UPDATE: Non-emergency lines were restored as of 8:04 p.m., a spokewoman said
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Buncombe County officials resolved a public safety communications issue by 8:04 p.m. Monday, after a technical glitch in the morning temporarily forced people to use 911 lines even for non-emergency calls to Asheville Police, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office or fire/EMS.
The problem was only indirectly related to a planned transition to machine-learning technology on the non-emergency lines.
That transition had been scheduled to start Monday, May 6, but due to the death of a communications staff member over the weekend a decision was made to delay it by a week to Monday, May 13.
In making the transition, there was a technical glitch that caused a disruption to the non-emergency lines.
According to spokeswoman Lillian Govus, service for non-emergency calls was restored as of 8:04 p.m. Monday, to the non-emergency phone numbers:
- 252-1110 for the Asheville Police Department
- 250-6670 for the Buncombe County Sheriff’s office
- 250-6650 for emergency management services/fire