APD 311 diversion helps with emergencies, creates backlog for low-level crimes

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Online non-emergency crime reports in 2021 went up 158% from 2020.Austin Police Department announced last year that starting Oct. 1, non-emergency crimes should start going to 311 or iReportAustin.com instead of 911.How did the first weekend of diverting some 911 calls to 311 go?Even if a report is entered over the phone or using iReportAustin, those reports are still routed to detectives," said Lt. Kenneth Murphy, head of APD's communications division. "And if there are in