Teen Job Program Draws Criticism

A job program operated jointly by High School for Law Enforcement Criminal Justice and the Houston (Tex.) Emergency Center (HEC) has drawn fire from the police officers’ union, who claims that teenagers are answering emergency calls, and the city is using the students as cheap labor. But HEC officials say just 12 of the school’s best students are working for $10 an hour and no benefits answering the 10-digit, non-emergency number–not 911–and have generated just one, non-critical complaint since the program began. HEC director David Cutler says the teens are 17 and 18 years-old, are certified by the state, and are among the best he has, since they’ve come through a rigorous training program. But the union says even the non-emergency phone number can generate emergencies, and that experienced dispatchers are leaving because of job conditions, to be replaced by the teen workers. Watch a KPRC-TV video about the issue here.