Public safety agencies struggled to use CARES Act funding, report finds

Despite access to more than $600 billion in grants made available by the federal government and private sector each year, public safety agencies have struggled to make use of that funding, according to a new report from the law enforcement consulting firm Lexipol and the wireless network equipment company Cradlepoint. And those issues persisted into the COVID-19 pandemic, the report’s authors found, even after the passage of billions of dollars in emergency aid…

Longtime 911 dispatcher signs off for the final time | News Break (NY)

PLATTSBURGH | After more than three decades of dedicated service, Clinton County Emergency Services 911 Dispatcher Craig Scholl has signed off for the final time.

For 35 years, Scholl has helped bring aid to countless emergencies, giving solace to those in their darkest hours and becoming a fixture in local emergency services.

With the last 20 years spent as 911 supervisor, Scholl has helped steer local services both in the 911 Center and beyond, becoming a beacon of hope to thousands in need…

Austin 9-1-1 Begins Testing Period For ‘Mental Health’ Option (TX)

AUSTIN, TX — In the latest example of a new city function created with funds reallocated from the police budget, Austin 911 operators have begun testing a fourth triage option for mental health services as part of their script.

“Austin 9-1-1, do you need police, fire, EMS, or mental health services?” callers now hear when making an emergency call. Austin is believed to be the first city in the U.S. to offer the option, an added service that is an offshoot of continual reform on the local police department after officers’ reactions to protesters in May and June of last year when some demonstrators were seriously hurt by non-lethal projectiles fired into crowds of protesters.

Following COVID-19 outbreak, a look at response times for Durham 911 call center (NC)

DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — In an emergency, seconds matter and that’s why CBS 17 has continued to closely follow the COVID-19 outbreak at the Durham 911 call center.

The call takers and dispatchers are required to quickly process the information they’re given by the public and relay it to first responders. 

Since December, CBS 17 has been looking into the Durham 911 call center. Director of the center, Randy Beeman, said a COVID-19 outbreak created staffing shortages…