Dispatchers Fear Co-Worker Returning To Work

A Bethlehem (NY) police dispatcher has served a 30-day unpaid suspension for threatening co-workers, and now those dispatchers say they’re fearful of what may happen when the dispatcher returns to work. The dispatchers anonymously contacted a local newspaper to say that Eric Kerr was also arrested in April for pointing a handgun at his girlfriend, but that charges were dropped when the girlfriend refused to testify. Kerr is the son of a Bethlehem police sergeant, and his mother is an officer at the department. A long story in the Spotlight newspaper details how the dispatchers refer to Kerr as “Teflon Kerr,” since he’s apparently able to get away with anything without discipline. One dispatcher told the newspaper, “He’s going to come back and he’s going to be angry,” said. He’s going to have a chip on his shoulder. A retired Bethlehem police officer has taken up the dispatchers’ cause and recently interrupted a press conference by a town official to publicize the situation. City officials say they’re aware of the dispatchers’ complaints but decline to comment further since it’s a personnel issue. Read more about Kerr’s past employment and the current situation here. Update: Bethlehem police officials have solved the problem of any future conflicts in the comm center by installing a video camera that also records audio. City officials say the police chief, the city human resources department and dispatchers reached an agreement on the installation, but would not say specifically why it was installed. Police union officials have criticized the camera. Read more about the camera here.