State-of-the-Art D.C. Communications Center Is Lauded

"Our communications will never go down," Peck said.

Because Washington is considered a prime terrorism target, the federal government kicked in $24 million toward the cost of the building.

"It is nothing short of an imperative for this high-target region," said Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.). "It signals, however, our understanding that what we used to call public security and homeland security are in fact conflated. You're going to dial the same 911."

The center receives 911 and non-emergency 311 calls, which include abandoned vehicles and cats trapped in trees. Soon, the building will also house the mayor's citywide call center, which handles calls from residents reporting problems, asking for information or offering feedback to the mayor. That number is 202-727-1000.

In total, the new building is expected to handle about 2.65 million calls a year, Peck said. About 425 employees will routinely work in the center, which is open 24 hours a day.

Even before the building opened, city officials were touting huge improvements in responding to 911 calls. In 2001, the District's 911 operators were answering nearly half of all calls within five seconds; now, that figure is 97 percent, Peck said.

Some of the improvement stems from training the operators to handle a wider variety of emergency calls, the officials said. For example, in the past, a police operator would have to transfer a resident reporting a blaze to a fire call-taker, losing precious seconds. Now, about half the call-takers are capable of handling all kinds of emergency reports, Latessa said.

Beyond the high-tech equipment, the center also offers other amenities, including a day-care center and a gym, aimed at retaining employees in what is often a stressful environment.

Kaine said that before visiting the District's new emergency center, he thought Virginia's emergency operations center set the standard for excellence.

The tour left another impression.

"You set the standard," he said.