HAVE A QUESTION?  JUST DIAL 311!

The times they are a changin' and even the City of Sacramento is changing how it does business.  As of Wednesday, August 13, 2008, the Sacramento City "Operator" is history.  In its place is the newly reorganized and expanded services with a new name and a simplified phone number.  It is now the "Sacramento City 311."  Residents of the Sacramento can contact the City of Sacramento with questions simply by dialing 311. 

City of Sacramento 311 agents are available 7/24/365 - even holidays - to assist residents and businesses with questions regarding City services, as well as take and process requests for City services.  In addition, agents are responsible for after hours and weekend municipal emergencies - expect for Fire and Police emergencies which remain under 911.

Agents are able to do the following:

• Receive and process all calls for Code Enforcement (abandoned cars, graffiti, substandard housing, etc.);
• Receive, process and dispatch all calls for Animal Care (injured, stray, aggressive animals, etc.);
• Development Services Help Line: all calls for Development Services Department are first routed to 311 for triage;
• Street Maintenance: receive and process all calls for potholes, cracked sidewalks, lighting problems, etc.;
• Facility Maintenance: receive and process all work order requests related to repair/maintenance of City buildings;
• Citywide directory assistance and information about all things related to City services;
• Receive and process all calls requiring the response of a City crew for drains, water, solid waste, along with general inquiries; 
• Accept credit card payments for City Utility bills; and
• Much, much more.

Sacramento's Top Cop Chief Albert Najera Implemented Blog To Improve Communication With Citizens

SacPD Blog - Sacramento Police Department WebLog Launched

In November 2006 Chief Albert Najera of the City of Sacramento Police Department announced the SacPD had implemented an interactive weblog which they began testing in August as a means to better communicate with citizens.  Chief Najera conceived of the idea after seeing the success private companies were having communicating with their customers and employees.  According to a report in the Sacramento Bee, Chief Najera believes the blog gives the department the opportunity to explain the "why" of why they do what they do and why crimes happen the way they do.  Chief Najera says the blog will tackle all subjects and not avoid potentially controversial subjects as they arise. 

While most police department  web sites around the nation - including most major cities (Chicago and Philadelphia for instance) - have static web sites with links to recent news articles and crime statistics, crime prevention, and neighborhood watch information the Sacramento Police Department sees the blog as an important tool for citizens.  Additionally, the Chief believes it will be a vehicle for officers to post information about their jobs from a personal perspective.  A perspective not normally known or understood by the public. 

One feature of the blog is ability for citizens to ask questions and get real responses to their questions rather than answers from a canned FAQs section of a static web site.  The interactive section is called "Ask Officer Michelle".   The questions are handled by Officer Michelle Lazark who serves as a department spokeswoman.  She does not duck the tough questions and has even assisted one individual seeking information on a relative's death 20 years ago.  Officer Lazark was able to give the citizen a detailed response providing the individual with important closure. 

One other plus the Chief sees of the blog is as a way to communicate with younger people who are more technology driven.  The blog will help to demonstrate that technological change is an accepted and important way for officers and the public to stay connected.  It is the Chief's plan to eventually add podcasts that he hopes will aid the department's recruitment efforts with younger more tech savvy prospective employees.