Mayor Muriel Bowser has officially reopened the newly-renovated Public Safety Communications Center (PSCC), following an $18.5 million upgrade aimed at enhancing the city's emergency response capabilities. Joining the mayor at the event were Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Lindsey Appiah, Office of Unified Communications (OUC) Director McGaffin, and several other officials, as reported by the Mayor's office.
During the ceremony, Mayor Bowser emphasized, "OUC operates one of the busiest call centers in the country and the OUC team performs some of the most demanding and critical work in the city," as noted by the Mayor's office. The PSCC renovation, executed in two stages, aimed not just to modernize, but also to expand the center's infrastructure to more effectively accommodate the growing needs of the OUC. The refurbished facility is intended to bolster the District's ability to maintain seamless emergency communications, ensuring uninterrupted service and resilience.
Alongside the ribbon-cutting, Mayor Bowser highlighted new public safety investments included in her Fiscal Year 2026 budget. This includes significant raises for 911 call takers, setting their starting salary at $61,313, and the establishment of incentives designed to both recruit and retain staff. These fiscal commitments, as detailed in the budget plan Grow DC, are set to make District call takers among the most competitively compensated in the National Capital Region.
"The reopening of the PSCC is a triumph for our agency and will ensure the continued success of 911 and 311 operations," Director McGaffin told the Mayor's office. The upgrade comes at a time when the OUC's operations are expanding, with statistics showing that in 2024, the agency handled roughly 1.7 million 911 calls and dispatched nearly 900,000 instances of police, fire, and emergency medical services. The center also managed over 750,000 calls through its 311 service, and processed in excess of 500,000 service requests.
Mayor Bowser's commitment to public safety investment is clear, not only in the bricks and mortar of the PSCC but also in the financial recognition of the staff who keep it running. Deputy Mayor Appiah acknowledged the broad support system behind OUC, stating, “Behind OUC in the delivery of their mission is a powerful team of committed government and business partners supporting various functions such as computer aided dispatch, telephony, location services, numerous hardware and software applications, and more to ensure provide accurate, professional, and expedited service,” as per the same release.
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