Proposal For 12-Hour Shifts Draws Criticism

A District of Columbia budget proposal to lengthen public safety dispatcher shifts from 10 to 12 hours has drawn sharp criticism from both sides of the radio—police officers who point to existing problems with the center, and dispatchers who say they’ll simply be more burned out than ever from understaffing. The Office of Unified Communications provides dispatching services to the District’s police, fire and EMS agencies, and was created in 2008 to consolidate the District’s various comm centers and improve operations. But even after the merger and move to a new center, criticism has continued. During a District Council committee meeting earlier this month, dispatchers testified that the center has lost 20 job positions over the last two years, and no hiring is anticipated. The longer 12-hour shifts would simply increase dispatcher stress, leading to more mistakes, sick leave and resignations, the dispatchers said. The District’s police officers’ union also weighed in on the proposal, noting several recent high-profile errors by the center’s dispatchers. Last November, an officer was stabbed and radioed for help, but the radio dispatcher lost track of the officer, and assistance was delayed. Read more about the situation here.