and appurtenances, including automatic call distribution equipment and any related equipment that manages, stores, channels or otherwise processes telephone calls, mobile communications devices, cellular communications, automatic vehicle location devices, global positioning technologies, and supporting metropolitan area network-based communications and supporting local area networks, that may be used in a call center.

(4) “Customer service” means activities involved in the receipt and processing of emergency, non-emergency, and citizen service requests by the agencies’ call centers.

(5) “Director” means the Director, Office of Unified Communications.

(6) “Office” means the Office of Unified Communications established by this part.

(7) “Radio technology” means public safety voice radio communications systems and other public safety wireless communications systems and resources.

(8) “Unified Communications Center” means the control center for radio and call center technology, and customer service, within the Office.

§ 1–327.52. Establishment of Office of Unified Communications.

(a) There is established, as a subordinate agency under the Mayor in the executive branch of the government of the District of Columbia, an Office of Unified Communications. The Office shall centralize the customer service functions and activities of the District government’s 911, 311, and 727-1000 systems, and other facilities for emergency, non-emergency, and citizen service calls, and be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the District government’s radio technology and call center technology.

(b) The Office shall be under the supervision of a Director, Office of Unified Communications, who shall carry out the functions and authorities assigned to the Office.

(Dec. 7, 2004, D.C. Law 15-205, § 3203, 51 DCR 8441.)

Short Title

Short title: Section 3041 of D.C. Law 17-20 provided that subtitle E of title III of the act may be cited as the “Communications Reports Act of 2007”.

Editor's Notes

Communications reports: Section 3042 of D.C. Law 17-20 provided:

“By October 1, 2008, the Office of the Attorney General, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, the Department of Corrections, the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, the Office of Administrative Hearings, and the Office of Unified Communications shall each provide a report to the Council on its efforts to identify efficiencies and reduce telephone and communications costs, including:

“(1) Identification of the number of active phone lines within the agency and used by the agency;

“(2) Identification of the service provider and the rate for each active phone line; and

“(3) Strategies to implement cost-savings.”

§ 1–327.53. Transfers.

(a) All of the authority, responsibilities, duties, and functions of the agencies’ call centers and radio technology shall be transferred from the agencies to the Office of Unified Communications within such reasonable period of time as the Mayor may designate. The transfer shall include all 911, 311, and 727-1000 call center authority, responsibilities, duties, functions, and infrastructure.

(b) All vacant and filled positions, personnel, property, and unexpended balances of appropriations, allocations, and other funds available or to be made available to the agencies to perform the functions set forth in § 1-327.54 shall be transferred to the Office of Unified Communications within such reasonable period of time as the Mayor may designate.

(c) The Mayor, or the Mayor’s designee, may organize the personnel and property transferred to the Office from the agencies into such organizational components as the Mayor or the Mayor’s designee deems appropriate, and may develop any reports and evaluation systems necessary to assess the effectiveness of the reorganization plan authorized by this part.

(d) All authority and operations related to the Emergency and Non-Emergency Number Telephone Calling Systems Fund, established by § 34-1801, shall be transferred to the Office of Unified Communications.

§ 1–327.54. Functions.

The Office shall:

(1) Provide centralized customer service for the District government’s 911, 311, 727-1000 call systems, and other emergency, non-emergency, and citizen service calls;

(2) Provide centralized, District-wide coordination and management of the District government’s radio technology and call center technology systems and resources;

(3) Develop and enforce policy directives and standards for the acquisition, operation, and maintenance of radio technology and call center technology systems and services for all District agencies and departments, coordinating such activities with appropriate semi-governmental and private entities, the Federal Communications Commission, federal and state radio communications coordination organizations, and jurisdictions adjacent to or otherwise affecting the application or use of radio technology and call center technology in the District;

(4) Develop and enforce policy directives and standards for the integration, maintenance, and use of information systems and data resources needed to support the functions of the Office;

(5) Develop and enforce policy directives and standards for management of the building facilities supporting radio technology and call center technology;

(6) Develop and enforce policy directives and standards regarding all radio communications towers, antennae, and related equipment and appurtenances used by District departments and agencies;

(7) In coordination with the Office of the Chief Technology Officer, review all agency proposals, purchase orders, and contracts for the acquisition of radio technology and call center technology systems, resources, and services, and recommend approval or disapproval to the Chief Procurement Officer;

(8) In coordination with the Office of the Chief Technology Officer, review and approve the radio technology and call center technology budgets for District government departments and agencies and recommend approval or disapproval to the Chief Financial Officer;

(9) Coordinate the development of information management plans, standards, systems, and procedures throughout the District government for radio technology and call center technology, including the development of a radio technology and call center technology strategic plan for the District;

(10) Assess new or emerging radio technologies and call center technologies and advise District departments and agencies on the potential applications of these technologies to their programs and services;

(11) Implement radio technology and call center technology solutions and systems throughout the District government;

(12) Promote the compatibility of radio technology and call center technology throughout the District government; and

(13) Serve as a resource and provide advice to District departments and agencies about how to use radio technology and call center technology to improve services, including providing assistance to departments and agencies in developing radio technology and call center technology strategic plans.

