311 in the news in Allentown July 28, 2008
Posted by Program Coordinator in Resources.Tags: 311, Allentown
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Last week, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl announced that the Zone 3 station would move from the South Side to 830 Warrington Ave., in Allentown, by Jan. 1.
The mayor credited Ms. Hackel, in part, for getting her neighborhood on the short list of code-enforcement sweeps that he and his public-safety entourage have made in the past two weeks. The neighborhoods are chosen based on the number of 311 calls from residents and what safety inspectors know, said the mayor’s spokeswoman, Joanna Doven.
Read more in today’s Post-Gazette.
Reporting, tracking, and solving non-emergency issues July 11, 2008
Posted by Program Coordinator in Resources.Tags: 311
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Today I learned from my friend Abby of the Great Lakes Urban Exchange of a site called SeeClickFix. It combines mapping with tracking non-emergency issues to create a powerful tool for recording your neighborhood’s problems and sharing them with your neighbors. Basically, you browse the map to locate your neighborhood and click on the locations where there are issues to create tags that others can browse, and it notifies your local government to the issue to work toward a resolution.
In conjunction with using 311, this tool is a great way to keep your neighbors informed of what’s going on in your area. And, as always, use 911 for immediate emergencies.
Anonymous police tips July 3, 2008
Posted by Program Coordinator in Resources.Tags: 311, 911, anonymous tips
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An issue that came up a lot at our kick-off was the ability to submit anonymous tips to the police. We’re happy to report that the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police actually allows you to fill out an anonymous tip form online if you’d like to talk to the police without naming yourself. If you’d rather print a form and mail it, you can do that too.
(Of course, if you have a situation that poses an immediate danger, you should always dial 911 – and 911 callers can remain anonymous, if they choose to.)
Non-emergency situations should dial 311 from a landline, 412-255-2621 from a cell, or use the online 311 form. I’ve personally had a great deal of success with 311 – every issue I’ve reported (from potholes to improperly secured abandoned buildings) has been addressed promptly, and they’ve even followed up with me.
The City can’t address problems in your neighborhood if it doesn’t know about them. Whichever way you choose to do it, be sure to document all your concerns.
