by ECC Editor | Sep 19, 2021 | Comm Center News
Boston Police dispatchers are calling for help, saying increasingly low staffing levels are making a tough job untenable as more and more employees leave.
Sean Murphy, a former BPD dispatcher, quit this year to work for the union that represents the workers, and he said he’s one of multiple dispatchers and calltakers who have had enough and left.
“A lot of long-term people like myself have decided that they’re tired of waiting for them to do the right thing,” Murphy, who now works for SEIU 888, said of the police department. “There’s been an extreme rate probably over the past year or so.”
He said it’s gotten so bad that people who’ve put in 15 or 20 years of the 25 needed for a full pension are simply deciding it’s not worth it to hang in… READ MORE
by AllThingsECC.com | Sep 19, 2021 | Comm Center News
An Indiana man has been arrested for allegedly calling the 911 emergency line repeatedly, just to tell dispatchers that he was “tired.”
Police arrested Daniel Schroeder on Thursday after the 61-year-old resident of Evansville, Indiana allegedly called 911 four times.
“The male caller kept calling in stating that he was tired,” a police report detailing the man’s arrest said.
Schroeder’s arrest came one day after he pleaded guilty to a previous charge of misusing the 911 system. Police arrested Schroeder on the night of September 11 after he called 911 to express his anger that a female relative “was not following his rules.” …
by AllThingsECC.com | Sep 19, 2021 | Comm Center News
They answer the call 24/7, even during a hiring squeeze
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — “911 — what is the address of your emergency?” a Deschutes County dispatcher asked Friday — a famous line we recognize and rely on, 24/7. The trustworthy ring and assurance that help will soon be on the way.
On the surface, 911 dispatchers are a calm voice in the dark for many — but they serve our community in great, unseen ways.
The 911 call-takers function as the first first responders. They answer calls all day — many of which save lives.
Deschutes County 911 gets 1,000-1,200 calls per day. If there are eight employees, that means they could answer 150 calls a day — each…
by AllThingsECC.com | Sep 19, 2021 | Comm Center News
LOS GATOS, CA — The town of Los Gatos is facing a police dispatcher shortage, a situation that the president of the police union last week deemed a “public health crisis” as frustrations boiled over at a recent Town Council meeting.
The Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department currently has four full-time dispatchers for its 24-hour emergency dispatch center to serve over 30,000 residents, Town Manager Laurel Prevetti told Patch on Thursday.
Bryan Paul, president of the Los Gatos Police Officers Association, said last week that the remaining dispatchers were all working overtime hours, burnt out and exploring leaving the department. The town has the budget for eight dispatchers, but four dispatchers have either resigned or retired since July 2020, two more dispatcher trainees resigned and the town administration has been slow to fill the spots, according to Paul…
by AllThingsECC.com | Sep 19, 2021 | Comm Center News
When we are in crisis, we expect to be able to pick up the phone, call 911, and get help. However, too many in our region have experienced the gut-wrenching moment when that help doesn’t answer or takes too long to arrive. Some, mistrustful of our policing system, choose not to call 911 to begin with.
Despite its shortcomings, 911 is the system that we are taught to rely upon. Of the more-than 61 million interactions Americans had with police in 2018, more than half (about 57%) were the result of resident-initiated requests for police services. The emergency call number is the front door into our criminal justice system. But it is a neglected portal whose dysfunction is symptomatic of shortcomings found throughout our public safety system…
by ECC Editor | Sep 19, 2021 | Comm Center News
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office is joining with Representative Norma Torres (D-CA35) and departments around the country to support the role of 9-1-1 dispatchers and their help in keeping things safe.
Under the Bureau’s Standard Occupation Classification System (SOCS), telecommunicators are classified as “Office and Administrative Support Occupations.”
The Supporting Accurate Views of Emergency Services Ace (911 Saves) was introduced by Representative Torres, a former 9-1-1 dispatcher, and would order the government to categorize “TCs” as a “protective service occupation” with others in public safety roles… READ MORE