§ 1–327.54a. Development of emergency medical application.

(a) The Office shall develop an emergency medical application to aid a trained user in providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation to an individual reported to be exhibiting signs of cardiac arrest while emergency medical service providers are dispatched to the individual's location. At a minimum, the emergency medical application shall:

(1) Notify a trained user that he or she is within a certain distance from an individual that is experiencing a cardiac arrest in a public location;

(2) Notify a trained user of the nearest location of a publicly accessible defibrillator;

(3) Assist emergency medical service providers in monitoring patients or relaying information to hospital emergency rooms; and

(4) Allow a trained user to alert the Office if an individual is experiencing a health emergency.

(b) The Director shall ensure that staff are adequately trained to assist trained users in the use of the emergency medical application.

(c) Notwithstanding any other law, a trained user shall have the same protections as provided in § 7-401, and shall not be subject to criminal or, in the absence of gross negligence, civil liability for administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation or using an automated external defibrillator pursuant to this part:

(1) In good faith to treat a person who he or she reasonably believes is experiencing a cardiac arrest;

(2) Outside of a hospital or medical office; and

(3) Without the expectation of receiving or intending to seek compensation for such service or acts.

(d) For the purposes of this section, the term:

(1) "Emergency medical application" means a website or mobile platform where trained users can interact with the Office during medical emergencies.

(2) "Trained user" means a District resident or visitor using an emergency medical application who has been trained by an organization recognized by the Department of Health to provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation to a victim of a cardiac arrest.

§ 1–327.54b. Emergency medical information profile program. [Repealed]

Repealed.

§ 1–327.54c. Alternative Responses to Calls for Service Pilot Program.

(a)(1) The Office shall, in coordination with the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice ("DMPSJ") and the Department of Behavioral Health ("DBH"), establish an Alternative Responses to Calls for Service Pilot Program ("Pilot Program") to dispatch non-law enforcement agency personnel and community-based responders to calls for service, including calls for service related to individuals experiencing:

(A) Behavioral health emergencies;

(B) Homelessness; or

(2) The Pilot Program shall:

(A) Center a public-health approach to emergency response in its protocols, training, operations, and public engagement;

(B) Prioritize the diversion of calls for service away from a law enforcement response and towards District agencies or community-based organizations that employ unarmed practitioners or professionals, such as mental-health professionals and social workers; and

(b) With regard to the Pilot Program, the Office, DMPSJ, and DBH shall:

(1) Develop protocols for:

(A) Identifying and dispatching certain categories of calls for service; and

(B) Cross-training law enforcement personnel, non-law enforcement agency personnel, and community-based responders, including call-center employees;

(2) Conduct public education to build awareness and trust in the Pilot Program, including by developing branding, publicly accessible and lay-friendly educational materials, and strategic messaging about:

(A) The Pilot Program's purpose, goals, and operations; and

(B) Alternatives to calling 9-1-1 or dispatching law enforcement for certain categories of calls for service;

(3) By October 1, 2021, convene a working group of community-based experts and practitioners in alternative responses to calls for service, in addition to directly impacted individuals, to advise on the Pilot Program's development, training, operations, community engagement, and evaluation, including the District agencies, community-based organizations, or other entities to which individuals will be diverted pursuant to subsection (a)(2)(B) of this section; and

(4) By January 1, 2022, and every 3 months thereafter, publish, at a minimum, the following information on the Office's website:

(A) The members of the working group convened pursuant to paragraph (3) of this subsection;

(B) The Pilot Program's protocols for identifying and dispatching calls for service;

(C) The non-law enforcement agencies and community-based responders to which eligible calls for service are being dispatched; and

(D) Aggregated for that reporting period:

(i) The hours during which the Pilot Program operated;

(ii) A description of the Pilot Program's staffing internal and external to the Office and any training provided;

