On-Hold 911 Calls Are Increasing

An investigation by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram newspaper has found that the percentage of 911 calls that reach a recording has gone up over the past year. Originally up to 20% of all 911 calls reached a recording, meaning that a live dispatcher wasn’t available to answer the call immediately. During 2006 the police department worked to reduce that percentage to 1% or less. But during 2007, the newspaper found, staffing shortages and equipment limitations have forced the on-hold percentage higher, up to 8.5% last November. Interestingly, Fort Worth’s telephone system does not differentiate between 911 and non-emergency 7-digit calls when routing them to a dispatcher. Deputy Chief Charlie Ramirez told the reporter that when a calltaker completes one call, the ACD sends them the next call in the queue, “giving no priority to 911 calls.” Read the entire article and how overtime money has been cut back here.