Noisy neighbors on New Year’s Eve? Call this number instead of 911

Sedgwick County will open a non-emergency phone line as an alternative to 911 from 9 p.m. on Dec. 31 to 1 a.m. on Jan. 1 to deal with the historical influx of non-emergency calls that occur on New Year’s Eve.

The non-emergency number is 316-290-1011.

Non-emergencies include “nuisances that do not pose a threat to life or property; examples include complaints pertaining to parties, excess noise, fireworks, etc.,” according to a Sedgwick County news release.

The phone number was created following an incident on July 4, 2011, when the 911 system was so overrun with fireworks complaints that calls about a fatal motorcycle accident couldn’t get through to emergency personnel. Since that incident, the county activates the non-emergency line for the Fourth of July, New Year’s Eve and as needed to reduce the number of calls to 911.

Anyone who calls 911 with a non-emergency will be transferred to the non-emergency line.