(iii) The expenditures for the Pilot Program, by purpose for the expenditure, amount, and source;

(iv) A list of the public events held, attended, and upcoming related to the Pilot Program;

(v) The number of calls for service eligible for diversion, broken down by day, period of time, and category of call for service;

(vi) Of those eligible calls for service identified under sub-subparagraph (v) of this subparagraph, the number of calls for service diverted, broken down by day, period of time, category of call for service, entity to which the calls for service were diverted, response time, the reason for any significant delays in response time, and outcome of the call for service, including whether anyone on the scene was:

(I) Taken into custody through arrest or other means, such as involuntary commitment;

(II) Sustained physical injuries during the response; or

(III) Connected to or provided supportive services, and the nature of those supportive services; and

(vii) Of those eligible calls for service identified under sub-subparagraph (v) of this subparagraph, if law enforcement was not initially dispatched in response to the call for service, whether the responding non-law enforcement agency personnel or community-based responders later requested a law enforcement response, and if so, the outcome of that request.

§ 1–327.54d. Telecommunicator cardiopulmonary resuscitation training requirement.

(a) The Office shall provide training in telecommunicator cardiopulmonary resuscitation ("t-CPR") to all Office call takers and dispatchers.

(b) The training required pursuant to subsection (a) of this section shall:

(1) Use protocols and scripts based on evidence-based and nationally recognized guidelines for t-CPR; and

(2) Include:

(A) Recognition protocols for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest;

(B) Compression-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation instructions; and

(c) For the purposes of this section, "telecommunicator cardiopulmonary resuscitation" and "t-CPR" mean the delivery of compression or ventilation instructions to callers who are reporting suspected cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

§ 1–327.55. Organization.

There are established 5 primary organizational functions in the Office as follows:

(1)(A) The Office of the Director, Office of Unified Communications shall include the staff and organizational units needed to develop plans and policies for, and oversee the execution of, the District’s radio technology, call center technology, and customer service policies and operations, and to carry out the administrative functions of the Office of Unified Communications.

(B) The administrative functions of the Office of Unified Communications shall include human resources, training, legal services, budget and financial management, procurement, facilities management, and such other general and administrative functions as the Director deems necessary to support and assist the functions and purposes of the Office of Unified Communications. The Director may provide for the execution of administrative functions either by hiring full-time personnel or by entering into memoranda of understanding with other departments and agencies of the District that provide for the sharing of administrative personnel between the departments and agencies and the Office.

(C) The Office of the Director, Office of United Communications shall also include one or more positions designated as liaisons with the agencies to ensure that the functions of the Office effectively support and coordinate with the functions of the agencies.

(2) Call Center Operations shall carry out all of the customer service functions of the Office.

(3) Radio and Call Center Technology Support Services shall provide direct assistance and support to the agencies and other departments and agencies of the District regarding the implementation and operation of radio technology and call center technology. Radio and Call Center Technology Support Services shall also provide procurement and contract oversight and assistance for radio technology and call center technology, maintain standard radio technology and call center technology contracts that all District departments and agencies may use, and manage radio technology and call center technology contracts and systems throughout the District government.

(4) Radio and Call Center Technology Technical Services shall provide support for public safety voice radio and public safety wireless base station and field devices, including voice communications, data communications, and associated network trunking equipment and appurtenances, and identify cost savings, operational efficiencies, and ways to improve radio technology and call center technology services.

(5) The Division of Development and Standards shall include the staff needed to implement a robust program of training for all employees of the Office. The training program shall be described in a training plan published by the Office that:

(A) Establishes the required minimum number of hours of annual training and the certifications required for public safety telecommunicators and public safety communications training officers;

(B) Aligns with standards established by national public safety associations recognized by the Office;

(i) Cardiopulmonary resuscitation;

(ii) Telecommunications devices for deaf individuals, including teletype; and

(iii) Stress management;

(D) Includes formalized quality assurance to identify areas in which future training would be beneficial and to ensure that existing training is effectively implemented; and

(E) Incorporates examinations for public safety telecommunicators designed to demonstrate the public safety telecommunicators' ability to utilize existing communication tools or available technologies to meet operational needs in both normal and back-up modes.

§ 1–327.56. Coordination with agencies.

(a) The Office shall enter into memoranda of understanding with the agencies, as necessary, to define the Office’s obligations to the agencies, and associated procedures and performance standards, with respect to custody and sharing of data generated in the operations of the Office, support for the agencies’ dispatch operations and priorities, production of radio transmission transcripts, the provision of customer service to the hearing impaired, and such other matters as the Office and the agencies deem appropriate.

