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Austin 911 System Back Up After Disruption (Update)

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Nathan Bernier, KUT News
Phone calls to 911 made from Austin were redirected to Round Rock, Georgetown and Pflugerville.

Update: The City of Austin is looking into what caused its 911 system to stop working yesterday.

The system is running as normal today.

Original Story (Dec. 16, 6:14 p.m.): Austin's 911 emergency call functions were disrupted Monday afternoon, leading to some longer wait times for callers.

The city activated its Emergency Operations Center to manage the outage. The Austin Police Department put more officers on the streets to increase visibility and accessibility.

Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell said the city has been getting help from agencies in surrounding communities.

“Austin Police Department calls are being routed through the City of Round Rock. Travis County emergency calls are being routed to the City of Pflugerville," said Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell. "Fire and EMS calls are being sent to the Williamson County Communications Center and experienced call-takers have been dispatched to those locations to assist with the increased call volume,” Leffingwell said. 

A statement from the city reads:

At approximately 2 p.m. today, the local 9-1-1 system experienced a disruption and is still currently down. As a result, callers are likely to experience longer wait times.    Officials are reminding residents to only use 911 in the case of a true emergency. For all other issues (property crimes, minor traffic accidents, nuisance complaints, etc.), please contact 311. 

Mayor Lee Leffingwell's office also chimed in, via Twitter: 

Austin Police Assistant Chief Brian Manley said the 911 system had been rebooted and was being tested ahead of putting it back online.

Wells has been a part of KUT News since 2012, when he was hired as the station's first online reporter. He's currently the social media host and producer for Texas Standard, KUT's flagship news program. In between those gigs, he served as online editor for KUT, covering news in Austin, Central Texas and beyond.