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Kansas City Today

Will a new 911 system make Kansas City wait times worse?

By Nomin Ujiyediin,
Byron J. Love
Published November 21, 2023 at 4:00 AM CST
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The hold times for people calling for help from Kansas City Police at times have topped two minutes. Police hope a proposed automated phone menu could help, but the fire department says the change would be less efficient for them.

For years, Kansas City, Missouri, has struggled to answer 911 calls quickly. Police and city officials are actively pursuing a new, automated feature they hope could speed things up. But not everyone in on board quite yet.

KCUR's Sam Zeff spoke with Up To Date host Steve Kraske about why the Kansas City Fire Department worries the proposed system might actually make things more complicated.

Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate

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Kansas City Today Kansas City Kansas (KCK)emergencyKansas City Missouri PoliceKansas City Fire Department
Nomin Ujiyediin
As a newscaster and a host of a daily news podcast, I want to deliver the most important and interesting news of the day in an engaging and easily understandable way. No matter where you live in the metro or what you’re interested in, I want you to learn something from each newscast or podcast – and maybe even give you something to talk about at the dinner table.
See stories by Nomin Ujiyediin
Byron J. Love
As an on-demand producer, I am focused on using my skills and experiences across multiple digital applications, platforms and media fields to create community focused audio, video and on-demand products for KCUR Studios. The media that I produce aims to inform, entertain and connect with the Kansas City metro area as we continue to learn from each other. Email me at byronlove@kcur.org.
See stories by Byron J. Love
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