(b) The Office shall coordinate with the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department to cross-train, on an annual basis, public safety telecommunicators with firefighters, and emergency medical service providers.

§ 1–327.56a. Authorized use of 911.

(a) The District’s 911 call system shall be reserved exclusively for emergency calls.

(b) The Mayor shall not use the 911 call system for administrative purposes, for placing outgoing calls, or for receiving non-emergency calls.

(c) Upon March 19, 2013, the Mayor shall publicize that the 911 call system shall be used exclusively for emergency calls. Any current or future publication or outreach conducted by the Mayor related to the 911 call system shall comply with the requirements of this section.

§ 1–327.56b. Call data collection and posting.

(a) On a monthly basis, the Office shall collect and publicly post on the Office's website the number of calls eligible to be diverted and the number of calls actually diverted to:

(1) The Department of Behavioral Health Access Help Line;

(2) The District Department of Transportation, for motor vehicle collisions that do not result in an injury;

(3) The Department of Public Works ("DPW"), for parking enforcement; and

(4) The Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department ("FEMS") Nurse Triage Line.

(b) On a monthly basis, the Office shall collect and publicly post the following information on the Office's website:

(1) Descriptions of each call-handling issue, including mistaken addresses, duplicate responses, or any other error or omission reported by the Council, other agencies, the news media, OUC staff, or other sources, as well as the cause of the issue, whether the issue was sustained, and the corrective action taken by the Office;

(2) The number of shifts operated under minimum staffing levels, for call-takers, dispatchers, and supervisors, including the difference between the minimum staffing level for each role required per shift and the actual number of staff members for each role on a shift;

(3) Average and maximum call-to-answer times;

(4) Average and maximum answer-to-dispatch times;

(5) Percent of 911 calls in which call to queue is 90 seconds or less;

(6) The total number of calls;

(7) The number of calls in the queue for over 15 seconds;

(8) The number of abandoned calls, defined as any call that is disconnected before it is answered;

(9) The number and type of 911 misuse calls;

(10) The number of text-to-911 messages received;

(11) Average and maximum queue-to-dispatch and dispatch-to-arrival times for Priority 1 calls to Fire and Emergency Services ("FEMS") and Priority 1 calls to the Metropolitan Police Department ("MPD");

(12) The percentage of Priority 1 calls to FEMS and Priority 1 calls to MPD that move from queue to dispatch in 60 seconds or less;

(13) Average and maximum time of call to arrival on the scene times for Priority 1 calls to FEMS and MPD; and

(14) The percentage of emergency medical services calls that lead to dispatch of advanced life support.

(c) All data posted according to this section shall be archived and publicly posted for at least 5 years from the date of publication.

§ 1–327.56c. 311 services.

(a) No later than 180 days after June 8, 2024, the Office shall permit persons to submit requests for the following services via the District's 311 system at all times:

(1) Maintenance of porous flexible pavement sidewalks by the District Department of Transportation (by selecting "porous flexible pavement" as the material within the "Sidewalk Repair" service group);

(2) Leaf collection by the Department of Public Works ("DPW"); except, that the Office shall not be required to permit persons to submit requests for this service during seasons in which DPW does not offer this service; and

(3) Graffiti removal by DPW; except, that the Office shall not be required to permit persons to submit requests for this service during seasons in which DPW does not offer this service.

(b) No later than 180 days after [when effective], the Office shall facilitate referrals and access to the relevant servicing entities for the following request-types, such as through the posting of website links or contact information, and the Office may include a disclaimer that the referral does not commit the Office to back-end work or quality assurance for completion of the service request:

(1) Maintenance of electrical wires;

(2) Maintenance of utility poles;

(3) Maintenance of fire hydrants; and

(4) Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration response to issues relating to alcohol sales, including:

(A) After-hours sales of alcohol;

(B) Breach of a settlement agreement;

(D) Excessive noise;

(E) Operating without an ABC license;

(F) Overcrowding;

(G) Sale of alcohol to intoxicated persons;

(H) Sale of alcohol to minors; and

(I) Trash.

(c) No later than 180 days after June 6, 2024, the Office shall direct 311 system users to the National Park Service website when a user provides a property location that is under National Park Service jurisdiction.

§ 1–327.57. Rules.

(a) The Mayor, pursuant to subchapter I of Chapter 5 of Title 2, may issue rules to implement the provisions of this part.

(b) Repealed.