TV Reporter Finds History of Dispatcher Discipline

An examination of south Florida public safety communications center records by a local television station found 172 incidents of dispatcher misconduct from 2006 to 2012, but only one employee termination. Instead, nearly half the incidents were handled with a disposition of “counseling.” The incidents ranged from sleeping on the job to downloading and repeatedly visiting dating Web sites. A Boca Raton dispatcher fell asleep during a 911 call, the discipline records showed. Reporters for WPTV obtained the records from city and county comm centers and compiled a database of the incidents and resulting discipline. The list does not include dispatcher names, but the station’s report said that several dispatchers had more than offense on their record. The TV report also includes tapes of interviews with three of the accused dispatchers, during which they explain their actions. Read more about the incidents here.