Governor Whitmer Signs Bill to Modernize State’s Emergency Response System

Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill to enact a bipartisan measure to fund the state’s emergency response system until December 2027.

House Bill 5026, sponsored by state Rep. Julie Calley (R-Portland), will allow the state to modernize its system to better its GPS location service to pinpoint the location of calls made from mobile phones.

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Defunding Disaster: Austin Police No Longer to Responding to ‘Non-Life Threatening’ 911 Calls

Police lights

The Austin Police Department is warning it won’t be responding to non-life threatening 911 calls.

Starting Friday, Austin’s sworn police officers will no longer be responding in person to non-emergency calls because of severe staffing shortages, APD announced.

The announcement comes after the Harris County Sheriff’s Deputies Organization in Houston warned residents that if they were “robbed, raped or shot” to “hold their breath and pray” because they might not have the personnel to respond.

The Austin no-response announcement includes vehicle collisions with no injuries and burglaries no longer in progress or where the suspect has fled the scene. Instead of calling 911, residents are being told to call 311 to file a non-emergency police report.

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