How to Report an Emergency

For emergencies, including crimes in progress, fires, and medical emergencies dial 9-1-1
For non-emergency Fire dispatch dial (310) 458-8660
For non-emergency Police dispatch dial (310) 458-8491

Follow the steps in the tabs below when calling 9-1-1 to report an emergency in Santa Monica.

Community safety is best achieved when working together. Be prepared before calling 9-1-1 by watching the public safety educational video series.

For general emergency response information, refer to the FAQ’s below or click here to find out more about Santa Monica’s 9-1-1 Dispatch Center.

The City has implemented a new Police service request text message system. Learn more about it here.

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Dial 9-1-1 from a landline or cell phone if you need police, firefighters or an ambulance. Do not hang up on an accidental 9-1-1 call. Inform the dispatcher the call was an accident before you hang up.

Dial 9-1-1
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Be ready to provide critical information. Provide the location of the emergency, the phone number you are calling from, and a description of the emergency situation. If you don't know your location, look for landmarks, cross street signs or buildings. Do your best to stay calm when providing information.
Listen and answer all the dispatcher's questions.
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You will be asked questions about weapons, vehicle/suspect descriptions and medical injuries. Each question serves an important purpose in protecting public and first responder safety.
Stay on the line throughout the entire call.
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Hang up only when the dispatcher informs you to do so. Call back if the situation changes.

Call if you can; text if you are unable to speak or fearful of making a call. Text to 9-1-1 if you need emergency or urgent assistance from police, firefighters or paramedics. Never text and drive.

Use your cell phone to text 9-1-1 like you would any other phone number.
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On your cellular phone's SMS application, create a new message. Type 9-1-1 in the '"TO" field. In the message field, enter the location of the emergency and the type of help needed (Police, Fire or Medical) in the first text field. Press SEND.
A 9-1-1 dispatcher will text you back. Answer all questions to your best ability.
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Be prepared to provide your name and more information about the emergency situation. Use simple language. Do not use acronyms as they can be confused with a business, hospital or school. At this time, you are unable to send photos or video to dispatchers via text message.
The dispatcher will inform you when the text conversation has concluded.
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Dispatchers may not restore or initiate a text session. Call or text 9-1-1 back if the situation changes.
For more information, watch "How to Text 9-1-1 FAQ" video
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How to Text 9-1-1 FAQ Video

TTY users may dial 9-1-1 directly. The phone system utilized by Santa Monica dispatchers has TTY equipment integrated and should notify the dispatcher that the call is from a TTY device.

California Relay (7-1-1)
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California Relay (7-1-1) is a free, state funded service that provides confidential phone conversations for TTY users. Simply dial 7-1-1 from your TTY enabled device and the 711 Communications Assistant (CA) will assist you from there in completing the call to our dispatch center. You will need to provide them our phone number 310-458-8491 to expedite the connection. The CA will relay messages between the TTY user and the Santa Monica dispatcher. California Relay is compatible with TTY, Hearing Carry Over (HCO) and Voice Carry Over (VCO) devices. For more information on California Relay visit the Using California Relay Service website.
Be prepared to provide critical information.
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Provide the location of the emergency, the phone number you are calling from and a description of the emergency situation. If you don't know your location, look for landmarks, cross street signs or buildings.
Answer the dispatcher's questions.
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You will be asked questions about weapons, vehicle/suspect descriptions and medical injuries. Each question services serves an important purpose in protecting public and first responder safety.
Stay on the line.
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Disconnect only when the dispatcher instructs you to.

Dial or text 9-1-1 with a landline or cell phone if you need police, firefighters or an ambulance. Provide the location of the emergency if you can. If you do not speak English tell the dispatcher your preferred language.

If you do not speak English tell the dispatcher immediately.
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You will be connected to a bilingual dispatcher or connected to a translation service. Stay on the line as the dispatcher connects to an interpreter.
When the interpreter is connected, the dispatcher will ask you emergency questions.
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The dispatcher will ask you emergency questions and the interpreter will translate the emergency questions in your language. The dispatcher may ask you to repeat back information to understand it was translated correctly.
Stay on the line throughout the entire call.
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Hang up only when the dispatcher and interpreter inform you to do so. Call back if the situation changes.

FAQ

Who answers the City's 9-1-1 calls?

The City of Santa Monica's 9-1-1 Public Safety dispatchers answer all 9-1-1 calls. Dispatchers are a team of highly skilled civilian professionals working within the City of Santa Monica's Office of Emergency Management. Public safety dispatchers are responsible for providing public safety communications services to City of Santa Monica residents, businesses, the Santa Monica Police Department, and Santa Monica Fire Department.

The Santa Monica Public Safety Communications Division's responsibilities include answering 9-1-1 and non-emergency telephone calls and text messages, dispatching public safety resources using radio, providing emergency medical dispatch services, and sending community public safety mass notifications (SMAlerts).

Who oversees Police and Fire communications and dispatch?

