Orleans Parish Communication District-OPCD

Orleans Parish Communication District-OPCD 9-1-1 and 3-1-1 Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for the City of New Orleans, dispatching police, fire and emergency medical services.

The Orleans Parish Communication District (OPCD) was established in 1982 to provide 9-1-1 service in he City of New Orleans. OPCD's initial responsibility was providing infrastructure to equipment to answer 9-1-1 calls. Since Hurricane Katrina the primary responsibility now includes the purchasing and maintenance of the building and equipment. The District has 14 personnel who provide financial, a

dministrative, technical, training, public education and employee support to Police, Fire and EMS personnel. The District is governed by an 11 member Board of Commissioners.

09/01/2026

Advisory for Verizon customers in Orleans Parish: New Orleans 9-1-1 is up and running for all inbound emergency calls. Verizon customers who call New Orleans 911 will be able to reach a 911 operator with no problem; however, if a 911 operator needs to call you back, the Caller ID may display as an unfamiliar or unknown caller. So, for Verizon customers in Orleans Parish who may need to call 911, please be sure to answer any inbound call afterwards!

The issue is being investigated by phone company technicians. Again: New Orleans 9-1-1 Operations are 100% up & running, and there are no issues with calling 9-1-1.

21 years later, we remember the unprecedented disaster following Hurricane Katrina: The lives lost, the lives disrupted,...
08/29/2026

21 years later, we remember the unprecedented disaster following Hurricane Katrina: The lives lost, the lives disrupted, and the lasting impacts upon our residents and first responders alike.

Among the many lessons learned from this tragedy was the need to have a 9-1-1 Center capable of remaining online & operational after many types of possible disasters, including major hurricanes. Since 2012, our New Orleans 9-1-1 team has answered millions of calls from our facility at 118 City Park Ave, a building & complex designed from the ground-up to withstand the unthinkable. Multiple redundant backups for power, data, emergency communications, and for the human needs of our staff, are all part of our perpetual emergency plans.

“Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst” is easy to say, but it hits a lot differently for a city that was largely destroyed in an avoidable disaster. We promise to continue to remain vigilant year-round to anything that may impact our ability to serve our City’s residents, responders, and visitors, even as we deal with the daily emergencies & personal disasters behind each 9-1-1 call.

We were honored this week by a visit from St. Tammany Parish Communications District colleagues. These 9-1-1 Neighbors w...
08/19/2026

We were honored this week by a visit from St. Tammany Parish Communications District colleagues. These 9-1-1 Neighbors work 24/7 to help protect the safety and well-being of residents, responders, and visitors across St Tammany. It's always a great opportunity when we can share & compare ideas, best practices, and lessons learned with professionals such as these.

Apology accepted. “The original version of this story did not meet our editorial standards. We are conducting a thorough...
08/12/2026

Apology accepted.
“The original version of this story did not meet our editorial standards. We are conducting a thorough review and implementing immediate measures to strengthen our process. We regret the error and any distress it may have caused. This story will be updated as additional facts or information warrant.”

The Shreveport Times has formally apologized to OPCD for the article on AI & New Orleans 911, via email and on their web...
08/12/2026

The Shreveport Times has formally apologized to OPCD for the article on AI & New Orleans 911, via email and on their website. An Editor’s Note now posted above the article reads:

“Editor’s Note: The original version of this story did not meet our editorial standards. We are conducting a thorough review and implementing immediate measures to strengthen our process. We regret the error and any distress it may have caused. This story will be updated as additional facts or information warrant.”

Our deepest thanks to everyone who supported our immediate and continuous push-back to the news organization’s unfortunate article. We appreciate the Shreveport Times and its parent company USA Today for taking this step, however belated it may be.

UPDATE: The Shreveport Times has apologized.
08/11/2026

UPDATE: The Shreveport Times has apologized.

Update: The Shreveport Times today issued major corrections to the erroneous and inflammatory article regarding AI usage...
08/11/2026

Update: The Shreveport Times today issued major corrections to the erroneous and inflammatory article regarding AI usage by New Orleans 911. The erroneous news piece alleged New Orleans 911 would soon be replacing human staff with AI. This is untrue, and the news outlet has finally agreed that the article contained several major issues needing correction.

Read our entire statement on this latest development here:
https://www.opcdla.gov/shreveport-times-issues-major-corrections-to-erroneous-and-inflammatory-article-regarding-ai-usage-by-new-orleans-911/

True Leadership: OPCD's 911 Operations Director Gwen Johnson’s CPE success recognized! Big congratulations are in order ...
08/04/2026

True Leadership: OPCD's 911 Operations Director Gwen Johnson’s CPE success recognized!

Big congratulations are in order once again for OPCD 9-1-1 Operations Director Gwen Johnson! At this week's APCO International 2026 Annual Conference in San Antonio, Gwen's Emergency Communications peers from across the country recognized and applauded her hard work and achievements in graduating from the APCO International Certified Public-Safety Executive (CPE) Program, Class 19.

Gwen completed her CPE training in January of this year, capping off two intensive 12-week online courses followed by an intensive 10-day capstone seminar in Florida. And it should be no surprise to anyone who knows Gwen that she was also elected Class President by her classmates!

Please join us in thanking Gwen for representing OPCD and New Orleans at the highest levels, both in her day-to-day leadership and as a nationally-recognized top performer in everything she does.

Today we celebrate the graduation of our latest recruit class, who have spent the last six weeks in intensive classroom ...
08/01/2026

Today we celebrate the graduation of our latest recruit class, who have spent the last six weeks in intensive classroom education & simulations in all aspects of 9-1-1 & emergency communications. Now, their roles shift to hands-on side-by-side training with CTOs (Certified Training Officers), processing actual, real-time 9-1-1 calls. Congratulations to you all and thank you for your service to our community!

Address

118 City Park Avenue
New Orleans, LA
70119

Telephone

+15046713911

Website

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