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GlossaryDispatch and call records

Abandoned 911 call

An abandoned 911 call ends before the defined answering or call-handling stage. Learn how to distinguish a telephone metric from a CAD hang-up event.

An abandoned 911 call is a 911 contact that disconnects before a defined answering or call-handling stage is complete. Telephone performance reports often use the term for calls that end before a call taker answers. Operational records can use it more broadly. Always check the source's definition before treating an abandoned-call count as an unanswered-call count.

A telephone event, not an explanation

The label describes a break in communication. It does not explain whether the caller intentionally hung up, dialed accidentally, lost service, called again, or received assistance through another contact. It also does not establish whether the underlying situation was an emergency.

A historical Hawaii 911 board report expressly defines abandoned calls as incoming calls where the caller hung up before a call taker answered. DC's current public explanation discusses people hanging up while waiting in its queue and describes a callback process. These sources illustrate the need to identify the stage being measured. Hawaii board report, DC call-handling explanation

A later callback can be recorded separately. An inbound call may remain classified as abandoned even if the center subsequently makes contact. That is a measurement question requiring the agency's own rules.

Example

Hypothetical example: A telephone system logs an incoming 911 call at 10:00:00. It disconnects at 10:00:08 before an employee answers. At 10:00:30, the caller places another call that is answered and produces a dispatch event.

Under a pre-answer definition, the first attempt is abandoned. The second is answered. There are two telephone attempts and one dispatch event in this example. It would be inaccurate to call them two emergencies or to infer from the first attempt alone that no help was provided.

Common confusion

A 911 hang-up is often a dispatch call type for a disconnected communication. It can include calls that were answered but ended before staff understood the situation. A telephone-system abandoned-call metric may use a narrower boundary.

An unanswered call also requires a definition: a report may distinguish abandonment, technical failures, overflow, and other outcomes. Do not combine them merely because no complete conversation appears in the visible record.

Reading an abandonment rate

Identify the numerator, eligible incoming-call denominator, reporting period, and any treatment of short calls or repeat attempts. Count contacts and people separately. A percentage without these rules cannot establish how many distinct callers or incidents went without assistance.

Sources