The Palmdale Pride Hotline, 94-PRIDE, has been enhanced to handle a broader cross section of "Quality of Life" complaints and more efficiently direct CITY residents' after hours calls for assistance.

This now includes Graffiti, Hate Crime, Crime Tips, Stray Shopping Carts, and Public Works related problems.

Although many of us have used the 94-PRIDE number to report graffiti, how many residents know the toll free number to report stray shopping carts? Did you know that the Public Works Department has an answering service to take after hours calls for street light, signal and drainage and road repair problems? Probably not. Probably because nobody knows the direct number to Public Works! How about the new and improved crime tip hot line. How about the Hate Crime Hotline?

They ring about as much as the Maytag repairman's phone. Nobody knows the numbers!

This has annoyed me for years, and I was finally able to get some resolution to it. I couldn't remember the numbers without my little crib sheet with all the various numbers on it. And I know it just isn't me... I brought this up to our new city manager, Steve Williams, and he got on it. Within 2 weeks our communications folks set up the menus to allow this easily remembered number to direct resident's calls, on or off hours, to the appropriate hotline. Strong work!

I have also suggested that the 94-PRIDE number be strategicly displayed on city banners at key intersections, where motorists will see them.

UPDATE 04/12/07

94-PRIDE upgrade is up and running. Graffiti, Hate Crime, Crime Tips, Stray Shopping Carts, and Public Works related problems can be reported through the new phone menu.

I worked it extensively the other day, and found it worked fine if you simply left your message. But if you kept playing with it, a couple of glitches surfaced, after you were properly transferred to the correct line. Bit seems the issues were in the programs for the referred number, which that department or agency controls.

So leave your message and I have passed the problems on.

Steve

More on this and related (and unrelated) topics can be found on my BLOG.