Center Audit Finds Problems

Thousands of 911 calls are going unanswered at the Independence (Mo.) Police Department’s comm center each year because of poor management and understaffing, according to an audit by the city’s management analyst. The 72-page draft report was released last week, stating that an average of 20 calls to 911 aren’t answered each day. The center is managed by the police department, but handles police, fire and EMS incidents, the audit noted, creating management issues. “The Division’s staff does not work as a team,” the audit said. “Instead, the staff is characterized by cliques that often undermine one another.” There is also distrust among comm center staff, and management and staff communications are poor. The comm center hasn’t been fully staffed since spring 2000, the report noted, the center itself is dark, secluded and in poor condition, and the the center has no formal, written policies and procedures.