University of Chicago Health Lab Releases “911 Callers’ Bill of Rights” to Advance Transparency and Trust in Emergency Response

CHICAGO — The University of Chicago Health Lab has released a new “911 Callers’ Bill of Rights,” an aspirational national guide designed to help practitioners improve transparency, accessibility, and equity within emergency response systems across the United States. Developed through Health Lab’s Transform911 initiative, the guide outlines a set of core principles intended to help community members better understand their rights and expectations when contacting 911.

The guide was created in partnership with a diverse national workgroup that included 911 professionals, mental health advocates, emergency response experts, and community leaders. The collaborative effort reflects growing recognition that many individuals — particularly immigrants, communities of color, people with disabilities, and those experiencing behavioral health crises — may hesitate to call 911 due to fears about how emergency systems will respond.

“Every person deserves access to emergency assistance that is compassionate, respectful, and responsive to their needs,” said S. Rebecca Neusteter, principal investigator of the project and executive director of Health Lab. “This guide is meant to serve as both a practical resource and a call to action — one that encourages communities and emergency communications centers to work together to build systems rooted in trust, transparency, and care.”

The “911 Callers’ Bill of Rights” identifies nine foundational rights that callers should be able to expect when engaging with 911 services. The nine rights are:

• The right to receive a compassionate and respectful response, with distress acknowledged and appropriate assistance provided.
• The right to discuss what type of response will be sent, including concerns about law enforcement or other responders.
• The right to accessible accommodations when using 911, including support for Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals and others with differing abilities.
• The right to receive services in the language the caller speaks.
• The right to call 911 regardless of immigration or citizenship status.
• The right to access 911 without providing a name or personal identifying information, even if asked.
• The right to be informed when a call is being transferred to another agency or service, such as a fire department, mobile crisis response team, or 988.
• The right to be referred to an alternative response team, if one is available and appropriate.
• The right to receive pre-arrival instructions, such as CPR guidance, first aid instructions, or safety information while waiting for responders to arrive.

In addition to outlining callers’ rights, the guide encourages stronger collaboration between emergency communications centers and the communities they serve. The guide emphasizes that while 911 is a universal emergency number, the system itself is highly decentralized, consisting of more than 8,000 locally operated emergency communications centers nationwide. As a result, practices and policies can vary significantly across jurisdictions, resulting in a more complicated reform landscape.

Recommendations include improving public access to information about dispatch procedures, alternative response options, language access, complaint and feedback systems, and local governance structures.

The guide was developed as part of Transform911, a national initiative launched by Health Lab in 2020 to reshape emergency response systems and improve access to care during crises. The initiative’s 2022 “Blueprint for Change” identified the creation of a “911 Callers’ Bill of Rights” as a key step toward making emergency response systems more equitable, transparent, and community-centered.

“This work recognizes that emergency response systems function best when communities understand how they operate and feel empowered to engage with them,” said Sara Hayden, research manager at Health Lab. “Transparency and accountability are essential to building public trust.”

The guide also includes supporting resources, recommendations for community engagement, and a sample letter community members can use to request additional information from local emergency communications centers.

The full “911 Callers’ Bill of Rights” guide is available through the Transform911 website.