Since 2015, the Office of Emergency Management has headed the City of Santa Monica’s consolidated Public Safety Communications division. 9-1-1 public safety dispatchers are comprised of highly skilled civilian professionals trained in police and fire call-taking, police radio and fire radio operations and emergency medical dispatching. Dispatchers have specialized training in multiple skillsets, which allows them to provide better customer service to residents and business, especially in incidents involving both Police and Fire personnel. The Public Safety Communications division includes an administrator, staff assistant, supervisors, and dispatchers and is staffed 24 hours a day.

Public Safety dispatchers are dedicated to providing invaluable emergency services to the Santa Monica community and the City of Santa Monica’s first responders.

Does a dispatcher automatically have my address or location?

The location of an emergency is the most important piece of an emergency response to ensure the right first responders get to the right location.

When you call 9-1-1, your phone number and your location may not be available to the dispatcher. The dispatcher will ask you to confirm your address, the location of the incident, and your telephone number. Often the actual location of the incident may not be the location the reporting party is calling from.

It is important to know the addresses of the places you frequent, including your home, workplace, and family’s homes. If you call 9-1-1 or a non-emergency phone number and do not know the location’s exact address, look for street signs, building address numbers, landmarks, store names and other markers to describe the location to the call-taker.

NEW! Who gets Police service request text message updates?

Santa Monica OEM and Police Department have partnered to provide text message updates on Police service requests that are submitted by calling 9-1-1 or the non-emergency Police dispatch line 310-458-8491. This program is to improve communications between the community, public safety dispatchers, and Police personnel and reassure Santa Monica residents, businesses, and visitors that service requests have been entered by the Santa Monica Dispatch Center and are being responded to by Police personnel.

Your safety always comes first. Text updates are not sent when a text notification may cause harm to the reporting party or victim, including in-progress incidents or incidents involving violence, abuse, alarms, driving. They are also not sent if the caller does not want contact. Text messages are only sent if the caller uses a cell phone or provides a cell phone to the dispatcher. You cannot communicate with dispatchers by text using the notification updates conversation.

How do I stop Police service request text message updates?

To stop text updates about your Police service request, just reply to the text message with the word STOP. This will only stop you from receiving text updates for this Police request. If you would like dispatchers not to send text updates on future calls, please share that during your next call for Police personnel assistance.

If I call from a cell phone do I automatically get the Santa Monica 9-1-1 Dispatch Center?

When calling 9-1-1 from a wireless phone, cell phone providers calculate your approximate location using cell towers or satellite positioning. Due to this process, Santa Monica residents who call 9-1-1 may be connected to Los Angeles Police Department or California Highway Patrol. If this occurs, a trained operator will confirm your location and the location of the incident and stay on the line with you until you are connected to a Santa Monica dispatcher. Stay on the phone during the transfer to provide needed information to the Santa Monica dispatcher.

Are all 9-1-1 calls recorded?

Yes, all 9-1-1 and non-emergency telephone calls relating to the Santa Monica Police and Fire Departments are recorded. The Office of Emergency Management maintains recordings. These records are maintained in accordance with California Local Government Records Management Guidelines, recommended retention and disposition schedule under the authority of the California Public Records Act (CA Government Code Section 6250) and California Government Code 12236.

Audio recordings of 9-1-1 and non-emergency calls are used for quality assurance and training purposes. Audio recordings are reviewed in response to community concerns and investigations.

How do I submit a public records request for a 9-1-1 call?

Requests for public records, also known as a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Request, may be submitted online, in-person, or by mail. Visit the City Clerk's website to learn more.

Individuals may request public records, including 911 audio recordings, under the California Public Records Act. (Government Code § 6250 et seq.) Law enforcement agency policies pertaining to the release of 911 audio recordings vary throughout the state. Release of 911 audio recording is not required by the Public Records Act.

The City's policy authorizes release of 911 audio recordings to individuals that placed the 911 calls, represent the caller, or are the next of kin. The City must receive documentation from requestor to verify that the person that is requesting the audio recording is authorized to receive the recording under the City's policy. The City will also release 911 audio recordings that are subject to disclosure under California Penal Code § 832.7. The Public Safety Communications division will only release 911 audio recordings that qualify for disclosure. Requestors must pay applicable fees in advance of the City's production of 911 audio recordings.

The Public Safety Communications division, in coordination with City Public Safety departments and the City Clerk's Office, works to respond to requestor in writing whether the request is approved or denied within 10 days from the City's receipt of the public records request. Under certain circumstances, an agency can request a 14-day extension to respond to a public records request. (Gov.Code section § 6253.)

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Continue the Process:

Dial 9-1-1

Listen and answer all the dispatcher's questions.

Stay on the line throughout the entire call.

Use your cell phone to text 9-1-1 like you would any other phone number.

A 9-1-1 dispatcher will text you back. Answer all questions to your best ability.

The dispatcher will inform you when the text conversation has concluded.

For more information, watch "How to Text 9-1-1 FAQ" video

California Relay (7-1-1)

Be prepared to provide critical information.

Answer the dispatcher's questions.

Stay on the line.

If you do not speak English tell the dispatcher immediately.

When the interpreter is connected, the dispatcher will ask you emergency questions.

Stay on the line throughout the entire call.