CTO Gelobter: 911 system overview and PSAC governance structure
Gelobter introduces herself and her colleagues. She describes the 911 system as the largest in the country, receiving over 9 million calls annually. The PSACs are governed cooperatively by OTI, NYPD, and FDNY with a shared mission of uninterrupted emergency operations. She notes the outage occurred on August 18, 2026.
Thank you.
Good morning, Chair De La Rosa, Chair Felice, Chair Areola, Chair Brewer, and members of the City Council Committees on Technology, Public Safety, Fire and Emergency Management, and Government Operations, State and Federal Legislation.
I am Lisa Galopter, Chief Technology Officer for the City of New York.
And Commissioner of the Office of Technology and Innovation, also known as OTI.
Today I am joined by OTI Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety and Emergency Management, Robert Barbera,
the FDNY Deputy Commissioner for Enterprise Technology and Chief Information Officer, Charles Jackson, and the NYPD's Chief of Staff, Ryan Marola,
Assistant Chief Richard Napolitano, and Executive Director Elizabeth Montemoros.
As the largest and most complex emergency communication system in the country, New York City's 911 system receives over 9 million calls a year.
The Public Safety Answering Centers, also known as PSAC, are governed cooperatively and collaboratively by OTI, the New York City Police Department, or NYPD,
and the Fire Department of the City of New York, or FDNY.
We have a singular shared mission to ensure expeditious, seamless, and uninterrupted emergency systems operations for New Yorkers.
Any disruption to emergency communication services is of supreme concern.
We join you today to discuss the disruption in New York City's 911 call service that occurred in the morning hours on Tuesday, August 18, 2026.
First, I'll share some background context.