311 PLAN IN THE WORKS L.A. COUNTY CONSIDERS USE OF NON-EMERGENCY LINE.

Byline: Orith Goldberg Staff Writer

A 311 line to ease the strain on the 911 system will be studied by Los Angeles County officials as part of a plan for an easy-to-remember number for non-emergency calls.

With some law enforcement agencies reporting that well over half their calls on 911 are not emergencies, the county is looking at developing an alternative system to help keep that line clear.

On Tuesday, the county Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion by Supervisor Gloria Molina to develop a plan for the uniform use of a non-emergency 311 line. A concern is that different cities might have differing 311 policies, causing confusion.

``It's highly desirable for 311 to have a universal meaning in Southern California, it should be implemented in a way in which the public has uniform understanding of what it means and does,'' said Bill McSweeney, a Los Angeles County sheriff's captain at the Malibu/Lost Hills station.

The plan is in its infancy and the costs have yet to be determined, said Daphne Bell, a spokeswoman for the county's Internal Services Department.

Under Molina's plan, the key is for county officials to work with Los Angeles and other cities to develop a planned use for 311. The motion called for the board to direct the interim director of the Internal Services Department to report on the findings in four months.

While the cities will not be obligated to defer to the findings of the report, it will provide officials with a direction toward mounting a coordinated effort, said Miguel Santana, spokesman for Molina.

``If every city has its own system - if you live in Glendale and (311) is a step below an emergency line, but in Burbank it's a line for the weather . . .'' Santana said.

While the city of Los Angeles has been studying the use of 311 as a general information number, the county had not yet addressed its use.

The city of Pasadena is gearing up to begin a pilot project using the 311 line for non-emergency calls directed to the police and fire departments, said Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena.

Using the number for generalized city services would probably not have any impact in alleviating the burdens from the 911 lines, Schiff said.

Officials said so many non-emergency calls come through their 911 lines that they welcome the concept of a 311 line.

Katherine Castorino, a law enforcement technician at the Santa Clarita Valley sheriff's station, estimated that 85 percent of the 911 calls received at the station are not emergencies.

Don Ford, an operations sergeant at the Lancaster station, agreed that a line such as 311 could leave the 911 lines clear for emergencies.

``I suspect the reason people call 911 is that they know the number,'' Ford said.

Countywide, agencies receive about 1.5 million 911 calls a year, 30 percent of which are not emergencies, Deputy Jim Hellmold said.

While McSweeney said the volume of 911 calls received at the Malibu/Lost Hills sheriff's station is not so large that it would cause problems, he estimated that 40 percent to 60 percent of those calls are for non-emergencies.